DIY Concrete Steps

Scripture to Live By:  

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.  Deuteronomy 31:6

My son came to visit for a long weekend.  Each time he comes he ask his dad what projects that they can work on together.  We needed to put in additional steps that would lead to the river.  The river bank is quite sloped and  trying to get to the water when the grass was wet or your feet were wet could be very slippery.  We have wanted some concrete steps to go to the river because all the wooden steps  wash away each year when the river rises.  About a year ago we put in a concrete platform and added some wooden step that were filled with concrete, and these steps have stayed.  These were close to the water and we needed more steps to get us up the sloped area to flat ground.  So here is what we did.

We purchased 13 bags of concrete and some 2 x 4 inch x 8 foot treated lumber to make forms to pour the concrete into.  We purchased a concrete mixing tray and used a hoe to mix the concrete with.  We used water from the river to make the concrete the right mixture.  He used a 2 x 4 inch board to smooth the concrete and a trowel.  

My son started at the bottom and worked his way up.  Each day he would do one step and let it dry overnight so he could work from it the next day, to do the step above it.  He laid one step each day he was here.  My husband did the finishing touches after he left and the steps were completely dry.  

Each step was 24 x 28 inches long. We made the wooden forms out of 2 x 4 inch treated lumber.  My son dug out the front of each step 10 inches in the front of the step and tapered the steps to 4 inches.  

(The leaves on the concrete are shadows from the trees around the pad.) 

By doing this he poured 10 inches of concrete in the front of the step and tapered the concrete to 4 inches thick in the back of the step.   

He attached a board in the front of the step and on each side to fill the 10 inch area in the front of the step and then removed it when the concrete had set. 

Three steps down and one to pour to finish the fourth step.  

The fourth step is poured and waiting for it to set.

Thirteen bags of concrete later.  

Now the steps are complete and it is time to put the finishing touches.

We put river rock on each side of the steps to stabilize the soil on each side of the steps.

 So thankful for all the hard work my son and husband did to make getting to the river safe for all to use.   

So thankful for the way this project turned out.  So if you live on a river bank and need steps to get you to the river.  Why not use the idea we came up with and make your own.  

I think this project turned out beautiful, what about you?

Blessings,

Monday:

Skip to my Lou ,  Craft O Maniac,  Keeping it Simple,  Creating Really Awesome Free Things,  Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms  Between Naps on the Porch,  ,  Mad in Crafts, I'm An Organizing Junkie,  Sew Can Do, I Should Be Mopping the Floor,  Making the World Cuter, The Gunny Sack, Mrs. Happy Homemaker, Uncommon Designs, DIY Home Sweet Home, The Modest Mom

Tuesday: 

  Coastal Charm,  A Bowl Full of Lemons ,  Tip Junkie ,  Sugar Bee Crafts ,  Not Just a Housewife ,Today's Creative Blog ,  Funky Polkadot Giraffe ,    Hope Studios ,   Time Warp Wife , Chef in Training Home Stories A to Z, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia,  Vintage Wanna Bee, The Blackberry Vine, Carolyn's Homework,  Growing Home,  Cornerstone Confessions, Mercy Ink, Ginger Jamboree,A Diamond in the Stuff, Reasons to Skip the Housework,A Stroll Thru Life

Wednesday:

 Raising Homemakers , Crystal & Co. ,  We AreThat Family , Women Living Well, The Trendy Treehouse ,  Handy Man, Crafty Woman Someday Crafts ,   This Chick Cooks ,  Seven Thirty Three,  Sugar & Dots A Creative Princess , Creations by Kara, Gingersnap Crafts ,   Uncommonly Yours, My Girlish Whims, Adorned from Above Fabric Bows and More, Twin Dragonfly Designs, The Thrifty Home, Semi Homemade Mom Simply Designing

Thursday:

 Shabby Creek Cottage,  Delightful Order  House of Hepworths,   The Frugal Girls ,  Miz Helen's Country Cottage ,    Thrifty 101, Diary of a Stay at Home Mom, Beyond the Picket Fence, A Glimpse Inside, MandatoryMooch, Think Tank, The Real Thing with the Coake Family,Life we Live 4,Somewhat Simple

Friday:

The Thirty Sixth Avenue,The Shabby Nest ,  Fingerprints on the Fridge ,  Chic on a Shoestring, Life as Mom ,  Miss Mustard Seed ,  Tidy Mom ,  Whipperberry,  French Country Cottage  30 Handmade Days ,  Finding Fabulous ,   Naptime Crafters Tatertots and Jello,My Romantic Home , While He was Napping , Comfy in the Kitchen,  Bacon Time with the Hungry, Hungry Hippo,  The Country Cook,  Six Sister's Stuff, Kitchen Fun With My Three Sons, Ann Kroeker Writer,, Simply Sweet Home, Craft Junkie Too, , Happy Hour Projects,Young and Crafty, Five Days Five Ways, At Home With Bobi, A Peek into Paradise,Practically Functional

 Saturday:

Funky Junk Interiors,  Young and Crafty ,  Be Different, Act Normal ,  A Vision to Remember, Sweet as Sugar Cookies, Positively Splendid, It's Overflowing, The Artsy Girl Connection, Craft Envy, Too Much Time On My Hands, Something Swanky Sassy Little Lady,

Or So She Says, Tutus and Tea Parties, Your Home Based Mom

Sunday:

  Under the Table and Dreaming ,  DIY Showoff ,  Nifty Thrifty Things,  Homemaker on a Dime ,  Sumo's Sweet Stuff ,The Girl Creative