How to Build Elevated Concrete Landing Stoops
An elevated stoop is sometime needed to get into a house. If the home is built up off the ground or has a raised foundation, you need and elevated stoop to get you up to the house level. It is not complicated to create the stoop, but the process does require a bit of time if you want it done correctly. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Shovel
- 2-by-10 or wider boards
- Drill
- 3-inch screws
- Cement mix
- Trowel
- Plastic sheet
Instructions
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1
Outline the area for the stoop. The outline needs to be 3 inches wider and longer than you want the stoop, so that you have enough space for the frame boards. Stand in the area to ensure that there is room enough for you to be on the stoop with room on all sides. Check the measurements of the sides of the outline. The opposite sides need to be equal. Use a square to check the corners and adjust to make them right angles.
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2
Dig out the area down to a depth of 3 1/2 inches.
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3
Build a framed for the stoop. The width of the board needs to be the same as the height of the stoop. For example if you need a stoop that is 6 inches high, then a 2-by-10 is what you need. Sit 3-1/2 inches of the boards in the dug-out area and 6 inches are above. The measurement of the boards is 1/2 inch less than the label because they go through a finishing process that removes some of the rough cut wood. A 2-by-10 board is actually 1 1/2-by-9 1/2. For an 8 inch high stoop, you would use 2-by-12 boards. Cut the boards to fit the sides of the stoop area and attach them together at the corners with 3-inch screws.
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4
Place the frame in the dug-out area.
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5
Mix up a batch of cement for the stoop. Follow the directions on the cement bag to get the right consistency.
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Pour the cement into the frame.
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Smooth the cement with a trowel.
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8
Place a board across the frame and drag it across the surface to level the cement.
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9
Leave the cement to dry until the surface is no longer pooled with water.
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Sprinkle water on the surface and then cover the cement with plastic. The cement is harder if it cures slowly. Water the cement each day for two weeks.
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Pull the frame off the outer edge of the stoop after it is dry and fill in the edge with dirt.
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Tips & Warnings
Since the concrete is being poured thick, you might consider adding a crisscross of rebar inside the frame. Elevate it off the ground by placing the bars up on bricks. The rebar gives the concrete a grid support.
References
- Photo Credit Jack Hollingsworth/Digital Vision/Getty Images
