rounded brick stairs question

[<no_spam_4me_rise4peace]

Hello,

I just completed a bluestone walkway to the front of my prefab stairs and would now like to build a round brick stairway as a replacement for the current stairs that came with the house when it was built.

I would like to build the stairs to look similar to this

or like this I have scoured the internet looking for any type of plans or instructions that show how this type of stairway is created.

Could anyone help point me in the right direction?

Thanks in advance,

devin arnold

[Joe Bobst]

If you really want something as elegant as your pictures it might be worth working with a local architect.to get the precise effect you want. He can give you working drawings, too and that should make the project easier. Discuss fees, etc. to stay in your budget. There are dozens of books on masonry at the DIY stores if you decide to go it alone, and of course your local library. HTH

Joe

[raven]

Yep. And I'll note that this sort of project is a pretty difficult for the DIY, since you're laying the bricks in a curve which makes alignments a bit harder (when you're working along a line, a stretched string helps keep everything in line).

Still, You ought to be able to do this without any fancy plans: buld the core up with block, use the strongest brick you can get your hands on and take your time, and you should do fine.

John

[Art]

If I remember I will ask my mason tomorrow. It may require special brick. If not it is a heck of a lot of cuts for an amateur. He uses a gas saw and a $375 diamond blade... the cheap ones don't hold up.

[Dan Hartung]

I have seen these done with both cut brick and standard brick. Obviously the former is more difficult and more expensive, but it also looks better. The latter should be acceptable, though.

My thinking is just use a sheet of plywood as a jig. Use a string and a pencil as a compass to create the curve (whether or not it's a full half-circle) and with the same sheet of plywood and the same compass create a jig from the inside leftovers ... for the next row of steps. The curves will then match correctly.

Even if you found "plans" (what would be special about them?), you'd still have to create some sort of guidance during construction, so why not simply expand your repertoire of technique? A good craftsman doesn't

*need* plans.

I would rather have this as a garden stair than one against my house, though. In that case (if a rounded stair were architecturally appropriate) I'd have a professional do it.

[Tom Baker]

If the OP plans as big a stair as the pictures, he'll end wth a mass of masonry. Soil compaction and bearing and footing design might be worth a thought.

TB