Adding steps to your home’s exterior or to your landscaping can be both functional and aesthetic. You may need to add steps to certain locations to make the area more easily accessible, such as steps leading up to your door or steps next to your hot tub. Or you may add steps because they enhance aspects of your landscaping, such as small steps that cut through elevated terrain. Often, steps serve a dual purpose, providing some practical use while also enhancing the exterior design.
The hardscaping specialists at Triad Associates are experts in the design and implementation of exterior stairs. We create stairs for a variety of purposes, using all types of materials. We’ll evaluate the site and make recommendations for where to place the steps, what materials to use, and other considerations, such as safety features or accessories that would enhance the look of the space. We’ll help you create beautiful steps that will enhance your overall exterior or landscape design, while also enhancing the safety and functionality of the space.
Determining the Location for Your Steps
The first step in the design process is determining the location for your steps. That will largely be determined by why you need the steps. For example, do you want to add steps to your yard to make it easier to manage steep terrain? Or do you want to add steps coming off your deck to provide an easier transition to lower parts of your yard?
The location will influence a number of things about the design of your steps, including their size and shape, as well as the kind of materials you should use. You will also need to know the location first so you can consider other elements that will influence your design choices, such as other stone or hardscaping material used in the surrounding area, plants and bushes that are in the area, and more.
Our designers will help you determine the perfect location for your steps to ensure proper functionality, ease of maintenance, and design cohesion. We’ll talk over your goals and vision, and we’ll offer suggestions based on our own evaluation of the site to help you see other options you may not have considered. Our goal is to help you get a beautiful space where you love to spend your time, and steps can be a small part of a much bigger whole.
Choosing Materials
The design experts at Triad Associates can create beautiful steps out of any material. Once we have a better understanding of your vision for the space, we’ll make recommendations for materials that will work together with the russournding elements for a beautiful design. We’ll also recommend materials that will withstand the test of time in the space, while also keeping your maintenance low.
We work with a wide variety of natural stone, which is ideal for exterior design. Natural stone withstands the elements, and it has a gorgeous look that blends seamlessly with the landscape. Our designers will help you review the options and select the right stone, based on the look you want and the unique needs of your landscape. You can look at samples in the space to get a better understanding of how the steps would look against other materials or plants in the area. We also use sketches and 3D design software to help you visualize the design.
We also work with other materials besides natural stone, including concrete and wood. These materials offer distinct benefits, such as the durability and longevity of concrete and the unique look of wood. Just like with stone, we’ll talk you through the pros and cons of these materials and use samples and renderings to help you visualize them in your space.
Safety Considerations
Steps pose unique safety challenges. Not only can they be slippery, but they are also on an incline, which provides opportunities for people to trip on them or to fall from a height. It is important to build steps with safety in mind.
Our designers will walk you through safety considerations and make recommendations for addressing them. For example, we can present a variety of materials options that have non-slip properties to reduce the risk of falls. We can also help you identify safety risks in the area surrounding the steps, such as vines or other plants that may grow across the path and need to be trimmed back or removed.
Your steps should be designed with maximum safety in mind. That may include building each of the steps at a smaller height or adding a small rail. Our designers will evaluate the space and make tailored recommendations for ensuring optimal safety on and around your steps.
Maintenance Considerations
Proper maintenance can help preserve the beauty and longevity of your stairs and other hardscaping elements. It’s important that you develop an appropriate maintenance plan to protect your investment, including cleaning the materials on schedule, sealing them, and more.
When selecting the materials for your steps, our designers will help you understand what will be required for maintenance so that you can make the right choice for your lifestyle and your design vision. We’ll also help you understand how certain tweaks to your design or to the surrounding area can reduce your maintenance. For example, adding a small stone side to steps that run through your soil, such as through sections of elevated terrain, can keep erosion from staining the materials over time.
Our designers will work closely with you to help you choose the right materials for a finished project that is low-maintenance.
Accessories
You can end at simply putting in the steps, or you can expand your design possibilities and get a truly stunning look. Our design experts will help you explore accessory options that can enhance your steps and the surrounding design.
For example, you may want to add lighting around your steps, not only to improve visibility for enhanced safety, but also to accent the look of the space. Lighting can be built right into the steps, creating an under-lighted look, or it can be added along the sides of the steps.
Other accessory examples include low columns, decorative walls, and decorative borders. Each of these options can accent the steps and tie all your hardscaping elements together to create a cohesive design.
Site Preparation
Once you have chosen all the elements of your design, it’s time to begin the work. The first step for our designers is to prepare the site. While this may seem like an easy process since the steps will likely not cover a lot of square footage, it can be more complicated.
Items like large tree roots, water lines, septic systems, and more can impede the installation of steps, even if they are small and do not go very deep. Our hardscaping experts will carefully evaluate the site and prepare it properly before work begins. It may be necessary to adjust the design of the steps, depending on the location, depth, and materials. Otherwise, our hardscape experts will get the space ready through root removal, excavation, leveling, and more.
Proper site preparation will be included in the value of the estimate. We perform a thorough evaluation of the space initially so that there are no surprises during the installation of your hardscaping, including fluctuating costs.
Why Hire Triad Associates for Your Hardscaping Needs
You have many choices in the Haverhill area for designing and completing your home’s hardscaping. But Triad Associates has developed a solid reputation as the best, thanks to our painstaking craftsmanship that doesn’t overlook a single detail and our exceptional service that leaves you feeling more like family than a client. Search for hardscaping companies near you, and Triad Associates will rise to the top of the list time and time again. We have extensive five-star reviews that testify to the superior results and service that we provide.
When you call Triad Associates, you’ll notice the difference in our service right away. Every member of our staff is responsive, friendly, and knowledgeable, and they are ready to thoroughly answer all your questions and to walk you through the process in detail. After you call for an estimate, we’ll schedule a site evaluation and consultation at a time that is convenient for you, and then one of our hardscaping specialists will visit your home and perform an expert analysis. The design specialist will spend a lot of time talking with you about your vision for the space, and will provide guidance or recommendations as needed.
Whether we are designing new steps for some part of your hardscaping or landscaping or we are designing an entirely new hardscaped space, we provide the same level of attention and care. No job is too big or too small. We want to make your home as beautiful as it can be, for many years of enjoyment with your family and friends. Call Triad Associates today to schedule a consultation for your steps or for other elements of hardscaping that you’d like to add or update.
