Semi Circular Door Step - design help

funkey_monkey · 22-04-2023 10:32pm #1

Hi,

Going to put in a set of semi-circular door steps at front of house. Reason being that everyone will approach/leave front door from/to side. Therefore I' don't want to have a square corner where they are stepping onto for safety reasons.

I'm 90% sure of what flags I want to use for the going. However, I'm stuck on what to use for the risers. For a square step, then the paving step risers (soldiers?) can be placed tightly beside each other with no gap to be filled with mortar of similar.

However, with curved steps, the soldiers are gapped at the front and are filled with mortar - a look that I don't like nor want. I've seen them with colour matched mortar, but still it is not a look that I like.

I would like to avoid anything bespoke for cost reasons. Would curved/radius kerbs need to be made bespoke to suit the radius of the steps or can the standard one be cajoled into position on site? I've calculated that the radii of the steps will be 1.5m and 1.2m.

What are my alternatives here? I've measured and there is approx 400mm from the threshold to ground level. So I think I can get away with two steps.

dathi · 23-04-2023 11:56am

bevel cut them with a consaw to suit the curve

10-10-20 · 24-04-2023 1:53pm

Stuart Crompton and father does a nice semi-circle step in this vid. Any use to you?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aenl9oLwbLE

He cut halves to reduce the mortar gap.

funkey_monkey · 24-04-2023 7:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120515052#Comment_120515052

Use of paving blocks as soldiers has been vetoed. Tbh I don't think they age very well either.

chooseusername · 25-04-2023 1:13pm

Have you sorted the telephone cable out?

And why not square/ rectangular concrete steps?

funkey_monkey · 25-04-2023 9:48pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120518880#Comment_120518880

Yes, BT (NI based) will need to splice the cable at entry for when fibre is installed. Therefore, I can't connect the two conduits and seal it off. So, it will have to be a recessed manhole cover.

Not sure why it was decided to have the entry point so close to the door, but hindsight is always 20/20.

The reason for not have square/rectangular steps is that the approach is from the side - so I don't want anyone walking off the corner of a step.

What I've thought about is the following as it should give space on the going for a manhole. Idea is to use granite kerbs for the step edging.

Alternative is something like this - which maintains a constant thread width, but I'd hope to have a bigger tread:

I'm not sure of the cost of either options for the granite kerbs. Any ideas as to which would be the cheapest option as I think the radii kerbs would have to be custom made.

Semi Circular Door Step - design help

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