Buiding steps in Garden

[mcgoo44]

I'm about to attempt my first building project and I need a bit of advice

I have a hill at the bottom of my garden from ground to top approx 1.5m
I am going to build some steps from the bottom to top with a small wall at the bottom.

I know what I need to to to build the steps but I have not got a clue as to how many bricks, cement and sand I will need.

The steps will consist of 1 brick high with a 600mm x 600mm flagstone on top. There will be 9 of these.

Any idea how much cement and sand I will need to buy????
Will 450 bricks be too much or not enough????

any help will be apreciated

 

[noseall]

the steps are best, or indeed easiest to build within a frame of two walls.
by having these walls you can plot your rise and going more easily and end up with equal treads and risers, essential for good steps.

if you decided to build a retaining wall for example, you would simply build it with a pair of return walls cutting into the bank, leaving a gap of say, 3 or 4 feet into which you would later build the steps.

you can then physically mark on the walls with chalk where your steps will lie. working blind is more difficult but can be done. try not to make the steps too steep as this can be problematic, particularly whilst descending, in the winter months.

you can dig into the bank and create earthen steps from bottom to top. these earthen steps can then have a 3" pad of concrete laid on top. from this pad you can lay your brick sleepers to form the risers as well as the slab support.

quantities are difficult to judge, so you'll just have to suck it and see.

good luck.