Proper Paver Steps for Bay Windows

Steps leading to Brick Paver Patio are very important

The most important aspect of any Brick Paver Patio are the Paver Steps that are constructed to lead down from the doorwall.  For years I have watched many inexperienced landscape or so-called brick paver contractors install improper Steps at bay window doorwalls.  These are doorwalls that bump out from the wall of the home and have an open or cantilever bottom.

Many unqualified contractors try to wrap the paver wall blocks & caps around the side openings and enclose the bay window doorwall. If you encounter any brick paver installer who suggests to enclose your bay window overhang, you better run!


There are some important reasons why you should never enclose a bay window doorwall.

First and foremost, a builder will tell you that the opening under this bay window needs to have open air flow to prevent the wood from rotting underneath.  If enclosed, moisture will be constant and the possibility of the flooring inside the home being compromised. Some of these bay window overhangs have exhaust or soffit vents that need to be open.

Secondly, it is virtually impossible to properly pack the base material under the bay window to prevent the pavers and wall blocks from collapsing in over time.  After 28 years, I have never seen a set of paver steps that wrapped around and enclosed a bay window that did not require constant repair maintenance & resetting. It is one of my number one repair requests!

Just as important, constructing a paver step structure that is not encased within itself at a bay window doorwall is an inferior design & installation.  The wrap around approach to closing in a bay window opening with paver step blocks & caps will pull away and collapse over time.  By building a 4 sided structure up against the bay window, this paver step structure is encased within itself and therefore much stronger for long-term success. 

Basically a 4 sided paver step structure has it's own "back wall" to build up against as shown in these pictures. It is structurally sound and allows the proper flow of air under your bay window opening.  We can build them with straight or curved steps in the front leading down to the paver patio.

Most homeowners ignore the importance of the paver block steps leading down to their brick patio. Inferior design and installation will lead to years of frustration and safety issues.  Paver steps require expertise and are not cheap to build.  They are usually the most time consuming aspect of any brick paver installation.  Homeowners take paver steps for granted and pay for it in the (near) future.

A functional and creative set of paver steps can be the focal point of your paver patio, walkway, porch, or front entrance.  If you are going to cut back on expense, make sure it is not on the paver steps. There have been jobs in the past where we installed the paver steps and returned a year later to actually install the paver patio.

If your brick paver contractor is stumbling on recommendations for a paver step design, it would be beneficial for you to move on.  Make sure they supply you with a detailed description or picture of the set of paver steps you will be having installed.  If you ignore this detail of your paver installation, you may have years of aggravation and disappointment.

Here are some more ideas for Encased Paver Steps:

Crumbling Steps at Front Porch replaced with New Paver Steps

Mortared Brick or Tiled Steps in Michigan will fail over time

This homeowner was in immediate need of having there deteriorating Front Steps replaced with a long-term solution.  After many years of frustration and hiring 3 different contractors over the past 12 years to fix these steps, it was our time to come to the rescue.

I suggested we install modular retaining wall block & cap Steps, usually referred to as Paver Steps, because they will give the best performance and least maintenance over the years.  If any of the coping units (caps) come loose, they can easily be adhered without any signs of repair. Any of the riser step blocks can be reset at little cost and effort too.


Outdoor mortared brick steps will fail over the long-term in Michigan due to freeze thaw cycles which break up the mortar and loosen the bricks. Even more so, ceramic or granite tile used for outdoor non-covered porches and steps are also not a long-term solution. The grout will crack and chip and allow tiles to come loose and pop off.


The homeowner really wanted to keep the tile on the top of the porch since that was in good condition . We carefully installed the Paver Steps to meet the finished height of the tile and filled the joint behind the coping with some grey HP Polymeric Sand to match the existing grout in the tiles.


We finished this paver project by power wash cleaning and re-sanding the paver joints of the front walk which completed the whole restoration. There are never any "permanent" solutions to steps in frost states (considering moderate costs) but the best solution is Paver Steps. They offer great performance, very low maintenance, and low repair costs if needed.

Paver Patio Steps Repair in Belleville

Raised Paver Patio Steps needed to be reconstructed to be functional & safe to use

My team and I reconstructed some poorly designed & executed Paver Patio Steps leading into this bay doorwall this past week.  An inexperienced landscape contractor originally installed these paver steps so poorly, they had almost completely collapsed. Not only where these paver steps unsightly, but became dangerously unsafe to use. This has been an ongoing issue in the brick paver industry for over 25 years.

When it comes to bay (overhang) doorwalls, Paver Steps need a "back wall" constructed with the same blocks & caps to support the structure.  For many years now, unqualified & inexperienced contractors attempt to "box in" the bay doorwall overhang.  This is a recipe for failure. It is not only impossible to properly compact the base under this "overhang", it is not advised to close in this area from airflow. There can be long term problems with flooring inside the house that is directly above this overhang due to moisture & rotting wood.

Landscapers & inexperienced brick paver contractors usually do not have the expertise or knowledge to tackle these challenges.  Some will be reading this blog to finally gain some insight. Last week alone I had 2 calls from Landsapers who wanted to pay me for an on-sight visit to instruct them how to install some paver steps. Boy, if only their customers knew they hired someone who was "learning" on their job. 

This homeowner's paver steps not only where designed wrong, but the contractor used some cap units (not blocks) as riser units within the structure. Also, this modular retaining wall & cap system, Fendt Country Manor, requires fiberglass pins to lock them together. There were no pins any where throughout the structure. They just glued the block units together.

The biggest issue facing these block steps & caps was the collaspe under the bay doorwall which compromised the entire step system.  There was NO back wall to support these paver steps and therefore they were doomed to fail. It took 6 years before they were completely unusable, but signs of failure where evident to the homeowner after the first year.

When this landscape contractor returned for warranty work, they simply and wrongfully plugged gaps & holes with caulk and plastic bags!  Yes, they stuffed plastic bags in gaps & holes!  Due to the failure of this contractor performing professional work, this homeowner had to spend $1,150 to completely rebuild these Patio Paver Steps.

My team and I not only constructed the proper "back wall", but we used the required fiberglass pins for this wall & cap system, wrapped the interior with a geo-textile fabric, and installed the proper corner units to solidify this step structure.  We also increased the foot tread to 12" wide to allow for more safety by using a better cap unit then the previous installation.

The one area that separates the good brick paver contractors from the bad is the capability to design & install quality paver steps.  Paver steps are never really cheap because they require expertise, time, and attention to detail to give long-term success.  Paver Steps are always custom designed & installed.  Make sure your contractor can handle the challenge when it comes to patio, walkway, or porch steps.