Uneven or Unsafe Garden Steps

Outdoor steps are comfortable with generous treads and shallower risers than indoor stairs, and every riser in a flight should be the same. Treads should fall very slightly forward so water sheds rather than pools.

Setting out the whole flight before building is what keeps risers equal.

Riven stone, textured porcelain and grooved timber all offer grip; smooth sawn stone in shade does not. A contrasting nosing helps visibility, which matters most at dusk.

Sleepers make solid, informal steps on a slope but need proper fixing and drainage behind.

Any flight of more than a couple of steps, or one used by older or less mobile people, benefits from a handrail on at least one side.

Low-level lighting into risers or along the flight transforms night-time safety and is easiest to install during the build.