Just finished this one

[leaflandscape]

Nobody can say we used too many plants on this one, but I guess grass is a plant.:laugh:

[tthomass]

too many rocks then :)

quality is there but I would do a larger Maple and the loose stones I would be concerned about rolling under shoes

[STRINGALATION]

I LOVE THAT spaced vertical railing. is that a fire pit with the loose stones?

[bobcatnj]

what block is that. how did you attach the vertical block?

[bahamamills]

Nice looking work./.........

[Mike33]

Looks good to me
mike

[zedosix]

Nice work, but don't like choice of material for top step, and its off centre isn't it. No pathway to the firepit, kinda strange. Overall looks like a nice job.
My .02

[mrusk]

I do not want to bash, but i am very worried about the whole verticle block thing. I belive the industry as a whole is asking alot of adhesive. How many freeze thaw cycles will it be able to hold up through?

[steve5966]

Love the railing, hate the loose stones. You went functional with step to the sliding door, works better that way. Symetrical on a sliding door looks better but, you only use a small portion of it. The patio looks better than the house with that vinyl siding up high.

[ronslawncare]

i think that brick is old town i just finished a patio with similar pavers i used oyster blend looks real nice

[GreenMonster]

I do not want to bash, but i am very worried about the whole verticle block thing. I belive the industry as a whole is asking alot of adhesive. How many freeze thaw cycles will it be able to hold up through?

I tend to agree. Sh!t, we're always having caps and step treads come loose on us. It's extremely frustrating. We have no other call backs to speak of, but always the friggin caps. I'm really thinking of going to granite or bluestone step just so we don't have to glue anymore. It doesn't seem to matter what adhesive we use, or how thorough we are when applying it, it's just not 100%. ugh.

[mrusk]

I tend to agree. Sh!t, we're always having caps and step treads come loose on us. It's extremely frustrating. We have no other call backs to speak of, but always the friggin caps. I'm really thinking of going to granite or bluestone step just so we don't have to glue anymore. It doesn't seem to matter what adhesive we use, or how thorough we are when applying it, it's just not 100%. ugh.


I think its the efflorences that loosens up the glue. Next set of stairs that i do i am going to use thinset for the caps.

[PlatinumLandCon]

I think its the efflorences that loosens up the glue. Next set of stairs that i do i am going to use thinset for the caps.

Thinset is not a bad idea. I guess the glue isn't designed for the long term but people rave about how long the blocks last. Doesn't make sense to me.

[neversatisfiedj]

What was the cost on that install ?

[PatriotLandscape]

we get call backs on our bluestone steps as well. What we have foud that if you set the step on the glue then lift it back up and set it again it will hold for several years. Bluestone seems to dense to hold on thinset alone unless you could get it on three sides.

[ChampionLS]

I tend to agree. Sh!t, we're always having caps and step treads come loose on us. It's extremely frustrating. We have no other call backs to speak of, but always the friggin caps. I'm really thinking of going to granite or bluestone step just so we don't have to glue anymore. It doesn't seem to matter what adhesive we use, or how thorough we are when applying it, it's just not 100%. ugh.

What type or brand of Adhesive are you using? I personally know a few knuckleheads that use Liquid Nails- despite that it WILL NOT hold up outdoors in the weather. People tend to be cheap- and pay a bigger price in the long run. I've experimented with several brands, and personally like SRW Adhesive. It will stick to wet or damp block, and has more Adhesive in the mix VS. clay fillers as found in off brands.

When we are building steps or walls, ALL the CAPS get washed, and are stood on end until they dry. Even the blocks that they get glued to get washed with a quick scrub brush and water.

A set of steps that I repaired in May of this year has been together since 2001, and we had to use a air compressor with a air chisel to separate the caps from the blocks. The adhesive actually pulled chunks of aggregate from the caps. I'm impressed.

If you use blue stone, or some other light weight cap or step, maybe you should use a heavier slab. The shear weight alone may help keep the tread in place. If your having problems with things coming un-glued, it could be water getting in-between the surfaces during the winter.

[fitzg2md]

overall, looks like good quality work. Not a personal fan of the vertical railing, but thats personal taste. Many love it. It will be interesting to see how some of these hold up in 5-6 years. Only time will tell!

I do think the top step should have been wider and centered on the sliding door. Not a huge deal though...just for looks.

I have to admit, Im not a fan of the loose stone around the firepit at all! To each their own though! Speaking of the fire pit, is there any fire-stone down in there? It doesnt look like the sides have it, but I cant see very far down. If its not there, you may want to consider trying to get some attached in there somehow to save you from coming back 2 years from now when the block has crumbled and burnt in the pit.

Again, overall nice project though. -MF

[GreenMonster]

What type or brand of Adhesive are you using? I personally know a few knuckleheads that use Liquid Nails- despite that it WILL NOT hold up outdoors in the weather. People tend to be cheap- and pay a bigger price in the long run. I've experimented with several brands, and personally like SRW Adhesive. It will stick to wet or damp block, and has more Adhesive in the mix VS. clay fillers as found in off brands.


You name it. srw, pl, unilock, techni-seal. I've about tried them all. We did have great sucess with a couple free tubes of gator glue, but no one carries it around here. I may push our supplier to get it for us.

Maybe washing each cap is a worthwhile venture. I haven't nailed down the problem though. Some steps, we've had absolutely no problems with, others it's been epidemic.

[leaflandscape]

Sorry to not get back, took a holiday for the first time this summer. The block's Unilock Roman Pisa with the upright stones being Brussels Dimensional stone and the pavers are Brussels Block. We use Boss 347 foam concrete adhesive, and in the past three years we've been doing these vertical walls, we've never had a problem...yet. A couple of items, particularily the top step (narrow due to the homeowner wanting to put a barbecue up on the far right side of the patio), and the treatment arount the firepit were due to either design or budget constraints. They're going to do a walkway to the firepit next year from the bottom of the steps going out around the firepit area. The whole installation ended up being about $13000 Canadian, and took about 40 hours to complete. Thanks for all the feedback.