Why Consider Masonry Steps Over Wood?

Whether you are deciding on steps as part of new construction or to replace existing wood steps, these are 3 aspects to consider:

1. Longevity
2. Upkeep & maintenance
3. Safety

Longevity.  I often mention the wearing affects of exposure and the outdoor elements on everything in the landscape.   From a practical sense this should be on your mind constantly.

This first picture shows the existing wood steps in a renovation project of this older home.  Over the years the wood has fought a noble battle against the elements, but it’s taken its toll.  Whereas the masonry fieldstone foundation and wing-walls are in great shape.

Upkeep and Maintenance.  There are certainly well-made wooden steps constructed of the best wood-types for outdoor use, but they still require regular care.  Some are painted while others have a wood sealer applied.

How often this maintenance has to be done varies (depending on exposure and the elements), but some homeowners will do it as frequently as once a year.

Safety.  All steps no matter what they’re made of have to be looked at from a safety standpoint.  Building codes have specific guidelines in that regard.

Here, however, I’m referring to the slipperiness of the step treads.  In fact, the homeowner of this house was saying how dangerous the wood steps were when wet.

Masonry Stone Steps Solve These Concerns

Replacing the old wood steps with masonry stone steps was a “no-brainer”.  The homeowner loved the look and the fact that these steps will outlast us all.  Equally convincing was the ease of maintenance (what maintenance?) and safety.  No slippery surface on these treads!

The decorative railing is aluminum with a powder-coat painted finish.  This too was chosen to last a long time with minimal care.

So, is it good-bye wood steps in the landscape?

Of course not.  Beyond the point of just personal preference, objectively speaking there are situations where wood steps “just work”.  For example, in many wood deck designs the steps are an integral part of the look (see below).

Good design should weigh all possibilities along with their pros and cons.  After that you can make the decision that works best for you.P.S. I just wanted to mention Lester Szajna (stone mason and contributor here on LandscapeAdvisor) built the stone steps pictured above.  He searched and found fieldstone to match the existing stonework, and tinted the mortar to help the match as well.

Two of the functions of good planting design that work together to marry the house to the site are:

1. to complement the home
2. to have the home appear integrated (connected) to its surroundings

There are certainly other functions accomplished by good planting design, like creating spaces, directing views and traffic, screening, etc.   But this “complementing and integrating the house to the site” is major.

In the picture above, this house is desperate for both hardscape and landscape planting design.  The house dominates the relatively narrow property and to make matters worse, the grade drops off steadily on the right.

We know this house is “off-balance” and the right side is just dominating the view with its tall expanse of siding and windows.

You’re probably thinking what I first thought.  Why couldn’t there be a huge 80′ shade tree on the right side front?   Can you imagine how that would change the whole picture?

It was not to be.  The new homeowners had come from a previous property that had loads of large trees and they did not “want to go there…again”.

Think long-term, think work-in-progress.

I mentioned it before in previous posts – these landscapes are works-in-progress.  Provided you do a professional job from day one, odds are good you’ll be adding to and modifying this landscape in the future.  For example, I’m thinking that someday I’ll be helping this homeowner select a nice, big shade tree for the right side front.

But in the meantime…

Never underestimate the effectiveness of mid-size ornamental trees, especially in close proximity to the house.

The homeowner welcomed the idea of ornamental trees.  I suggested Purpleleaf Plum off the right front corner.  It’s planted approximately 15′ from the building giving it room to develop.

Now brace yourself because I recommended Japanese Red Maple for the side of the house.  I know what you’re thinking: “What are you crazy?  There isn’t much room for that tree to grow!”

Before you report me to the “Better Plant Use Bureau” let me explain.  Japanese Maple is one of those trees that by shape and form is very “malleable “.  What I mean is the growth habit and branch structure respond and react really well to pruning.

Oh, and one more point to make with regard to using the maple close to the house.  We searched for this plant looking for a particular shape and branch structure.  It stands about 18′ high.  Dave Kennedy, our contributing landscape contractor, used one of his mechanical tree spades to dig the plant and place it in a wire basket.  A skid steer was used to bring it to the planting spot.

The house has a home.

The two ornamental trees add much needed weight to the right side of the house.  Their height breaks up the broad expanse of  the windows and siding.  Notice how the tree canopies soften the transition from the flat plane of the property to the vertical lines of the building.

I should mention too the improved psychological feeling particularly when you drive or walk down the driveway.  Just having the tree branching reaching out overhead helps immensely to make you feel more comfortable.

The foliage colors, flowering and textures of the trees and the understory plantings complement the home.  Add 2 to 3 years of growth with proper care and this home will be even more integrated with its surroundings.

Disguising A Utility Pole

Although there are quite a few communities that do not have utility poles, I still think of them as a common issue (and challenge) in the landscape.  Utility companies are not being design conscious when they place them – they can’t be.  It’s a matter of support for their wires and they can’t be thinking about how their pole fits aesthetically  into the landscape.

Here’s one strategy I’ve used quite a few times.  Climbing Hydrangea, although deciduous, works wonders as a vigorous climbing plant that in a relatively short time will wrap around the pole with lush, glossy green foliage.  As a bonus it will also flower in early summer.

Here, to your left, is a recent project currently underway with the woody plant installations – additional perennials and groundcovers will follow.

While trying to blend the landscaped property with the neighboring woodland, we have this utility pole smack dab in the mix.  It’s kind of a blatant statement of civilization.  So at the pole’s base we plant a young climbing plant (Hydrangea petiolaris, 5 gal. install size).

I was anxious to show you what the effect will be and remembered this other design of mine.

This climbing hydrangea has been planted by this pole for about 3 years now.  It is pruned every year just to keep it trained on the pole itself and not to grow much beyond the height you see.

Earlier I mentioned how vigorous a grower this is – and I’m not kidding.  It would eventually grow right up the entire pole, but with a little attention you can keep it in check.

I think this climbing plant does a great job of camouflaging the pole without taking up too much space at its base.  This plant happens to be a favorite of mine and I’ll continue to show you why in future posts.

A Never Realized Feature

This homeowner asked me for a design to renovate the front landscape. The only specific request they had was to save a beautiful Laceleaf Maple that was planted up against the foundation of the house. Beyond that they were relying on me to give their home a new look. I’ve written before about the role design often plays in terms of function and this project offers an excellent example of that principle.

The home is located on a corner lot.  The driveway is on the right side, which leads to the garage beneath the first floor of the house.  From this driveway/garage level the property rises to the front door where it’s only 2 steps up to the first floor and main living area. Supporting the grade change by the driveway was an existing timber wall along with masses of old shrubbery.

Up above, the front door had its own walkway that meandered towards the opposite street from the driveway entrance (remember, this is a corner lot), where it served as the main walkway access to the home.  If you happened to pull in their driveway as a visitor, you would have to walk across their sloped lawn to get to the front door.

A Simple Stairway – Walkway Solution

The timber wall was aging which really incentivized me to replace the wall and at the same time provide steps and a secondary walkway from the driveway level to the front door. The idea and design was well received and the project went ahead.  After the new stone stairway and wall, the walkway continued as incremental stretches of walk and then 1 or 2 stone slab steps until it met up and merged with the existing front  walk. The jaunt up the new steps and walkway was a pleasant stroll as I integrated rock outcroppings and plant groupings to “naturally” retain some of the sloping grades. The homeowner said she actually looked forward to parking down by the garages and walking up to the front door.

Have you ever looked at the side of a deck and wondered how to make it more attractive?

The picture above may not be all that telling, but this tall deck is completely open underneath giving a gloomy view of support columns and concrete foundation.

Something had to be done because a design requirement for this project was to build a natural stone patio where the deck stairs meet the lawn. You’re not seeing this area in the picture above, but it’s to the right. Another request was to provide a pathway from the driveway (left side of picture) up the sloped lawn to the new patio.

This meant people would be walking past the deck and viewing its underside from the new ground level patio – not a pretty sight.

An Attractive Solution

A common fix for screening the underneath of wood decks and porches is to use lattice.

In the picture to the right is real cedar wood lattice.  The cedar lattice was manufactured in 4′ X 8′ panels, which were cut and fitted to size. There are numerous types and styles of manufactured lattice available including those made from vinyl.

The key to any lattice installation is support and structural strength. The lattice panels themselves are relatively flimsy. Build border frames around your panels for looks and support.

The Project

Back to the raised wood deck and planned patio/walkway project.

To solve the under-deck view problem I asked the carpenter to replace the standard deck spindles with full-length spindles cut to within 3″ of the sloping ground. This immediately screened the view and offered a supportive structure for growing Climbing Hydrangea.

Stone slab-steps placed at the steepest part of the slope made the walk graduated & comfortable. To unify the look the same stone was used throughout, including the patio surface and seat-wall. Notice too how the new garden & walkway create a “setting” for this wood deck. This planting and landscape design help to reduce the height of the deck and integrate it better with the land.

Before

The Landscape Renovation

A complete landscape design was developed which included most of the items on the homeowner’s “wish list”.

The property had some challenging characteristics that had to be considered such as deep shade and competitive root systems.  These two often go together.

Kearney Stone was used for the walls, front walk, landings and slab-steps. Fieldstone boulders were found on the property and used in the design to unify the home with the surroundings.

Some of the plant material selections for this landscape renovation came from the homeowner’s list, but always with a consideration for each plant’s characteristics and requirements. There’s a balanced mix of evergreens, deciduous plants, groundcovers and perennials. No matter what the season there’s always something going on plant wise.

Beacon Pathlight

There are low path lights called “beacons” which you can hardly see, yet they light the walk & steps beautifully. These lights were chosen because the family has a dog that runs free on property and we didn’t want pathlights that could be broken.

The wood lamp post from Walpole Woodworkers marks the entrance to the front walk. Day or night the woodwork of this post brings the architecture of the home out into the landscape.

With smart plant selection, proper spacing and arranging, these gardens grow with minimal maintenance. It should be a very long time before a landscape renovation should ever be considered again. In fact, with proper care and maintenance, this landscape should outlive us all.

After

After

After