DIY Network

Front Step Revamp: Quarry Trip and Cobble Row From "Rock Solid" episode DROC-113

Dean and Derek go to their local quarry to finalize their design and pick out their material.

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	Before demolition
	The front step after Derek and Dean's revamp

Materials:

Safety glasses
Chisel
Hammer
Heavy-duty crowbar
Heavy sledge hammer
Spade shovel
Mixing hoe with holes
Wheelbarrow
Trowel
Pencil
6' Level
Rubber mallet
Grinder with diamond blade
Measuring tape
Jointers
Paint brush
String
Rebar
Mason sand
Type S cement
Cobblestones (new or used)
Bluestone treads
Multiple bluestone

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F
	Figure G
	Figure H
	Figure I

• The design will feature a 7-foot bluestone tread (figure A) for the front of the platform and two 3-foot pieces on the side. Multiple bluestone pieces will be set in the middle. Dean and Derek find the center of the platform and then play around with ratio and design, deciding on five pieces.

• When picking bluestone treads (figure B), look for stone that has consistent color and texture -- stay away from treads with bold colors, chips, and divots. The tread material that Dean and Derek choose is thermal finished stock -- which is cut in lengths ranging from 3-foot to 8-foot. Treads generally run $10-12/linear foot.

• When selecting multiple bluestone look for colorful but consistently smooth stones for your project. You should also look for stones as close to the size needed for your project. They’ll probably still require some cutting, so you can cut them yourself with a diamond blade grinder on site or pay the quarry to cut them to size. Multiple bluestone generally runs $4-6/square foot.

• The platform front and height will be formed by a row of cobblestones. When choosing cobblestones, you can use new or used cobble. The new cobble (figure D) is less weathered and has less character than the used cobble (figure E), but generally costs less.

• Before they leave the quarry, Dean and Derek also pick up other material needed for their project: Type S cement, mason sand, rebar, and any tools they don’t have. They load up their material, but you can have the quarry deliver the material to your site.

• Once you’re back at your project site, Dean and Derek suggest organizing your work area (figure F) -- it will make the setting process easier. With your area organized, mix your mortar.

• Dean and Derek suggest mixing your own mortar -- don’t buy a ‘just add water’ bag of mortar, cement, and sand. The front steps are an area exposed to the elements and foot traffic -- you should set them with the strongest mortar, which means mixing your own! Dean and Derek suggest mixing Mason Sand and Type S Cement (a mixture of mortar and cement) in a 2-to-1 ratio of sand to cement. Mix the material in a wheelbarrow with a mixing hoe (figure G). Dry mix the ingredients first and then add water until you reach a consistency close to peanut butter. Depending on the temperature of the day, you should be able to work with the mortar for a few hours.

• It’s time to set the cobblestones. Mark out the area where you’ll place the row and make sure it’s square from the house. If it’s not, you’ll need to dig a new footing that is square. This new footing should be a little below grade and wide enough to create a base for the cobble. Shovel some of the mortar mixture into the footing, set rebar or stone in the middle of that mortar for strength, and let it set up a bit before setting your cobblestones.

• Once the mortar footing has set up, begin the cobble setting process by finding the center point of the cobble row. Find the center of the threshold and at that center point align the square against the house. Align a six foot level with the square, and using the level as a guideline, mark the center point in the mortar footing with a trowel.

• Start by setting a cobble on each end of the footing (figure H) and work your way in towards the center. The bluestone treads will overhang the cobble about 1/2 inch on all three sides -- with a platform 4-feet off the house the cobblestones should be set at a distance of 3 feet 11-1/2 inches from the house. Secure a piece of rebar on either end of the cobble row and run a level piece of string between the rebar?this will act as a guideline for setting the faces of the cobblestones.

• If your cobblestones require cutting to get them to fit, cut one of the center cobbles to hide the cut. Cobblestones can be cut using a chisel, stone hammer, and safety glasses!

• As you set the row, secure the cobblestones by building up a berm of mortar and junk stone behind them and tapping them into the mortar footing with a rubber mallet. Once the stones are secured, joint the gaps between the cobblestones using a1/2-inch jointer (figure I). The mortar should be packed tightly to prevent freezing water from getting into gaps and cracking the steps.

• Finish by filling the area behind the cobblestones and the new platform base with junk stone and mortar. Let the cobblestones set up overnight.