Steps built on site,to the ground you have.
Constructed step structures for entries that need more than a made-to-size set — consistent rises, deep treads, rails, and footings.
Some entries needa structure.
A single set of steps made to size and fitted covers most houses, and our minor steps page is about exactly that. It stops working when the ground does not cooperate: a rise of more than a few steps, a fall away from the house, an entry that has to turn to reach the path, or a landing that has to be big enough to open a door from.
At that point the steps become a built structure — footings, bearers, joists, and a deck — set out on paper before anything is dug. The tread and the rise are held consistent the whole way up, because the danger in a flight is the one step that is different from the others.
The National Construction Code decides some of it for you. Past a metre of rise, the structure needs a balustrade rather than a handrail, and that is priced in rather than offered as an extra.
Custom steps forsafe home access.
Built for the entry that actually needs it — front door, back door, or the side path nobody thinks about until it is the only way in.
Laid out to your entry
The flight is designed around where the door is, where the path arrives, and how the person moves between them. Turns and intermediate landings are normal rather than an upgrade.
Consistent rise and tread, the whole way
The rise complies with the National Construction Code and stays the same from bottom to top. Kerbing is not required on steps, which is one of the things that separates them from a ramp.
Surfaces built for weather
Decked in materials chosen to keep their grip wet, with a contrasting nosing on every tread so the edge can be seen as well as felt.
Vital Ease at a glance
- Projects completed
- 300+
Projects completed
- Agreements with Home Care Package and NDIS providers
- 100+
Agreements with Home Care Package and NDIS providers
- Valued customers
- 200+
Valued customers
Steptypes.
Two shapes, decided by what has to get up them. If a four-wheel walker is involved, you want the platform version.
Single tread steps — for use on foot
Treads of roughly 300 to 350mm, which is enough for a whole adult foot rather than the front half of one, and around a metre of clear width. Often paired with a door threshold insert so the last step into the house is level too.
Platform steps — for a four-wheel walker
Roughly 900 to 1200mm deep, so the whole frame is on the platform and settled before the person moves. A different footprint and a different page.
Materialoptions.
Three decking surfaces. The trade is between cost, maintenance, and how it looks from the house.
Fibre-reinforced grating
The most cost-effective and the least maintenance. An open fibreglass surface with a gritted non-slip coating that sheds water and keeps its grip when wet or frosty. It does not rot, rust, or need recoating, and it is the one we recommend for a shaded or exposed entry.
Merbau
A dense hardwood that reads as part of the house rather than as an aid, and the usual choice where the steps are in view. Finished with a gritted non-slip coating that needs re-coating over time to keep working. See the acclimatisation note below.
Engineered decking
The most consistent in appearance and the dearest. Where you want a particular product, you choose the supplier and it is carried in the quote as a prime-cost allowance so the pricing stays transparent.
Parts andoptions.
What goes on the structure besides the deck. Some are standard and some are extras — knowing which before you sign is the point of this list.
Galvanised steel banister railing
The standard rail on a structure built on site. ⚠️ Site-fabricated rails come in a galvanised finish only. Welded joints are primed and cold-galvanised and stay slightly different in colour until the whole rail weathers and evens out.
Contrasting nosings
A gritted strip along the front edge of every tread, which grips and marks the edge at the same time. On stairs this matters more than anything else on the list.
Mid railing — optional
A lower rail that stops a foot or a wheel going out beneath the main one. Worth it for anyone using a low-profile mobility aid.
Balustrade — required above 1000mm
Once the structure rises more than a metre, the National Construction Code requires a balustrade rather than a rail. Not optional, and priced in. We offer a timber balustrade.
Plinth boards — optional
Boards closing off the space beneath an elevated flight. Neater, and they stop anything getting under there.
Joist protection — optional
A flexible layer over the joist tops to keep moisture off them and extend the life of the structure outdoors.
Weed matting
Laid under sections built over soil or grass to stop vegetation growing through. Not needed over concrete or paving.
Coloured concrete — optional
For a landing or an approach slab. Colour varies with materials, weather, and finishing, and that variation is normal rather than a defect.
Before you book,two things to know.
Merbau bleeds, and it will mark your white strips
It needs 30 to 60 days to acclimatise and leaches a reddish tannin while it does. Painted white vision strips commonly discolour during the first two months because of it, and adjacent concrete stains. It stops on its own and weathers out, and it is normal for the timber rather than a fault.
Concrete develops hairline cracks
Shrinkage, ground movement, tree roots, and moisture changes all cause fine cracking in landings and paths. It is not a workmanship defect — the VBA Guide to Standards and Tolerances sets out where the line falls, and we would rather you knew now.
Site-fabricated rails are galvanised only
A rail welded up in place cannot then be hot-dip galvanised or powder-coated. If the finish matters, say so at the drawings stage — a shop-made rail is possible and it changes the design.
It starts with drawings
Major work is designed and documented before it is priced, because that is what a funding body approves and what stops the structure changing with the footings already in.
Brochuresand guides.
The documents an occupational therapist, a plan manager, or a funding body usually asks us for. We are preparing these now — ring or email in the meantime and we will send what you need.
Product brochures
- Major steps and landingsComing soon
- Fibre-reinforced grating walkwayComing soon
- Banister rails and balustradesComing soon
Specifications
- Typical step and landing detailComing soon
Quote request requirements
- Major steps — what we need to quoteComing soon
How the jobactually runs.
Draftsperson visit and design
Our draftsperson measures the rise, the ground, and the space the flight has to fit into, then sets it out on paper — including any turn and the landings. We mark the footprint on site so you can see it before it is built.
Documentation and a fixed price
Drawings and a scope of works set out so a plan manager, case manager, or funding body can approve them without coming back to us. Funding is approved before anything is ordered.
Footings and framing
Footings set and the structure framed to the designed rises. This is the stage that decides whether every step in the finished flight is the same as the one below it.
Decking, rails, and finishing
The deck laid, rails or balustrade fabricated and fixed, nosings applied, and plinths or weed matting where they are in the scope.
Warranty
The work is carried out by licensed tradespeople and backed by the relevant warranties. If something is not right, ring the same number you rang the first time.
If a walker has toget up them.
A four-wheel walker needs a platform rather than a step — the whole frame has to be on it and settled before the person moves, which means a tread three to four times deeper.
It is the same structure and a very different footprint, so it has its own page.
Questions
What people ask aboutcustom access steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do steps need to be built rather than fitted?
When is a balustrade required?
Why have my white step markings gone pink?
How deep should a constructed step be?
Will the NDIS pay for constructed steps?
Can’t see your question? Call us on +61 3 8658 1358 — we’re happy to talk it through.
More from Vital Ease
The rest of whatwe do.
Let us make your homework for you.
Ready to start your modification journey? Contact our team.
Ready to make your home safer and more accessible? Our team is here to help from your first consultation through to the final handover. Let’s talk about what’s possible for your home.