|
Thu, May 14, 09 at 7:09
| Because of the slope of my house's property, my basement in the back is at walk-out level and my kitchen is one story up. My back steps are crumbling, and I want to replace them with a deck. When I had my front steps fixed, the contractor suggested doing a cinderblock structure instead -- a raised patio with a stucco finish. He said it would be less expensive than doing a deck. That struck me like an awful lot of essentially concrete wall, but I was wondering if a raised paver patio could be done. It would certainly be a lot more aesthetically pleasing. If not that, then perhaps a cultured stone finish. We're talking about a raised patio of about 8' high. Does that sound feasible/reasonable to do? |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by fnmroberts (My Page) on Fri, May 15, 09 at 7:46
| You see high retaining walls along the roadsides frequently. But, the techniques and materials are not DIY. To do this for a patio will require VERY heavy stones and regular "deadmen" set into the firmly compacted backfill. Speak with a reputable stone mason. BTW, I can't imagine that a deck will cost more but the look cannot begin to match. |
|
| Wow, 8ft? We want to do a similar thing - have 4ft in corner now by slider (modular home was designed for 11ft slope but we hit ledge and ended up with less, moved walkout to end). We could fill a bit more but would still have about 3ft drop coming out the door - would love to do multi-level deck or patio stepping down to grade on left hand side (where foundation is only 6" off grade). Let us know what you find out. What are "deadmen"? |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Porches & Decks Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.