Steps are where cheap work shows first.
Nothing gives a stone contractor away faster than a run of steps. Risers that vary by half an inch, treads that rock, a stair that lands awkwardly at the door — you feel all of it before you notice it. We set granite and bluestone treads on real foundations with consistent risers, so every step lands exactly the same from the first to the last.
Consistent risers, every single tread
The human foot notices a riser that is off by a quarter inch, even when the eye does not. We survey the grade, calculate the run so the risers divide evenly, and set each tread to that number — no fudging the last step at the top, which is the classic tell of a rushed job.
On garden stairs we keep the risers low and the treads generous, so the climb feels like part of the walk rather than an obstacle in it.
A foundation under every step
Steps heave when they are set on soil, and they heave first because they carry concentrated load on a small footprint. We excavate below frost, compact a structural base, and bed each tread so it cannot rock, settle, or drift out of line through the freeze-thaw cycle.
Solid granite treads, stacked bluestone, or dry-set fieldstone risers — each gets a different build sequence, and each gets a real base.
Matched to the walk and the wall
Steps rarely exist alone. We tie them into the walkway, the retaining wall, and the terrace they connect, matching stone and carrying the joint language through so the stair reads as part of the landscape rather than a separate purchase.
Towns We Serve
Steps & Stairs across Wellesley, Weston, Newton, Lexington, Lincoln, Needham, Bolton, Chestnut Hill, Marlborough, Sudbury, Concord, Dover — and the rest of MetroWest & Greater Boston.
Questions
Steps & Stairs, answered.
Solid granite treads are generally priced by the riser, commonly $900 to $2,200+ per step installed depending on length, thickness, access, and the foundation work beneath. A full entry stair with landings is scoped as one piece of work.
Almost always because they were set on soil or an inadequate base and water is lifting them each winter. Resetting them on a compacted base below frost depth fixes it permanently — we will tell you honestly whether resetting or rebuilding is the better value.
Yes. We source granite and bluestone to match existing treads and walls as closely as the material allows, and carry the same joint and edge detail through so the new work does not read as a patch.
Request a Consultation
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Response within one business day.