any brick layers or masonry guys out there?

[Webster]

I need to make some 5ft wide x 5ft deep step landings for my house

they need to be high (42") so I want to build cinder block walls then pour a slap on top but im not sure the best way to do that.

I plan to fill the cores full of rebar and concrete to lock it all together so should I mortar them together or just use masonry bonding epoxy glue and just glue them together with no mortar gaps in a nearly seamless look?

in addition, I need to know how best do I bond them to the existing concrete slab? should I just use masonry bonding epoxy glue for this bond?

and what should I do (if anything) to pre-plan for railing attachments?

im also looking for tips on the best materials and method to create the steps going up to the landing.

I have poured platforms and slabs before so I am confident I can do whatever is involved even though I have never done any block work before so any advice for a novice with no idea whats involved, is welcome

thanks for any help you can give me guys

[Wolferz]

Mortar would be your best bet for the block, considering how hot it gets in Louisiana.
If you're going to frame up to pour a slab, you might as well frame and pour the steps too.
Then you'll have some concrete to anchor the railings in.

[Webster]

ok so mortar in the blocks :up:

so to get started, do you motor the slab then set the block on top of a mortar joint or set the brick right onto the slab with epoxy so there is no mortar joint that could fail over time? I have heard you want the bottom row sitting on something solid but seen people do it both ways, with a mortar joint at the bottom and directly on the slab without a bottom mortar joint.

I have never poured steps before and not sure the best way to do it. im not sure I trust myself to know when to remove the form to smooth out the corners and the ones I see done leaving the step boards in place end up with visible ruts from the boards.

that's why im thinking I might buy prefab steps to butt up against a platform I make. I am less confident I can do a good job doing the steps "all-at-once" but I could pour them one step at a time, im just not sure if that's the best way.

you available for some collaboration in golden meadow 70357? i'll take you fishing then we can look over the job, between two disabled retired PITA like us, im sure we should be able to handle it lol.

[Wolferz]

ok so mortar in the blocks :up:

so to get started, do you motor the slab then set the block on top of a mortar joint or set the brick right onto the slab with epoxy so there is no mortar joint that could fail over time? I have heard you want the bottom row sitting on something solid but seen people do it both ways, with a mortar joint at the bottom and directly on the slab without a bottom mortar joint.

I have never poured steps before and not sure the best way to do it. im not sure I trust myself to know when to remove the form to smooth out the corners and the ones I see done leaving the step boards in place end up with visible ruts from the boards.

that's why im thinking I might buy prefab steps to butt up against a platform I make. I am less confident I can do a good job doing the steps "all-at-once" but I could pour them one step at a time, im just not sure if that's the best way.

you available for some collaboration in golden meadow 70357? i'll take you fishing then we can look over the job, between two disabled retired PITA like us, im sure we should be able to handle it lol.

I would love to visit and collaborate but, I'm way, way north of there and I'll have to pass on a ride in your vibrator. Even if it is to go fishing.:03::D

Just don't install those unanchored trailer park block steps.:haha:

[Webster]

are you a brick layer? mason?

the vibrator stays parked killing grass, I have a Tacoma as DD now.

what do you mean by "unanchored trailer park block steps"? are you talking about these? https://sutherlands.com/search/index.php?s=&cat_a=2303002001&s_market=false

or are you referring to them idiots that just stack up a pile of bricks and call it done :nope: lol

[Wolferz]

are you a brick layer? mason?

the vibrator stays parked killing grass, I have a Tacoma as DD now.

what do you mean by "unanchored trailer park block steps"? are you talking about these? https://sutherlands.com/search/index.php?s=&cat_a=2303002001&s_market=false

or are you referring to them idiots that just stack up a pile of bricks and call it done :nope: lol

No. not a mason. I don't like secret societies.:03:

Student of architecture.
You do want to set your bottom row of block on some kind of footer, be it slab or just a poured concrete base.

[Webster]

well I have a driveway "like" 4" slab in front and side of house where the steps go, sort of like a patio/hangout area out of the grass.

I think I need more for support of the heavy weight load then just the 4" slab I have so, can I pour an above ground footer or chain wall? would that work?

im thinking of pouring a 7" form on top of the 4" slab to form and above ground footer 11" thick and double to serve as the first step of the stairs.

does that sound ok or should I forget all that and bust up the concrete and pour a true footer under ground with rebar sticking up out of it?

thing is, the slabs I have are 5ft by 30ft in front and 10ft by 30ft on the side, so you can see why im not wanting to cut them and definitely don't want to bust them up if I can avoid it

[Jeff-Groves]

Where you are located calls for a 4" footer depth.
Here in Ohio it's 36".
I'd say your slabs are considered 'at grade' and have no footer.
A quick dig around the edge will tell you if a footer was done for it.
To be safe I'd saw cut the area you want the steps and pour a proper base.
Nothing is worse then having something like that crack the concrete and start shifting.
Saw cutting the 4" slab is quick and easy and the rent for the equipment is cheap.

[Wolferz]

I have reviewed your pics briefly. I'll need some time to peruse it closer but the wife is down sick in the bed, stepson recovering from an abscess surgery and I'm not in the greatest of shape at the moment. Teeth rotting out of my head and right now, hurting like the dickens.:wah:

Is that a lake house or is the area prone to flooding?

The neighbors have a nice deck. Ever consider going that route?

[em2nought]

Yeah, put too much weight on that nice slab in one place, and you're going to have some ugly cracks(from personal experience). Concrete saws are kinda fun, but prepare to get a bit messy. If I was going to be building these in LA I'd think about making them into mini hurricane shelters as well. Maybe using some of those new fangled styrofoam blocks and then pouring full of concrete with the roof/deck floor tied in with rebar. A nice little door and voila a shelter for two, or a place to keep the wheelbarrow.

[em2nought]

Here's somebody that does what I was thinking http://www.missouristormshelters.com/shelters-step-deck.aspx (http://www.missouristormshelters.com/shelters-step-deck.aspx)

Except I was thinking you probably wouldn't go in the ground due to the water table so just a short little sit down or lay down shelter.

[Wolferz]

em2nought has a really good idea:up:
Considering the severity of storms in that part of the country and the free standing foundation of the building.:timeout:

Can you say; "my name is Dorothy and my dog is Toto?"

[Webster]

thanks em2nought but in heavy or steady all day rains I get inch of water above ground regularly but drainage is good so its gone as soon as the rain stops

water table is roughly 18-24" below ground so the only "feasible" shelter is the house not to mention im at sea level and would be below it in hurricanes

anything under ground in Louisiana becomes filled with water no matter how many pumps or how well its sealed so that fancy shelter would just become an underground swimming pool or water storage tank

the house is sitting on a continuous chain wall foundation and piers built as one unit and all tied in and connected together with rebar. the house itself is strapped, banded and tied to the piers so its not going anywhere.

I have been through many storms and trust me, there is more to fear from flooding and no power "for who knows how long" in hurricanes then the wind of the hurricane itself. unless you surrounded by trees that is lol.

[Webster]

so the consensus is that the above ground footer is a bad/dumb idea then, guess i'll be cutting the slab and pouring footers then.

I was thinking more in terms of the footer thickness preventing sagging and cracking of the bricks rather then the shear weight of whats sitting on it cracking the slabs.

looks like its time to pour a 12" footer so i'll need 5 rows of block instead of 4

@ wolferz - I understand, we all have stuff to deal with, hopefully you can look it over in a few days and give me your opinions on the best design to go with. I want light weight but strong and looks are secondary, you can cover anything with stucco and pretty it up after the fact. I sent a new design picture with a few small changes to reflect what we talked about here.

let me know if I am choosing the best materials and if you think I should put less rebar or none at all in the vertical walls of the landings? I want to keep material costs low but mainly I want to avoid as much weight as I can so I don't want a monolith so heavy it sinks by its own weight. I just want what I "need" and avoid overbuilding this thing

I was even wondering about filling the verticals with foam rather then concrete or simply using 16x8x4 blocks stacked on end like bricks and not having any voids to fill. then again maybe I could build forms to just pour solid 4" wide landing walls all at once as one piece, whatever does the job with the least amount of weight load on the ground so it doesn't sink over the years