Creating the Cinder Block Stairs

The process behind making the cinder block stairs was pretty easy and straightforward. The part that was hard is the fact that the dirt I had to dig to make room for the steps is full of rocks. I'm sure digging and leveling would have been much easier if it weren't for all of those dang rocks. Truth be told I guessed on the amount of cinder blocks I would need based on what the area looked like. I'm sure there are people who like to do things by the book and measure and all that, but I'm not that technical and I'm also impatient. That being said, I also like things to be straightforward so I'll get to the materials list.

Tools:        Shovel

                  Wheel Barrow

                   Rubber Mallet

Materials:   6 cinder blocks

                    1 Paving stone

See? Pretty easy in terms of materials. Though it will depend a lot upon the amount of slope you have and all that. As far as measuring I started by putting a cinder block right up against the patio where I wanted to put the paving stone. I couldn't use a cinder block right up against the patio because there was a little bit of overhang from the cement under the dirt so I needed a shallower hole to put something close. Then I started digging and leveling by hand until it looked level enough. I stepped on the dirt to compact it a little before I put the block in place. If you have a level and want to use it, go for it! It might make things easier to see than what I was doing, but I don't have a level right now. Once I had the paving stone where I wanted it (which is level with the patio) I started digging for the first set of cinder blocks. Again I just measured by putting a cinder block where I thought it should go then used that as my reference point for digging. I found one cinder block was too shallow of a step so two laid next to each other worked out better. I made sure the tops of the cinder blocks were level with the paving stone and patio then jumped on it a few times to make sure it was secure. This is where a rubber mallet would come in handy. I don't have one of those either but I think it would have worked better than me jumping and kicking it into place. Once the blocks were in place I filled in the excess dirt around the side and patted it down until it felt secure before moving on to the next set of steps. I basically repeated the process for each set of steps but dug a little further down so that the top of the next step was just an inch above the bottom of the higher step. I ended up with three steps in total and I feel pretty happy with the results for someone with no experience in making stairs. Will these steps stand the test of time? Who knows! But if they survive the winter I'll count that as a win! Beyond that I planted a cute little shrub next to my steps and lined one side with stones I dug up out of the yard. There are so many rocks under the dirt in my yard...