Restoration & Renewal

Home Repair and Remodeling by Dan Rivard

Category: Landscaping

  • Hardwood Deck Stairs with Vinyl Railings

    Hardwood Deck Stairs with Vinyl Railings

    The mission here was to fix a “door to nowhere” situation that only ever had a flimsy set of temporary stairs, and had been impassable for several years. The finished product is a major improvement. Every detail counts. Vinyl risers, stainless steel screws, and joist tape will make this last while looking good with minimal…

  • Cumaru Deck Stairs with Vinyl Railing

    Cumaru Deck Stairs with Vinyl Railing

    This situation called for a simple back stoop with stairs that didn’t take up much space, and matched the materials and style from the rest of the house. The deck boards are Cumaru, an exotic hardwood similar to Ipe. The stairs are bolted to the house at the ledger but are sitting on the concrete…

  • Laying a New Paver Path to the Front Porch

    Laying a New Paver Path to the Front Porch

    I finally dug out the “temporary” decorative stone in front of my porch steps with a plan to install a wider path made from concrete pavers. I dug out the topsoil, roots and rocks until I was at a depth of about eight inches and reached hard clay, which I tamped down flat. After determining…

  • Dry Stacked Stone Landscaping Walls

    Dry Stacked Stone Landscaping Walls

    When I began rebuilding my front porch, I found a hidden architectural treasure buried under the stairs. I unearthed the cast concrete cap stones for the brick knee walls that flanked the original stairs. They were a little banged up. I just had to save them though, and committed to incorporating them into the final…