Service
Cast stone
Steps and coping: safe treads and edges
Steps and coping are not a finishing detail. Steps that move, settle or feel unsteady are a fall risk. We install solid, properly anchored steps with drainage that works.
What you are seeing
Do your steps move when you walk up them? Have they settled? Is the gap between the steps and the pavers opening up? That is usually an anchoring, base or drainage problem.
What causes it
Steps that move are usually the result of an insufficient base, poor anchoring, or ground movement from freeze-thaw.
Drainage plays a part too - water collecting under the steps freezes, expands and lifts. It is that cycle, repeated every winter, that eventually works a tread loose.
What we do
We take out the affected steps, build a solid base, anchor them properly, correct the drainage and reset the units.
The goal is not just that it is straight on the day it is laid: it is that the steps do not move the following winter.
What the work can include
- Removing the affected steps or coping
- Excavating and preparing a compacted base
- Correcting drainage under and behind the steps
- Anchoring and fixing the units
- Setting and levelling the coping
- Tying into the adjacent paving
- Clean-up and a stability check
Types of work
- Front steps
- Landings
- Pool coping
- Patio edging
- Steps set into a slope
How it goes
- 01
Assessment
We look at the steps, find where the movement is coming from, and explain what we see.
- 02
Removal
We take out the affected steps to reach the base.
- 03
Base and anchoring
We build a compacted base and anchor the units properly.
- 04
Drainage
We correct drainage under the steps so water is not trapped there.
- 05
Setting
We reset the coping, level it and fix it in place.
- 06
Finish
We clean up, check every tread for movement, and stand behind the result.
Our projects
See all projects- Retaining walls
What our customers say
Mes marches n’étaient plus sécuritaires, heureusement Oasis Construction sont venus remettre le tout comme neuf.
David Travail propre, rapide et très professionnel. Le résultat dépasse nos attentes, je recommande sans hésiter.
William
What affects the price
The cost of a steps project depends on several things:
- The number of steps
- The type of coping and material chosen
- The condition of the existing base and structure
- Drainage, if it needs correcting
- Access to the site
Free on-site assessment. The price mostly depends on what we find under the bottom step.
Service areas
Unsteady steps in winter, on a sloped and snow-covered entrance, are the kind of detail that sends someone to the emergency room. It is one of the jobs we are asked about most in spring, after a season of the tread shifting.
Service areasFrequently asked questions
Unsteady steps are a fall risk, especially in winter. If your steps are moving, we recommend having them looked at soon.
Yes, when the concrete is still structurally sound: the coping dresses it and gives an even, slip-resistant surface. But if the concrete is cracked or has tipped, laying coping over it hides the problem without solving it and the movement will return. We check the stairway before proposing anything.
A coping unit is a solid, thicker piece made to form a nosing or edge in one length. A paver-built step is made of several pieces. Coping gives a cleaner line and fewer joints to maintain; pavers follow curved shapes better.
A short flight is often done within the day once the base is sorted. What lengthens the work is almost always what we find underneath: a base to rebuild, or drainage to correct.