On the shores of Lake George, in the Adirondack Mountains in northeastern New York, a new homebuyer wanted to tear down an existing residence and replace it with a larger, modern house. He enlisted the help of Ric Santamaria of Round Tree Construction who after hearing the plan, contacted Tony DeFranco for a couple of reasons.

First, DeFranco is a licensed professional engineer and could provide site design and permitting for the project, which had to meet the strict Adirondack Park Agency requirements; and second, DeFranco has his own landscape company that could handle the installation of most of the outdoor amenities. "Our two businesses make us one of the local lake experts that have been recognized for our reputation and our expertise of doing the right thing around one of the most heavily regulated bodies of water in the country," notes DeFranco.

The Build
Besides a patio of irregular bluestone flagging and a retaining wall of dry-laid granite stones, the hardscape included 10 steps of heat-tempered bluestone. "We built the stone retaining wall as we built the steps, then put the patio in," DeFranco remembers.

To prepare the site for the steps installation, all of the existing hardscape was removed. After initial excavation guided by a laser-level benchmark established by the site surveyor, the 1,000-pound base step was set. From there, the area was cut back about four to five feet and six to eight inches down. On top of drainage fabric the DeFranco Landscaping team put clean #2 crushed stone that was then compacted. To finish the base, stone dust was added.

Each step weighs around 800 pounds and came with a special feature – a two-inch "key" removed at the quarry on the front bottom edge so they would overhang the previous step and lock in.

"It was the first time I've ever seen anything that intricate but it made putting those steps in very easy" says DeFranco. "They were very expensive but they were a very nice set of steps."

A specialized block clamp was mounted to the arm of a mini-excavator to hoist and help maneuver the steps, which were delivered directly from the quarry. "There was enough bluestone in the project to ship directly, which is pretty unusual," DeFranco states. "It usually goes to our local stone distributor and they will either deliver to us or if it is a small enough load, we will go pick it from them."

After each step was set, the ground behind it was excavated more, drainage fabric and crushed stone were put down, and another step was installed.

Industry Best Practices
According to home improvement website TheSpruce.com, the minimum amount of tread depth should not be less than 10 inches; the maximum amount of rise should not exceed 7.75 inches and the width should be at least 36 inches. It is not explicitly required to incorporate overhanging treads, although the best measurement for each stair over hanging a riser is about 1/2" and ought to remain uniform throughout the entire staircase.

DIYnetwork.com says that the formula for the ideal relationship between rise and run is "Twice the rise plus the run should equal 25 inches to 27 inches. Although, each state has building code regulations that must be adhered to when constructing private or public sets of stairs.

The Building Stone Institute states, "Important considerations for selecting stone for this type of work are: surface finish, resistance to wear, slip resistance, resistance to staining, and maintenance. The use of porous limestones and soft, (clay-rich) sandstones is not recommended. High traffic areas require less porous, harder stones as these are more resistant to staining and wear."

Though DeFranco used blusestone in the Lake George project, which is a recommended material, he says he typically chooses granite because it holds up even better against the elements. His company sometimes pours concrete steps and has installed precast, reinforced concrete stones from various manufacturers. DeFranco offers a word of caution though.

"Sometimes the rebar and wire mesh don't have enough coverage and you can get rust spots. I think it is a rare occurrence but it is something to look for. When you get materials delivered to a jobsite from a manufacturer or dealer, you really want to inspect closely because anything that is chipped or slightly damaged is where you are prone to see these spots."

The project was completed in the summer of 2017 with the hydroseeding and sodding of the lawn areas. That year, DeFranco Landscaping and his consulting engineering business were awarded the Irving Langmuir Award, which is given by The Fund for Lake George for excellence in development and stewardship: recognizing DeFranco's dedication to protecting the lake by implementing low-impact development practices.