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Chances are at some point you’d probably given a though about how steps would fit in perfectly in your garden, except of course, your yard and garden is flat. Adding steps and gardens makes it a lot easier to get around your yard while also enhancing its curb appeal. In order to avoid the cost of hiring a professional to get the task done, you might be tempted to make it a DIY task. However, if you lack the required skill and confidence to pull this off, we’d strongly recommend you call in a professional so as to avoid costly errors. In this post, we’re going to take you through the garden steps building process. Let’s take a look!

1. Measure the vertical height of the slope by marking it with two parallel lines. Once done, proceed by connecting a string line to the slope’s top and hold it in a horizontal way, take a measurement of the flight’s length and breadth. Divide the measurement by 200mm to get the number of steps that’ll be required. Then proceed to divide the number by the height to identify the depth of each step.
2. Working downwards from the flight’s top, dig the step shapes and also dig a shallow trench and install a concrete foundation.
3. Enable the foundation to harden by leaving it for about 48 hours, then install two courses of bricks on the concrete strip and use gravel to backfill.
4. With the help of a trowel, apply mortar to the top of the brickwork. Place the first slab on the mortar bed and press down. Then, make use of a spirit level to make sure that the steps are level.
5. On the back edge of the first tread, you should proceed to build the second rise, backfill and install the slab to form the second tread – just like the previous step. Repeat this process until you’ve gotten to the top of the flight.

• Tongue and groove timber boards
• Boards for the ledges and braces, at least 20mm thick
• Nails
• Hammer
• Saws, including a circular saw
• Chisel
• Mallet

1. Cut your boards to size If you can’t buy boards at the right height and width for your door, cut the boards to length using a circular saw. Don’t forget to sand and treat any cut ends with timber preservative. Lay out the boards in the best arrangement for your shed door, with the inside of the door facing up.
2. Arrange the ledges and braces On most shed doors, you’ll probably need 3 boards across the back of the door to form the ledges. The ledges keep the door straight and keep the boards of the door together. The braces are the parts of the door that slope down to form a ‘Z’ shape between the ledges. Ensure that the braces are sloped up from the bottom and middle hinge to stop the door from sagging as the timber expands and contracts in the weather. Once you’re happy with the arrangement, mark the spots on the boards where they will meet and cut out of the housings using a chisel and mallet.
3. Put the door together Use clamps to pull the boards together and hold the ledges and braces in place. Nail from the front of the door through the boards and ledges to fix them. Secure the ledges and braces with screws; you may want to pre-drill and countersink holes to prevent the wood from splitting. Remember to treat them with preservative if you do.
4. Fix the shed door hinges Make sure you measure carefully before attaching the hinges, ensuring you know where the pin sits in relation to where the door opens.
5. Treat the door and add locks and handles Apply some wood oil, like linseed or teak oil, to help prevent water damage. Then add locks or handles to your shed to help keep it secure.
If you’d rather leave it to the professionals, there are plenty of specialists that will be able to make a shed door for you, or even put up an entire shed.

1. If you’re cutting artificial grass at a fence or wall, fold over the turf so you can see where the backing material meets the edge.
2. Using a very sharp pen knife, cut the backing material into the perimeter, using it to guide the blade.
3. Push the artificial grass back against fence or wall and check that you’ve cut away enough. It’s always best to err on the side of caution and cut less to begin with.
4. When you’re happy, brush the pile to make it look natural.

If your deck isn’t going to be flat to the ground, it’s a good idea to have some kind of balustrade to avoid any tripping. If the gap between the deck and the ground is less than 600mm, use a 900mm balustrade. If it’s higher than 600mm, the balustrade should be 1100mm tall.

• Paving slabs – old or cheap ones are fine
• Timber for the frame and legs
• Type 1 MOT hardcore

1. Mark out the area as we explain in ‘How to lay decking’. Then, dig to 200mm below where you want to surface of the decking to be.
2. Add a 50mm layer of hardcore and make sure it’s compact.
3. Build the decking sub-frame as we describe in ‘How to build a deck frame’.
4. Lay out paving slabs along the edges and in the centre of the area. This will help to spread the weight of the decking.
5. Set the decking frame on the slabs, checking for high or low points and adding off-cuts of timber where needed. Don’t forget to sand and seal these off-cuts with decking preservative.
6. Add your joists and then the deck boards, leaving the recommended gaps of expansion of between 5-8mm.

1. Remove any existing fascia boards Remove the fascia boards and the old felt if you’re re-felting.
2. Measure the shed roof Measure the roof, taking into account that you should leave around 50mm for overlaps at the eaves and 75mm at the gable ends. You’ll probably need 3 pieces of felt, but some smaller sheds only need 2.
3. Apply felt to the roof Once you’ve cut the felt to size, apply the each piece to the roof, pulling it tight. Then nail along the length of the roof at 100mm intervals. For nails at the bottom edge, they can be wider – around 300mm. If you’re adding a piece of felt in the middle of the shed along the apex, fix it using adhesive, then nail it at the lower edge at 50mm intervals.
4. Tidy up the overhangs Fold down the felt at each overhang and nail it securely. Cut a slit in the overhang at the apex using a pen knife, then fold that down and nail at 100mm intervals along the gable. If you like, you can add fascia boards to keep the shed looking neat. Use wood nails to secure them and then trim away any excess felt.

It’s a good idea to talk to your neighbours before you start any work to avoid confusion along the way. But if the fence is definitely your responsibility and on your property, there’s no legal obligation to notify them. It’s also a myth that you need to erect a fence with the flush side without posts facing your neighbour’s property.

The most basic fencing starts at about £27 per panel. But if you want something that’s more decorative and better quality, expect to budget £30-£40 per panel.If you choose to get a professional to help you put up your fencing, they’ll probably be able to get your panels at a cheaper rate.