Wheel chocks are always a good idea.

The walkway and steps to be removed.

Walkway at driveway has been run over and because there is no rebar or fiber mesh in it and the subgrade was soft it snapped and was pushed down.

Settling where the main walkway abuts the short section that goes to the garage man door.

A piece of wood trim was attached to the plate beneath the door threshold to keep it from flexing down and breaking.  The walkway was right up to the bottom of this threshold before settling.

This is an extreme example of how bad settling can get.

These settling issues can create the dreaded "trippers". These are a liability to any homeowner.

This photo illustrates what happened when the walk snapped at the base of the steps and the stepps have settled at the front where moisture from weather and lawn watering has soaked the ground and made it susceptible to settling.

There is even some settling where the steps meet the main entry door as can be seen here.

Another "tripper".

A location is selected that is as far back from where the material will get wheelbarrowed to the truck and to give a leading edge for the demolition of the steps.

Very soft indeed.

The edge that is easiest to remove get taken out first.

Sinking out of sight here. An indicator that the soil beneath the walk has settling considerably.

Variation in thickness that include really thick areas can make removal time consuming and difficult.

Find the lines as soon as possible and moving them out of the way can save money on repairs.

The hardest part of the removal is begun at the lower and thinner edge.

This is a bit easier to do than the steps and can be wheeled down the remaining walk and loaded into the truck.

The chunks are moved out of the way so that more pieces can be broken away.

The old straw bale filler trick amkes itself known. This has been used for years as a filler material and, though I used it a number of times, I prefer less problematic materials for this purpose.

More settling becomes apparent as the steps are broken away.

The problems with using organic filler materials for fillers to save concrete are numerous. I have run short of concrete because this material compresses easily and by a great amount. Another rare occurence (even thought I have seen this happen) is that it can to be spontaneously combustible. This creates a mess and can be costly due to the fact that the house may catch fire and the concrete will need to be removed and replaced.

Demo is nearing the back of the stairs and there is some rebar present.

About ready for forms to be set.

The large cavity to the left was once a straw bale but has rotted away. Hence the black color. The bale at the right did not suffer the same moisture infiltration and is basically in the same shape as when it was installed.

In addition to the reasons mentioned above, straw is messy to work with and deforms so much that it cannot be trusted as a material that will yield uniform dimensions to the steps and will create this areas and thick areas. It is poor practice.

After the old concrete is removed the sheet metal barrier is bared and will be reused.

The material will be wheeled to its final location.

After concrete lines have been marked the gravel is placed to its proper grade and will eventually be compacted throughout the project with a plate compactor (no photos).

Specific angles and dimensions for the holes are used and the (60 Grade) rebar is driven in and bent upward parallel to the foundation walls.

Drilling and the new stair sidewall rebar is located and complete.

The remainder of the raw wood is covered with sheet metal.

In this situation it is basically pick and shovel and wheeelbarrow work.

The small drain pit is necessary because the surrounding  concrete settled (or was installed incorrectly initially). This is a common occurence and can be remedied with this technique in most cases.

A Pulaski pickaxe (with a widened end on one side and a needle point on the other) is used to begin the hole and it is finished with a post hole digger so as to not have to make the hole larger than needed to do the job of draining this area.

The fill box is essential to eliminate placing an amount of concrete that is more than is what is needed to make the steps structurally sound. It also adds more time cost for placing and more material cost as well. The fill box is my own invention and one crucial step is omitted as a trade secret (also of my own invention).

This is an impportant step as it saves money for the homeowner by speeding up the project because new trim material does not need to be purchased, cut, fitted, attached, caulked , and painted.

The perfect tool for accomplishing all the criteria for the perfect hole.

The threshold support trim did its job keeping the threshold from getting broken down but now it's time for the new concrete support it.

A number of radii were used to soften and enhance the appearance.

There were a wide variety of elevations and slopes in this particular project and they all need to match in the end as well as be aesthetically pleasing.

The edges have to be straight as well!

The subgrade material (3/4" washed rock) is installed about 1/2" high and then packed with with a hand paving compactor (another perfect tool for the job). This endures no settling later on.

The concrete wheelbarrow runway is placed (wide sheets of 3/4" plywood will ensure that the lawn is not damaged).

16" to 18" centers for rebar is adequate to prevent any excesssive cracking or pulling away from the foundation concrete and the individual walkway sections.

Rebar is drilled into the driveway and tied to the main walkway rebar lattice.

A crisp and clean setup is nearly ready for concrete. Existing metal break between the foundation conctrte and the steps concrete is reused.

This is a weak area due to the weight of the new step concrete and possible settling and/or heaving due to water  from the lawn sprinkling system.

Evenly spaced and placed rebar make this a sound installation and the city code for step kickback is observed (3/4" to about 1-1/2" is the range for how far the bottom of the step rise angles back from vcertical to prevent toe bumping and/or loss of balance).

This particular fill box was made from some scap 1/2" plywood but it can also be made from cement board is so desired.

Angled stair tread stabilizers work well and do not hinder the quality installation and shaping of the tread/riser concrete. The large center kicker board does not have to be set to the bottom riser for the assembly to work as it should and keep the riser forms from bowing out. There is also one other large kicker going to the bottom of the lowest riser to suppport the spot with the most pressure in the entire assembly.

This is the only remedy to areas with 0 slope that can create standing water and wintertime ice coverings that can lead to slips and falling injuries.

The thin thickness plastic (3 mil painter's plastic sheeting is very cheap and does the job exceptionally). I keeps moistrue from the concrete from being absorbed by the side and trim and also keeps splatters from landing on that very same siding and trim.

The rebar grid is so well tied and spaced that a single rebar slab chair placed in the center near the top riser is all that is need to keep it at the correct elevation.

This looks far better than the settled and broken steps that were there. It is also far more functional.

Walking into and out of the garage an the house is much smoother with the "trippers" removed. A far more professional look is achieved with their elimination.

A plastic membtane curing technique is used in lieu of the nasty chemical infused spray-on type of curing. it eliminates worrying about breathing these or getting them on vehicles and siding materials.

Though barely perceptible, there is a slope away from the garage door threshold that perfectly matches the slope of the walkway and that meets the slope away from the bottom of the steps and all drai away fro the house foundation. Though not always perfect it worked out well here.

A very attractive main entry walkway with minmial damage to to surrounding vegetation.

An area that is unalterably flat from side to side is sloped to the middle and drained into a nice little dry well filled with gravel.