A modern house without a single step is difficult to imagine. Stairs are provided at the stage of design of the building. Inside the house they serve not only as an element connecting different levels of buildings, but also a spectacular decoration of the interior. Exterior stairs for both the input and firefighters should be in harmony with the facade. Although they have different purposes and intensity of use, but always remain in sight.
The construction of the house according to the standard project
Specialized engineering companies have developed a number of projects of houses, which allows you to select any plot. The future home owner gets all the necessary construction documentation and can get to work, and he can do a lot with his hands. Individual constructions are attracted by the fact that there is an opportunity to design your home like no one else. It is a unique design, which arises from the owners.
The ladder element of the building creates conditions for comfortable movement around the house all members of a family living there, including young mothers who need to pull the stroller with the baby.
The main rule of the device of ladders is the safety of all households. When buying a ready-made project, you can be sure that the designs have taken into account all the rules concerning the device. Now you must ensure that the construction is conducted according to the rules set out in the relevant building codes.
The device of the entrance stairs with your hands
Every house owner can make the entrance to their house look unique without losing its functionality. Not only a new home but already built ones deserve a decent comfortable and beautiful entrance stairs. Modern materials make the design of these stages of this work; it is possible to choose wood, brick, or concrete for their manufacturing.
This ladder is experiencing the greatest load and gets under the rain, under the snow and under the sun. The existing operating conditions, plus the desire of the owners to create their own masterpiece open a wide field for creative work.
How to choose the material: consider the needs of all family members
The new house is inhabited by people of different ages, with different needs, but the most considerable attention will be paid to the safety of children and the elderly. The birth of a child is planned in every family, so it is better to think about how to make it easy to move the pram.
Wood is a beautiful material, which is now very popular, but the staircase of wood is more popular inside the house. External stairs from this material won’t serve a long time, especially if the house is located on the ground with a wet or windy climate, the difference in winter and summer temperatures influence brick or concrete less than wood.
Brick steps for creating an original entry stairs
Bricks can be used quite successfully when creating the input stages. Here the owner can realize any creative idea, because the device of stairs from bricks allows you to create an input staircase of rather a complex shape, only by changing the distance between the outside corners of the brick.
Setting a brick on the base or the edge can be quite simple to adjust the height of the steps.
This advantage is used on sites with uneven terrain, it is better to create an original stage for the transition from one level to another than to level the playground area.
You can provide a ramp on the exterior stairs to move the pram. It is easy to do with your hands, using the concrete mixture. You can concrete the narrow lane for the passage of the pram, tilting the pram to one side. Now it will be easy to pull the pram with a child inside, not to divide the process into two stages:
- To bring the pram from home.
- Return for the baby and put it in the pram, already downstairs.
But do not forget that during the second stage, the stroller can easily be stolen. If the device of a permanent ramp may not seem very aesthetic, you can install a temporary strip on the edge of the stairs. So, this device will not interfere with the rest of the family, and one, who will go for a walk with the baby with the pram, will be able to pull the ramp from the steps.
Technological features of the arrangement of the brick steps
The ground under the brick steps should be arranged from a trusted material, and then the brick will be laid in mortar. The nature of the soil determines the requirements to the base:
- as for the bulk soils, it is better to equip a reinforced concrete foundation;
- if the soil condition allows, you can use rubble stone, it enough to lay it in a thickness of 100-150 mm.
Beautiful and reliable steps can be built with your hands of quality (without defects) brick. The solution should be drawn from a mixture of sand and cement M400 (1:3). Water is added after mixing the components; the prepared solution should be a uniform, creamy consistency.
Staircase with complex contours looks especially effective on a slope. So the entrance to the house won’t be only original, but also comfortable. Steps should be laid consistently, reliably securing a ready-made series. The device of such steps with your own hands can be finished in 10-14 days.
The concrete step is cheap and reliable
The most durable (listed) in all weather conditions can be a staircase of concrete, it can be made of pre-cast concrete stairs, or concrete mix, pouring it into the mold. This material is cheap enough, but the stairs will not look attractive without finishing. Although it is easier to build a ramp with your hands to safely pull a child pram. You can make any walk in the courtyard of the manor comfortable, not forcing the mother to carry a heavy pram with the baby.
The use of the device is simplified by using prefabricated concrete products, which differ in the shape of the cross-section:
- rectangular;
- rectangular groove;
- triangular;
- corner.
Concrete products are made in different sizes and shapes, owners should just pick up those degrees which are securely mounted on the slope of the plot. There is need if base preparation: if the soil is dense, it is enough to make shovel risers and treads suitable shape. Under these conditions, only the first stage is compacted with gravel base. In case of other soil characteristics, it is necessary to make the base of thick and reliable material.
Pre-cast reinforced concrete materials shouldn’t be bought at a considerable distance of the plant, which entails an increase in shipping costs. Concrete stages are made at the same technology as the foundation; that’s why there are no problems with them.
Lining materials for concrete steps
Not everyone will leave bare concrete structure for his country estate. Due to the help of the finishing materials, you can make attractive concrete staircase.
Exterior stairs should not be slippery, even though they are wet from rain or frozen in the cold.
The choice of cladding material for all stages may not be the point at which the owners plan to save money. The stairs are elements of the structure that represents some danger for households, therefore making walking the stairs completely safe is an important criterion in its design, and when selecting facing materials.
There are popular and proven concrete stairs, lined with:
- natural stone;
- ceramic tiles with a special non-slip surface.
The sides of the stairs can be finished with wooden elements; it would look better at the house, the facade of which is decorated in a similar style. All the wood will be treated with chemicals, improving its water-repellent properties, but even this treatment will not save steps if they are used outside of buildings.
Treads of outdoor stairs can blend in with the facade, merging with its color, but no less impressive is the contrasting lining. The beauty of exterior stairs is enhanced by the installation of the original railings, which are a good support when lifting in the house of an elderly or ill people. Be sure to choose reliable handrails in a home where there are people who are forced to move around in wheelchairs, and the expectant mother will not need to rely on something during the descent to the yard, even in bright sunlight.
It is even harder to pull a wheelchair up the steps than a pram, so when the local area doesn’t have very steep slopes, some areas can arranged according to the type of rather sloping ramp. Such concrete surface can be coated with non-slip material. Make the mansion comfortable and share with us your ideas and achievements. And even more tips can be read in the material on the front porch of a private home.
