What can be cooked from squid: fast and tasty

Great luck to become the owner of a flat area, the surface of which does not require leveling. But what if the relief on it rises, then falls? There are two options for solving the problem: level the surface by pouring lowlands and removing hills, or arrange it with all kinds of stairs and steps. Garden stairs are also interesting because, in addition to their direct purpose - providing convenience for moving around a site with a slope, they will help transform the architectural and decorative appearance of the garden.

Due to the arrangement of stairs, you can connect the landscape of the site into a single whole and transform the garden, giving it an aristocratic zest and noble charm. Almost on any site there is a place where you need to climb from one level to another. To connect the different-level zones of the site, two steps may well be enough. And even on a flat, even terrain, stairs will not be superfluous. Low descents and ascents will bring dynamics to the surrounding space, making the flat area more diverse.

Relief processing and transformation by artificially creating its forms is called geoplastics:

Stairs are equipped when creating terraces on the slopes of the site, decorating the main entrance to the house and the patio

Depending on the type of execution, garden stairs are divided into mortise and free: the first option assumes the presence, and in the second step they are laid directly on the soil.

The material for the manufacture of stairs can be: wood, natural stone, brick, concrete. The main thing is that the material for finishing the steps matches the style of the site.

For the garden in rustic style stair transitions from saw cuts of wood are best suited and wooden structures, decorated with carvings

Admirers of the Art Nouveau style can use concrete slabs of various shapes and colors to decorate stairs, from which it is convenient to lay out fancy ornaments. In this case, planted along the edges of the stairs ornamental plants close the transition from the steps to the ground. And, a romantic style, for example, involves the installation of vases with flowers along the stairs, which contribute to the creation of a lyrical atmosphere.

A harmonious addition to the landscape style will be stone steps decorated with ferns, saxifrage and decorative ground covers.

design solution and architectural style stairs largely depends on its location. Most often, stairs are equipped with railings, but for small transitional structures with gentle steps, the presence of railings is not at all necessary.

When designing stairs, the main thing is not to disturb the plastics of the relief, because these multi-level transitions are designed to emphasize the advantages of the site, while successfully hiding its shortcomings.

When considering the arrangement of steps, it is important to correctly determine the proportions of both the entire structure and its individual elements. To calculate the required number of steps and their dimensions, you need to take two slats, which are fastened together at a right angle. We install the free end of the first rail at the place where the lower step is arranged, and place the end of the second rail at the place where the last upper step is installed. Then we determine the length of the steps: we divide the length of the horizontal rail by the estimated number of steps. By the same principle, we calculate the height of the steps, taking as a basis the length of the vertical rail.

The standard dimensions of stairs are 30-40 cm of tread and 10-12 cm of risers, but garden options for multi-level transitions are often made in large sizes.

The width of the steps should be commensurate with the steepness of the rise. The total width of the stairs is also determined by the width leading to it. The wider the ladder, the more field for creativity: on the sides of the spacious steps, you can install outdoor ones, and braid the railings with flowering vines and.

Traditionally stairs have at least 3-4 steps. When planning to build a staircase for arranging a steep slope, the number of steps in which will exceed 12-14 pieces, it is advisable to provide a landing.

From the flight of stairs, you can even make a recreation area in miniature: place a table with a bench, install an umbrella, attach a small lantern

If there is a need to connect small differences, where even three steps will look somewhat cumbersome, you can simply level the site or equip an additional embankment.

Whatever design option the owners of the site choose, when arranging the stairs, a number of points should be taken into account:

Illumination. For safe movement around the site at night, it is necessary to provide street lighting. To illuminate the steps, it is convenient to use lamps whose outgoing rays are directed downwards, as well as. They do not dazzle, but give enough light to confidently move up the stairs.
Non-slip coating surface. As a finishing coating, it is better to use a material with a non-slip surface (textured natural stone, tiles with a corrugated surface).
Railing. When arranging stairs to connect height differences of 70 cm or more, in order to increase safety, it is necessary to provide for the presence of a railing. They are made from the same material as the steps.

Another tip - a slight slope of 1-2% of the depth of the tread in each step will prevent stagnation of water.

Owners dacha territory with uneven terrain, material on strengthening the walls and slopes on the site will also be useful:

Competently placed garden lights, in addition to the main purpose, will help to make even the most ordinary staircase a real decoration of the site.

Do-it-yourself garden stairs

The easiest option for arranging stairs is from bulk steps. For their arrangement, risers are laid in an inclined recess between the two levels of the site, and the voids between the boards are filled with earth.

As budget option stairs use wooden planks, which, as a riser, are installed between the terraces on the edge and fixed on both sides with pegs

The tread function is performed by an already compacted dense layer of soil. To increase the rigidity of the structure, stringers are used - side longitudinal boards that are placed on the edge to fix the steps. You can prevent the deflection of the board by driving in pegs from the inside of the board.

Option # 2 - from logs

To make a garden staircase from logs, we need:

Logs of the same length;
Metal or wooden pegs;
Crushed bark or gravel.

We dig a trench along the entire length of the slope at the site of the arrangement of the future staircase and tamp the soil. At the base of the slope, we drive two pegs into the ground, on which the lower step will rest.

We lay the first log close to the pegs, and fill the space behind it with earth, without filling about 5 cm to the edge, and carefully tamp

Using the same technology, we lay other logs, forming the following steps. We equip each step with a tread of crushed bark or gravel.

Mosaics made of wooden roundels are very popular. They are made from the trunk and thick branches of a tree, cutting logs 10-15 cm high.

To extend the service life, each saw cut is treated with special antiseptics or used engine oil.

Option # 3 - from stone slabs

Stone is ideal for building steps. Round, diamond-shaped, rectangular stone slabs can be laid as you like: as a solid floor or with gaps filled with rammed earth.

The lateral offset of the steps relative to each other emphasizes the effect of naturalness and makes the landscape more dynamic.

Stone slabs, each of which has a considerable weight, are laid on a 7-8 cm “cushion” of crushed stone or sand and fixed with cement mortar. The seams between the slabs can be sealed with the same mortar, or they can be sprinkled with sand, making it possible for ornamental grass to germinate.

To avoid opening the soil and the collapse of the steps, it is necessary to build a retaining wall. It can be completely laid out from that natural stone or built from concrete.

Stairs, skillfully inscribed in the surrounding landscape and in harmony with the overall design, can become a real decoration of the site.

Not every one of you has a summer cottage located on a flat area. As a rule, earlier plots were distributed on slopes, in ravines and lowlands, which reach several meters. In such cases, it is quite difficult to do without stairs or steps that will help you move comfortably through the tiers.

And sometimes many gardeners deliberately make multi-level terraces in order to diversify the landscape of a straight plot, and make the garden more attractive and picturesque. Steps in the country house should perform not only a decorative function, but also a practical one. We have selected for you a few ideas that, we hope, will help organize and implement your plans. How to make steps in the country, and most importantly, what materials can be used for this, we will tell you.

Ideas for what to make

Consider the option of steps for the garden, which are suitable for steep slopes. There are quite wide steps along which it will be comfortable and safe to move around. The frame of such a ladder is made of massive wooden beams, interconnected with fasteners into a single whole structure. The voids, in the resulting original wooden formwork, are filled with pebbles or rubble.

Agree, such steps look large-scale and, at the same time, original. Here, water will never accumulate on the surface, as it freely seeps through the backfill. If geotextiles are laid from below before filling the crushed stone, then in the future this will protect the backfill from the germination of various weeds. The disadvantages of such a ladder include the periodic addition of filler, as it always strives to get enough sleep outside.
If you liked the technology described above, but you need a simpler and more compact staircase, solid bars can be replaced with thinner boards, and the steps can be reduced in length, which will make it more curved.

But remember, wood is a short-lived material, so before building a wooden staircase in the garden, carefully treat it with antiseptic compounds.

If you approach the construction of steps or stairs in the garden thoroughly, pay attention to more reliable and durable materials - brick or concrete. There are several solutions here. The outer walls of the steps themselves can be laid out from solid brick, and the resulting cavities can also be covered with rubble. But concrete slabs or paving slabs are laid on top.

In another version, the steps are cast from concrete into a pre-made formwork. For decoration, the edge is laid out along the front. Such a staircase looks especially impressive if its steps are long enough. Do you have access to old used railway sleepers? Then this is for you.

With the help of old sleepers, you can pave the original. Filling gaps with large gravel will emphasize its picturesqueness. It turns out very cool! Also, for pouring concrete steps, instead of formwork, sleepers can be used. It happens that after dismantling any old buildings or garden paths that have become unusable, many large pieces of concrete remain. Many simply do not know where to put it. See what wonderful garden steps you can make with your own hands from this trash. If money is not a problem for you, then the steps in the garden can be made from natural stone slabs.

That's just to make them yourself, you need to have special equipment and good construction skills. Here it is better to resort to the help of professionals.

And, as a note,

If the site has a slope, and you need to walk on it, it's time to think about stairs. You can buy a finished product or hire craftsmen if you have free money.

But with the same success, the stairs in the garden can be built by the owners - from simple materials, using the usual tools available in any household.

Below are some of the available solutions to this problem. But first, calculate the dimensions of the ladder structure. It should be convenient for all members of the family, so we take averages.

What should be the height and width of the stairs

The convenience of a staircase is largely determined by the height and width of its steps. It's not hard to calculate.

Determine the height of the steps

It is convenient to go up and down if the step has a height equal to ¼ step. A lower height provokes a desire to step through 2 steps, a larger one requires additional effort. Both are tedious.

An adult person overcomes 70-80 centimeters in 1 step. Dividing these figures by 4, we get a step height of about 17-20 centimeters.

Determine the width of the steps

Approximate calculation: the width of the stairs should be equal to ½ of a person's step. Now more precisely.

For comfortable walking up the stairs, a person should put 80-90% of the length of the foot on the step. The length of the foot of an adult is 25-30 centimeters. 90% of these indicators are 23-27 cm. We add a few centimeters so that the toe of the foot does not rest on the next step during the step - we get 27-32 centimeters.

The degree of its inclination depends on the width and height of the stairs. It is optimal if the staircase has a slope of 25-35 degrees. Then it will be neither too steep nor too flat.

How to make a ladder from beams and boards

The main thing for such a ladder is to make even cuts in the beams

Would need:

2 pieces of beam - each at the height of the stairs. They will act as stringers - the side parts of the staircase structure, on which the steps will be attached.
Boards for steps.

We mark the elements of the stairs, focusing on the calculations that are given above.

Cut the board into steps.

We make cuts in the beams.

We fix the steps in the slots. Simply inserting is not enough - for reliability we use wood glue.

The finished ladder must be securely fixed to the surface. The lower ends of the stringers are best concreted into the ground.

How to make a ladder on a log

If you use two support logs, the stairs will be more reliable.

The support is a thick log.
Steps - pieces of logs, cut along.

In a log along the entire length of the stairs, we cut out recesses in which we fix the steps from the log halves. You can use 2 logs as supports - the staircase will look more traditional, but more reliable.

To fix such a ladder on a slope, you need to make a sliding barrier against which the lower end of the log (s) will rest. These can be thick metal plates or powerful reinforcing bars, concreted into the ground.

How to make a ladder from wood cuts

Laying wood cuts in a staircase is not difficult

Saw an even log into segments according to the height of the steps.

There are no special difficulties in the construction of such a staircase, unless you have to tinker with the base (under the bottom row).

We make a trench with a depth of 25-30 cm.

We fill the trench with rubble and sand, conscientiously tamp it down.

We impose on the surface a metal mesh (chain-link, etc.).

We fill with concrete. The base must be flat.

We lay out the rows of wood cuts on glue, preferably polyurethane. First, we fill the entire area with wooden cuts, then we reduce the number of cuts, arranging steps of the required width.

How to make a ladder from a bar on stones

Sturdy ladder made of thick timber supported by stones

We arrange the basis for the stairs, as in the previous example.

We lay out the stone base in the form of steps on a cement-sand mortar.

From above we fasten pieces of a bar. It is possible on the same solution, but in this case the wood from below must be treated with bitumen or molten resin. How to do this, see here.

How to make a ladder out of timber and small gravel

Low stairs of this type can be made without a foundation

In this case, the beam acts as the frame of the stairs. Under such a ladder, it is also necessary to fill in the foundation platform so that the structure does not sag and remains level.

We make the lower formwork from the timber. We fall asleep in it small gravel.

We repeat the process by the number of steps, reducing the area of the tiers.

If the slope is steep and high or long and gentle, we perform terracing (we remove the earth in the form of steps).

In the land of the slope we cut out the steps

A similar staircase on a slope can be made from building blocks.

For convenience, the upper part of the steps can be laid with wide boards.

Reliable, easy-to-manufacture staircase on a slope

Small garden staircase. Instead of rubble - decorative pebbles.

The stairs inside are covered with decorative pebbles

Reminder: all wood used for the construction of an external staircase is pre-treated with a protective impregnation.

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Stairs are equipped when creating terraces on the slopes of the site, decorating the main entrance to the house and the patio

Depending on the type of execution, garden stairs are divided into mortise and free: the first option assumes the presence, and the second step is laid directly on the ground.

The material for the manufacture of stairs can be: wood, natural stone, brick, concrete. The main thing is that the material for finishing the steps matches the style of the site.

For a rustic-style garden, stair transitions from saw cuts of wood and wooden structures decorated with carvings are best suited.

Admirers of the Art Nouveau style can use concrete slabs of various shapes and colors to decorate stairs, from which it is convenient to lay out fancy ornaments. In this case, decorative plants planted along the edges of the stairs will close the transition from the steps to the ground. And, a romantic style, for example, involves the installation of vases with flowers along the stairs, which contribute to the creation of a lyrical atmosphere.

A harmonious addition to the landscape style will be stone steps decorated with ferns, saxifrage and decorative ground covers.

The constructive solution and architectural style of the staircase largely depends on its location. Most often, stairs are equipped with railings, but for small transitional structures with gentle steps, the presence of railings is not at all necessary.

The standard dimensions of stairs are 30-40 cm of tread and 10-12 cm of risers, but garden options for multi-level transitions are often made in large sizes.

The width of the steps should be commensurate with the steepness of the rise. The total width of the stairs is also determined by the width of those leading to it. The wider the staircase, the greater the field for creativity: you can install outdoor stairs on the sides of the spacious steps, and braid the railings with beautifully flowering vines and.

From the flight of stairs, you can even make a recreation area in miniature: place a table with a bench, install an umbrella, attach a small lantern

If there is a need to connect small differences, where even three steps will look somewhat cumbersome, you can simply level the site or equip an additional embankment.

Whatever design option the owners of the site choose, when arranging the stairs, a number of points should be taken into account:

Illumination. For safe movement around the site at night, it is necessary to provide street lighting. To illuminate the steps, it is convenient to use lamps whose outgoing rays are directed downwards, as well. They do not dazzle, but give enough light to confidently move up the stairs.
Non-slip coating surface. As a finishing coating, it is better to use a material with a non-slip surface (textured natural stone, tiles with a corrugated surface).
Railing. When arranging stairs to connect height differences of 70 cm or more, in order to increase safety, it is necessary to provide for the presence of a railing. They are made from the same material as the steps.

Another tip - a slight slope of 1-2% of the depth of the tread in each step will prevent stagnation of water.

Competently placed garden lights, in addition to the main purpose, will help to make even the most ordinary staircase a real decoration of the site.

Do-it-yourself garden stairs

As a budget option, stairs are used wooden boards, which, as a riser, are installed between the terraces on the edge and fixed on both sides with pegs

Option # 2 - from logs

To make a garden staircase from logs, we need:

Logs of the same length;
Metal or wooden pegs;
Crushed bark or gravel.

We lay the first log close to the pegs, and fill the space behind it with earth, without filling about 5 cm to the edge, and carefully tamp

Using the same technology, we lay other logs, forming the following steps. We equip each step with a tread of crushed bark or gravel.

Mosaics made of wooden roundels are very popular. They are made from the trunk and thick branches of a tree, cutting logs 10-15 cm high.

To extend the service life, each saw cut is treated with special antiseptics or used engine oil.

Option # 3 - from stone slabs

Stone is ideal for building steps. Round, diamond-shaped, rectangular stone slabs can be laid as you like: as a solid floor or with gaps filled with rammed earth.

The lateral offset of the steps relative to each other emphasizes the effect of naturalness and makes the landscape more dynamic.

To avoid the opening of the soil and the collapse of the steps, it is necessary to build a retaining wall. It can be completely laid out from that natural stone or built from concrete. Or build floating steps, as in this video:

Video with other design options and ideas

Stairs, skillfully inscribed in the surrounding landscape and in harmony with the overall design, can become a real decoration of the site.

Not everyone can boast of a perfectly flat summer cottage without differences in height. And sometimes gardeners make multi-level gardens intentionally to make the landscape more interesting and the garden more picturesque. In this case, it is quite difficult to do without steps that will help you move between tiers. Such steps can perform not only a practical, but also a decorative function. If you decide to organize steps in your garden, we offer you a selection of ideas that will help you fulfill your plan.

Consider the first option for steps, which are suitable for large gentle slopes, since each step is quite wide.

The frame of the stairs is made of large wooden beams, which are assembled into a one-piece structure using the appropriate fasteners. The voids inside the wooden formwork can be filled with pebbles or crushed stone.

Such steps look original, water does not accumulate on their surface, as it seeps through the backfill. The disadvantages include the need to periodically add crushed stone, as it can spill over the sides.

If you liked the technology described above, but you need a more compact and simpler staircase, the bars can be replaced with boards, and the length of the steps can be reduced. A ladder made using this technology can be made more easily curved.

If you want to approach the construction of stairs in the garden thoroughly, pay attention to stronger and more durable materials, brick and concrete.

There are several approaches here. So, for example, the outer walls of the steps can be made of brick, the cavities can be filled with crushed stone, and concrete slabs can be laid on top.

There is another option. The steps are poured out of concrete, and the front edge is laid out with bricks. In this case, formwork will have to be used. It makes sense to use this approach if each step is long enough.

If you want to be original, you can use railway sleepers to make steps. With the help of sleepers, you can also pave the garden path. Fill the gaps between them with mortar or fill with large gravel. It turns out quite interesting

Sleepers can also be used instead of formwork for pouring concrete steps. The option is not much different from the first, but such steps will look more original, especially if the sleepers are old.

Recently, gardeners are abandoning concrete-filled garden paths in favor of paving slabs. When dismantling old paths, you may be left with many large pieces of concrete, which can also be used to create original garden steps.

Often, a piece of land located in a country house or in close proximity to a residential building has a complex relief. It is enough to make some efforts with a minimum of material costs, so that as a result a spectacular staircase in the garden is equipped - not only functional, but also capable of decorating any local area.

Step-by-step instructions for creating a staircase in the garden with your own hands

1. Initially, you should mark out a place on the site for the future garden staircase, for which you can use wooden pegs up to 0.5 m long and twine. Breaking the spot for the construction of stairs, you need to use a tape measure and a square to maintain the correct dimensions.

2. When arranging a staircase in a garden on a slope, using a level and a tape measure, it is necessary to determine the excess height of the top point of the stairs over the bottom. This is required for the correct calculation of the height and length of future steps.

3. Using a shovel, carefully remove the top layer of soil, clearing it of the grass carpet.

4. Do-it-yourself steps in the garden are easy to make. In the ground, you need to dig recesses for the steps, for which you will need to calculate the width and height of the steps. For this purpose, you can use the table of ratios between the height of the step and the width of the tread. On average, the step height should be 15-17 cm, and the width should be 30-35 cm.

5. When making steps in the garden, be sure to check the horizontalness of the dug trenches with a level.

6. From crushed stone, sand and cement, it is necessary to prepare a concrete mixture for laying the base under the steps, after which it should be laid with a trowel with leveling the surface and left for 24 hours to harden.

7. It is necessary to lay out the steps of brick or concrete blocks, rubbing the seams and checking the verticality and horizontality of the masonry with a level. For laying it is necessary to use a cement mortar or ready-made masonry mixtures based on cement.

8. The rest of the trenches to the masonry level should be filled with fine gravel with layer-by-layer tamping with a manual tamper.

9. Crushed stone must be laid with a slight rise from the surface of the brickwork. It is desirable to control this with a level.

10. Since the plates for arranging treads are quite heavy, it is difficult to lay them alone. This step must be done by two people. Together with an assistant, you should lay the plates on the bed from the solution.

11. The edges of each slab should protrude 40 mm relative to the brick. The plate itself should have a slope to the bottom side of about 10 mm, for water to drain.

12. When laying the next row of treads, it is required to control the accepted height of the steps using a tape measure and a level. All seams must be carefully filled with mortar.

13. Using the level, you need to make sure that the edges of all treads are on the same straight line.

Having adopted the above recommendations on how to make steps in the garden, as well as having studied in detail the photos of the corresponding stages of work presented on our website, you can arrange on your own adjoining area beautiful and functional stairs. Such a ladder will not only provide comfortable movement along the slope of the site, but will also please with its reliability and durability. Well, the neighbors will probably want to build something similar on their site, so there will always be an opportunity to give them sensible advice.

Owners of a site on a slope are in an ambiguous position. Standard methods for placing beds are unacceptable here, and the arrangement of such a site involves significant material costs. However, after studying the existing approaches to registration, the owner most often comes to the conclusion about the advantages of such a situation. Landscaping of a plot on a slope will be developed and implemented by specialists. The presented ideas are able to transform the territory, making it unique, immersing in the beauty of mountain landscapes.

Strengthening the slopes on the site with your own hands

Landscaping begins with work to strengthen the slopes on the site. This will prevent further destructive processes that can damage buildings and decorated landscape design.

Preparatory actions

When strengthening the slopes use various methods and designs. Landscaping allows the use of stones and concrete blocks, biomats and gabions, logs and lawn grates. To properly strengthen the slopes, it is necessary to study and calculate the following points:

how close are groundwater;
under what slope is the slope;
geological features of the soil;
is there a danger of washing away the site at a close location of the reservoir;
take into account the pressure of the soil on the slope;
determine the material for strengthening;
identify areas in need of strengthening.

With a slight slope, it allows solving the problem of fixing the soil by planting trees and shrubs with a developed root system. With a significant slope, terracing or the use of geotextiles will be required.

Methods for strengthening slopes

The easiest and cheapest option landscape design when strengthening the slope on the site - planting plants with a developed root system. This solution is acceptable under the condition of a small slope and its area. Plants are planted in cells that play the role of a reinforcing structure. In the future, the developed root system is intertwined with the fastening elements and does not allow the occurrence of landslides or soil erosion. Juniper is the leader with this method of strengthening the soil, it is also recommended to plant Chinese blackberries, lilacs and hawthorn.

Slopes on suburban area often reinforced with fences made of concrete slabs, sandstone, brick or limestone. The advantage of this landscape design method is as follows:

high level of resistance to external destructive factors;

does not require significant care efforts;
does not interfere with the growth of green spaces;
structural durability.

Such fences are erected subject to certain conditions:

a solid foundation is laid;
the minimum height of the fence is 1 m;
the thickness of the fence is 1/3 of the height;
mandatory equipment drainage system(water flowing down the slope should not wash away the structure)
fences are built from the bottom up;
it is recommended to build a cascade structure;
it is necessary to provide for a slight slope towards the slope.

The landscape design of the site provides an opportunity to decorate such a structure with flower beds, decorative stairs, and lanterns.

Another option for strengthening the slope on the site is the use of stones and logs. They are dug into the ground, having previously studied the type of soil and the condition of the surface. At the same time, do not forget about the aesthetic appearance of the site and take care of the presence of drainage. Such inexpensive way landscape design is acceptable on both small and large slopes.

Modern developments in landscape design suggest using geotextiles in arranging a site on a slope. This product in rolls, consisting of polyester and polypropylene fibers, has the following advantages:

water resistance;
soil protection from freezing;
when the water converges, it prevents the mixing of soil layers;
plastic;
has a high resistance to damage;
ease of laying on the ground.

Another option that is acceptable when developing landscape design on a slope is the laying of geomats. This waterproof material consists of polypropylene gratings superimposed on each other and connected as a result of exposure to high temperatures. Geomats have the following features:

do not contain toxic substances;
UV resistance;
maintaining the natural beauty of the landscape;
not afraid of aggressive substances;
resistant to low and high temperatures;
easy to install.

The presented methods of landscape design when strengthening the slope can be done with your own hands or with the help of professionals. Their choice depends on the preferences of the owner and further plans for arranging the site.

Design options

Landscaping of a site on a slope opens up wide prospects for the realization of vivid fantasies and bold ideas. Considering the need for serious financial investments in landscaping, the approach to planning a site on a slope requires special care and thoughtfulness. Development design work landscape design is necessarily preceded by the study of technical indicators of water supply and soil characteristics. The location of future outbuildings and recreation areas deserves special attention. Already starting from their location, they are planning the construction of future terraces, flights of stairs, retaining walls and other elements of landscape design. When landscaping a site on a slope, its location relative to the cardinal points must be taken into account.

Terracing

Having decided to use terracing in the landscape design of a site on a slope, discard excessively long retaining walls in a straight line. This design will create the impression of a huge staircase. Landscape design experts recommend arranging terraces randomly with ledges or cascades. This will create a picturesque picture of the general view.

Winding paths or paths are provided between the terraces, and several steps are designed on steep slopes. Retaining walls on the site are made of various materials A: natural stone and brick, wood and concrete. It is better to equip a steep climb with retaining walls using cement mortar; dry masonry will suffice on a flat place.

Original ideas in the design of retaining walls on the site are only welcome. Refuse straight lines, rounded shapes will provide smooth relief transitions and visually make them less conspicuous. Deviating from standard approaches will allow terraces with various functional purposes. Landscaping allows you to place vegetable beds and plantings of shrubs in separate areas. Combining them with winding paths will visually create a single picture of incompatible things.

The location of the terrace on wet ground suggests the presence of drainage filling from crushed stone. It is located between the wall and the ground in a width of 10-15 cm. It is recommended to supplement the masonry with pipe trimmings, which will ensure moisture escapes to the outside and prevent it from accumulating behind the retaining wall. The absence of such protective measures will provoke the rapid destruction of the structure.

Arrangement of paths and stairs

Neat paths are an indispensable attribute of landscape design, which help to achieve an organic connection between terraces. To ensure compatibility, it is better to perform them from a similar material.

Important ! Large decorative elements, whether stones, tiles or circles of wood, are capable of creating good visibility and a vivid perception of the path.

The winding shape of the path hides the steepness of the slope, and the serpentine, on the contrary, emphasizes it. Following the rules of landscape design of a site on a slope, it is better to emphasize the bends of the paths with low trees, shrubs or evergreens. Stairs on a steep slope of the site will be required. In width, it can correspond to the path that continues it or be a little narrower, but not less than 60 cm. If the staircase has many steps, it is better to separate them with platforms. It is advisable to equip them in places where the direction of movement changes. With a sufficient size, the site is decorated with a bench, an elegant statue or an original flowerpot. Landscape design experts recommend that a staircase located in a shady place be made of building materials lighter shade.

Remember! The beauty of landscape design must be combined with safety, choose non-slip material for paths and stairs.

Thoughtful landscape design will provide comfort during evening walks with the help of competent lighting. There are many ways to design it, and it will not be difficult to choose an option that matches the general style.

Site floristry

Choosing the concept of floristry, the best option for landscape design there will be a style of a mountainous area. In this case, the location of the territory relative to the cardinal points must be taken into account. In this aspect, the site on the northern slope has its advantages, due to the possibility of decorating it with moisture-loving plants, accustomed to a shady location. For the south side, grasses and flowers that can withstand high temperature and drought.

Landscape design is developed in such a way that the planted plants have different period flowering. Tulips, hyacinths and crocuses will be the first to please the owners in early spring. They can be replaced by decorative bows, California poppies and marigolds, and autumn will delight with bright colors of asters and chrysanthemums. Planting perennials will make gardening easier.

Trees on a plot with a slope, according to the rules of landscape design, are planted in a special way. If the house is at the top, next to it there are high plantings in the form of thuja, spruce or pyramidal poplar. Barberry or lilac will help create an interesting composition.

Please note! Planted trees and shrubs should not close the house.

Lower plants are found further down the slope. Evergreen shrubs and colorful flower beds can add nobility and sophistication. Juniper, magnolia, boxwood will be appropriate here. The region in which the site is located also plays a role. Therefore, when choosing green spaces, consider the peculiarities of the climatic conditions of your area.

The basic rules for landscape design of a site on a slope are as follows:

correctly organize the division into zones;
equip strong retaining walls;
protect the site from soil erosion with the help of a competent drainage system;

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Step-by-step instructions for creating a staircase in the garden with your own hands

3. Using a shovel, carefully remove the top layer of soil, clearing it of the grass carpet.

4. Do-it-yourself steps in the garden are easy to make. In the ground, you need to dig recesses for the steps, for which you will need to calculate the width and height of the steps. For this purpose, you can use the table of ratios between the height of the step and the width of the tread. On average, the height of the step should be 15-17 cm, and the width - 30-35 cm.

5. When making steps in the garden, be sure to check the horizontalness of the dug trenches with a level.

6. From crushed stone, sand and cement you need to prepare concrete mix for laying the base under the steps, after which it should be laid with a trowel with leveling the surface and left for 24 hours to harden.

7. It is necessary to lay out the steps of brick or concrete blocks, rubbing the seams and checking the verticality and horizontality of the masonry with a level. For styling, you need to use cement mortar or ready-made cement-based masonry mortars.

8. The rest of the trenches to the masonry level should be filled with fine gravel with layer-by-layer tamping with a manual tamper.

9. Crushed stone must be laid with a slight rise from the surface brickwork. It is desirable to control this with a level.

11. The edges of each slab should protrude 40 mm relative to the brick. The plate itself should have a slope to the bottom side of about 10 mm, for water to drain.

12. When laying the next row of treads, it is required to control the accepted height of the steps using a tape measure and a level. All seams must be carefully filled with mortar.

13. Using the level, you need to make sure that the edges of all treads are on the same straight line.

Having adopted the above recommendations on how to make steps in the garden, as well as having studied in detail the photos of the corresponding stages of work presented on our website, you can equip a beautiful and functional staircase in your house area. Such a ladder will not only provide comfortable movement along the slope of the site, but will also please with its reliability and durability. Well, the neighbors will probably want to build something similar on their site, so there will always be an opportunity to give them sensible advice.

Got a plot with a slope. Since there are no men in our family (we live with our daughter), we did not dare to start arranging the slope for three years. Although walking on it was very uncomfortable, especially when it was raining and the slope was slippery. Finally, I made up my mind. This was facilitated by the fact that we managed to get some gravel.
Our task was to make everything as simple as possible, but reliable. In dry weather on a warm spring day, they set to work. They took shovels and first “cut down” 3 large steps in the slope. In order for the upper platforms of the steps to be horizontal, I asked the neighbors for a building level. Very handy tool - I did all the measurements with it.

A formwork made of boards was attached to the risers, crushed stone was poured into it. Filled with solution. Cement was mixed with sand and water - a thick mass was obtained (like sour cream). The formwork was made about 15 cm above the horizontal surface of the steps, and these platforms were covered with gravel flush with the formwork. They decided not to pour the solution: let the water go through the rubble during the rains. On the sides of the steps, sections of the earth were laid out with a large stone: this both strengthened the steps on the sides and decorated them very much. The formwork was removed after about a month: they wanted the mortar to harden well.

We got a wonderful three-step staircase, which is a pleasure to walk on. The steps are quite wide and long, so we install container plants around the edges for the summer. Some we take out of the house, others (for example, petunia, lobelia) we grow specially. The view from our stairs is wonderful.

We also had a place in the garden with a similar problem: a slope from the neighboring plot. And we decided to turn the problem into a benefit. They arranged steps in the ground in exactly the same way as the first time, only the steps were made wide. We got real terraces with a width of about 1.7 m. Now we have a recreation area here. In summer, on the steps-terraces there are plants in tubs and beautiful street boxes, garden sculptures, a small fountain, country furniture.
It turns out that you can do a lot with your own hands, even if the hands are female.

If the site is on a slope, you can not do without steps, and above all for reasons of convenience and safety. It should be convenient to move around the site at any time of the year and in any light. Even if the slope of the site is small and there is no need to arrange retaining walls, it will still be necessary to make at least a few steps in certain places. Steps allow you to model the space in the direction we want, highlight the surrounding plants, emphasize the shape of lawns and areas, give a lot of ideas for decorating the garden and allow you to organize garden lighting in the most interesting way.

For the construction of steps, the same materials are used as for ordinary paths and platforms. But all this is done only on a stable basis, since these objects need "fundamentality". Steps are subjected to more stress than walkways. For the track, the load lies in the fact that they walk along it, and the steps also hold a certain mass of soil.

It is impossible to “cut” a section of the slope into steps just like that, by eye. Any staircase, including garden stairs, must meet the requirements of ergonomics, otherwise it will be uncomfortable and dangerous to walk on it. It must be calculated in advance - to determine how many steps to make, their width and height.

To calculate the garden stairs, you need to know the height to which we will climb it. The width of any garden staircase, as a rule, coincides with the width of the paths or is made somewhat wider than them. You can determine the height of the future ladder with the help of pegs and a rope. What is important for you is the level difference between the two flat areas that you want to connect with a ladder.

A few rules to keep in mind

The main technology for the manufacture of garden stairs - only on a concrete basis. Steps are never laid on the sand. The technology is intended for the manufacture of the main garden stairs in places of the most active movement.

The steps of the stairs are formed using formwork from boards.
The base of the stairs is cast from concrete, preferably reinforced with a metal mesh.
The selected stair paving material that you have chosen is laid on the base.
If there is a lawn next to the stairs, it is best to immediately provide a paving strip about 15-20 cm wide to separate these zones.
The height of the step should not be more than 15 cm, as it is inconvenient to walk on a too steep staircase.
The step width should not be less than 30 cm - this is determined by the parameters of our step.
It is desirable that there are more than three steps of the ladder, since it must be visible and safe in the garden. But if you have one or two steps, you will have to somehow highlight them, emphasize them - due to lighting, decor elements, catchy finishes.