If you’re building or renovating your patio or garden or installing decking, you might need to have some brick steps built. Brick is a long-lasting, strong material that looks attractive and is a popular choice of material for many home development projects.
In this guide, we’ll show you the average price of installing brick steps, how you can find someone to build your brick steps, what you need to ask them and what’s involved in building brick steps.
Finally, we’ll answer some frequently asked questions, so you’ll have a good idea of what brick step building is all about.
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How Much Do Brick Steps Cost?
The table below shows some example costs for brick steps. Many things will influence the price, such as if a foundation is required and the style and the type of bricks used will also affect the cost.
| Size | Number of Bricks | Estimated Cost of bricks | Infill Blocks and Mortar | Estimated Labour Costs | Time Required | Estimated Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One metre wide, two steps to the doorway with 430mm treads | 110 | £66-£132 | £60-£80 | £150-£200 per day | One day | £276-£412 |
| Three metres wide, three-step patio steps with 430mm treads | 540 | £324-£648 | £270-360 | £150-£200 per day | Two to three days | £894-£1,608 |
| Semi-circular single brickwork step to doorway | 130 | £78-£156 | £60-£80 | £150-£200 per day | Two days | £438-£636 |
As you can see a semi-circular style step will cost a lot more in labour due to the bricks needing to be cut.
There’s no need to spend hours trawling the internet to find the best professional for you! Use HouseholdQuotes to help you find a brick step installer in your area.
We’ll ensure you are contacted by local installers to give you no-obligation quotes fast.
Click To Get QuotesWhat Affects the Cost of Brick Steps?
Various factors will affect the cost of hiring a professional to instal brick steps for you.
Number of Steps
The number of steps you are having installed will affect the total cost of installing brick steps. The more steps that need to be installed, the more material will need to be used as well as increasing labour costs.
As you can see from the above table it’s cheaper if you use fewer bricks.
Type of Brick
There are a variety of different brick options and you should make sure you do your research, or speak to a professional, regarding what type of bricks will work best for the type of project you’re undertaking.
Handmade Bricks – handmade bricks are crafted individually, by hand and so they are more expensive than standard bricks. They are used on houses in conservation areas.
Wire cut bricks – wirecut brick is a type of facing brick and you’ll notice them because they have holes across the length of the brick.
Reclaimed bricks – reclaimed bricks are bricks that have been used before, but they are cleaned up and reused.
Common concrete bricks – common bricks aren’t as strong as other bricks, and they are used mainly for internal purposes where strength isn’t an issue.
Engineering bricks – engineered bricks are mostly used where strength is important. They are used for damp proof courses and retaining walls.
Facing bricks – facing bricks are the most common type of brick. You’ll see them on houses all over the UK.
| Type of Brick (Cost per 1,000) | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|
| Handmade | £850-£1,150 |
| Reclaimed Bricks | Prices start at £1 and increase depending on type and quality of the brick |
| Common Bricks | £550-£850 |
| Engineering | £450-£650 |
| Facing bricks (including Wirecut) | £650-£850 |
Demolishing Old Steps
You may need to demolish existing steps and dispose of the waste. The builder can include this in the quote, but it will make the work more expensive.
The work can be carried out by the bricklayer’s labourer. If it takes half a day expect to pay between £40 and £55.
New Balustrade or Handrail
If you are having multi-level decking installed, and that’s why your building steps, you might also need a balustrade for security purposes.
Or you might want a handrail on patio steps to make it easier for family and friends to get up and down.
A metal handrail for garden stairs will cost between £100 and £150 and they will take an hour or two to install at a cost of between £50 and £75.
Balustrades start at £40 per metre but can go up to £150 per meter, depending on the material you use.
Skip Hire
If you do have old steps removed or a part of the garden dug up for new steps, you might have to remove the rubbish yourself. If this is the case it will be much easier to hire a skip.
Skip hire starts at around £150 but you should expect to pay more if you live in London.
When you are looking for quotes include a question about rubbish removal. It may be that the builder will include this in the quote.
If you want to avoid the cost of skip hire, you can always bag up any broken concrete and keep any unbroken bricks.
You could then advertise them on websites like Gumtree or Preloved as there are usually people looking for hardcore material or used bricks.
Lighting
It’s always a good idea to have some form of lighting where you have steps to make using them easier and safer. You can install a wall light which starts at around £30.
Or you can surround your steps with solar lights. They are an affordable option, and they start at around £10 each.
If you want security lights, you can instal lights that are turned on and off from inside your home, or you can have a motion-controlled light that will come on when someone or something is in your garden or on the steps.
How Can I Save Money on Brick Steps for My Home?
Demolish any old steps yourself and if you are able-bodied, dispose of the waste by taking it to the tip or giving it away either for free or through second-hand sites.
If you’ve got the time and manpower, you could also try to prepare the ground ready for the installation. There are online guides to what tools you would need and the method to carry this out.
If you are good at DIY then you could build your own brick steps which will save you labour costs. Have a look on YouTube for a video demonstration or use an online DIY guide.
Buying reclaimed bricks is a good way to keep your supply cost down.
Have a look at websites like Gumtree and Preloved and Cawarden. These sites offer plenty of adverts for bricks for sale or even bricks for free.
When you want to find a brick step installer in your area, use HouseholdQuotes. All you need to do is fill in the online form and tell us what job you need to do.
We’ll make sure you receive no-obligation quotes from trusted tradespeople!
Click To Get QuotesAre Bricks the Best Choice for Steps?
Both brick and stone are excellent materials, but if you want to save on labour costs then brick is the best choice. Look at the table below to see the advantages and disadvantages of brick and stone.
| Type of Stone | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| Brick | -Durable -Long-lasting -Weather-resistant -Can be arranged uniformly | -Needs some maintenance -Can crack and chip -Mortar will need replacing after 15 plus years |
| Stone | -Lasts longer than brick -Almost maintenance free -Won’t chip, crack or dent -Each step will be distinctive because the colour of each slate is slightly different | -Heavy material -Will need specialist work -Cannot be altered or repaired easily |
What’s Involved in Building Brick Steps?
A lot of work is done for the planning and preparation. First of all, you need to decide the type of steps you want to install.
The most common types are rounded wraparound steps and standard straight steps.
Next, you should choose the type of brick. Clay and concrete are often used because they look attractive, and they are durable and weather resistant.
Now you can measure the space where you want your steps to go. There are several calculations you need to make before you can start the work. The height and width of the steps will need measuring and you’ll also have to work out the step run and the step rise.
Next, you calculate the number of rises and the stairs.
When all the calculations are complete, you are ready to dig out the foundations of the steps and fill them with hardcore or concrete.
The foundation will then be ready to lay the brickwork.
Other professional bricklayers may make one large square or rectangle frame using bricks.
They will then infill the centre with blocks. Bricks are then laid on top of the blocks and then stone flags are cut and laid on top of the bricks for a combination of brick and stone.
How Do I Find and Hire a Professional Bricklayer?
Always seek recommendations from work colleagues, family, or friends. Also, keep an eye on work being carried out to homes in your local area.
If you know a neighbour is having some work done ask them if they would recommend the tradesmen.
If you don’t find a recommendation that way, then you can use HouseholdQuotes!
Fill in the online form (it won’t take more than a minute) and tell us what you need. We’ll make sure you get no-obligation quotes from brick step installers in your area!
Click To Get QuotesEnsuring the Professional Is the Right Fit
First of all, make sure you get a written quote. This reduces the risk of any confusion about the work you want to do after the work starts.
Make sure you ask for the same quote from each tradesman so that you can compare them easily. You can ask them:
- Whether or not they have a website. If they do, does it contain photographs of previous jobs?
- Do they have any testimonials on the site too?
- If they don’t have a website, ask if they have a portfolio. This is where you can see photographs of their work and read recommendations from previous customers
- Ask if they are members of any trade associations and if they are accredited
- Ask them about their experience. They might be a newly established company or a firm that’s well-known in your area.
- Do they include rubbish removal in their quotation?
- Make sure they have public liability insurance. If they don’t then go to someone who does have it. You don’t want a claim against you if the tradesman injures himself while doing his job.
Don’t forget HouseholdQuotes can help you find the tradesmen you need!
If you want quotes for building stone steps, simply fill in our online form. Tell us what you need, and we’ll make sure you receive quotes from stone step installers quickly.
Click To Get QuotesFinal Checklist
Use the below checklist to make sure you’ve got everything to begin building brick steps on your property:
- Decide whether you are using brick or stone
- Remember to write down the questions to ask the bricklayer if you want to compare quotes
- If you want to do the work yourself, buy the necessary materials
- Think about any extras you might want and organise the purchase and installation
- Find a bricklayer by using HouseholdQuotes!
Click To Get QuotesFrequently Asked Questions
Do I Need Planning Permission for Brick Steps?
It is always advisable to visit your local authority planning department to talk to them about what you want to do. The staff will then advise you about any regulations you need to comply with.
How Long Will Brick Steps Last?
If you see any damaged bricks or crumbling mortar, get a bricklayer to come and have a look and advise you on the next steps.
How Do I Maintain Brick Steps?
Don’t be tempted to use a pressure hose on brick steps. The pressure of the water will loosen the mortar and you could end up having to have your brick steps repointed.
Do Bricks Absorb Rain?
Bricks are water-resistant which is why they are a popular choice for external building projects.