{"id":18369,"date":"2022-09-16T13:54:31","date_gmt":"2022-09-16T12:54:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tobermore.co.uk\/homeowner\/?p=18369"},"modified":"2025-12-15T09:28:52","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T09:28:52","slug":"the-ultimate-guide-to-planning-and-designing-garden-steps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tobermore.co.uk\/homeowner\/blog\/the-ultimate-guide-to-planning-and-designing-garden-steps\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate Guide to Planning and Designing Garden Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"

Need steps for your outdoor space but don\u2019t know where to start? We\u2019ve put together this ultimate guide to steps solutions to answer all your questions. Enjoy!<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Most gardens need steps of some kind. Whether you have a terraced outdoor space or simply a single step up into your house, you\u2019ll need to consider the best way to allow easy access for all.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this blog post, we\u2019re going to cover everything you need to know when planning steps for your garden or home. You\u2019ll be able to confidently measure up for garden steps, know what layout and design would work best for you, choose the right materials – and more.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, let\u2019s get to it and step out in style with Tobermore!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Step Risers Charcoal, Sienna Setts Silver & Historic Slabs Slate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Measuring for garden steps<\/h2>\n

First of all, let’s talk about outdoor step terminology (which is actually the same as staircase terminology). There are two main terms to remember: rise and going.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Rise<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As the name suggests this is the height of your steps – or how much they ‘rise’ from point A on the ground to point B at the top.<\/p>\n

‘Riser’ is the term used to describe the vertical part of the step.<\/p>\n

Going<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This is the distance travelled forwards from point A to point B.<\/p>\n

‘Tread’ is the term used to describe the horizontal\u00a0 part, where your foot goes.<\/p>\n

Steps should be comfortable and safe to walk on. For that reason, there are standard measurements for the rise and going to take into consideration when designing steps.<\/p>\n

For outdoor steps, each tread should be a minimum of 28cm and risers should be no more than 17cm. Be aware:<\/strong> this is different to indoor steps and staircases, which often get confused!<\/p>\n

Once you’re familiar with these terms and standard measurements, you can take a tape measure and start to calculate the number and size of steps you’ll need.<\/p>\n

For example, imagine you have a raised patio that drops 40cm down to your lawn. All you need to do is divide that total height by 17 (the maximum riser height for outdoor steps) to work out how many steps you’ll have in your flight.<\/p>\n

You can of course have lower, flatter steps by dividing by a number less than 17. In these cases, it’s not recommended to go lower than 15cm.<\/p>\n

All that’s left to do is work out how wide you want your steps to be. This will obviously depend on the available space in your garden or the distance from your door to the ground below.<\/p>\n

I<\/span>f you have room to play with, you might want to consider wider steps for a spacious, more luxurious feel (as well as accessibility benefits) or narrower steps for a more compact, cottage garden feel.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Historic Bracken, Pedesta Charcoal & Kerb Large Charcoal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
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Book your FREE Home Consultation<\/h4>\n <\/div>\n
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We visit and tour your outdoor space together, offer advice on bespoke garden and driveway design \u2013 and provide estimated costs so you can plan confidently.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

\n Book your FREE Home Consultation<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/section>\n\n

Planning for garden step construction<\/h2>\n

While we\u2019re not going to cover building garden steps in this blog post (that\u2019s best left to a professional!),there are some useful things to know about the construction process to help you plan for your steps.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Firstly, your steps will need a solid foundation. Safety is paramount and your steps should be built on proper foundations.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Your step treads should also have a very slight slop to each one (usually around 1:80). This ensures that water can run off and won\u2019t pool on your steps, especially important to avoid in winter to stop your steps icing up.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If your steps are being built against your house and across a damp proof course, an additional section of damp proof membrane should be placed between your steps and the wall of your house.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Choosing materials for outdoor steps<\/h2>\n

Now we’re getting to the fun bit! Once you have your measurements and you’ve considered the construction requirements for the project, you can start to think about the design and materials for your steps.<\/p>\n

Depending on the look and feel you want to go for, there are lots of options for materials to incorporate into your steps.<\/p>\n

For example, your steps could include:<\/p>\n