Stone Steps & Entry Stairs in Bethesda, MD

Stone Steps & Entry Stairs for Bethesda Homes and Estates

Steps are where hardscape craftsmanship is most visible and most important for safety. A good set of entry stairs has uniform risers, generous treads and a solid foundation that will not tilt or crack. Exterior steps commonly use risers around six to seven inches with treads of fourteen inches or more, giving a comfortable, unhurried stride. Treads are often thermal bluestone or granite with a slight overhang, while risers can be stone, brick or veneer.

Steps attached to the house or a porch need a foundation that extends below the roughly 30 inch frost line, so they do not heave away from the house during winter freeze-thaw cycles. That often means concrete footings or a block or concrete core, with stone or veneer applied over it. Freestanding garden steps can be set on compacted aggregate when they are solid stone slabs, but they still need a firm base and drainage behind them. Handrails can be added in metal for safety and comfort.

Many Bethesda homes sit above the street on sloped lots, so steps are part of nearly every front walk. In Kenwood, Edgemoor and Battery Park, stone or brick entry stairs complement historic architecture, while new homes may favor sleek granite or porcelain-clad stairs with integrated lighting. Garden steps of natural slab stone are common through wooded lots in Potomac and Carderock Springs. On those slopes, setting each slab into a gravel bed with a slight forward pitch keeps water from sitting on the tread.