Well-built brick or stone steps on a properly prepared base regularly last thirty years or more, and the masonry itself can go considerably longer than that with periodic repointing. The failures that cut that short are almost always base-related: steps built on uncompacted fill or above frost depth heave and settle, which cracks joints and breaks the bond regardless of how good the brickwork is. In Delaware County the other major factor is de-icing salt, which accelerates surface spalling on concrete and softer stone considerably.

Both are common outcomes and the deciding factor is whether the structure has moved. If the steps are solid underfoot and the problem is deteriorated mortar joints, chipped edges, or a loose tread, that is repair work — repointing, resetting, and rebuilding the affected units. If the whole assembly has settled, separated from the house, or rocks when you step on it, the base beneath has failed and rebuilding is the only durable fix. Rebuilding also lets riser heights be corrected, which repair cannot do.

Because the steps and the house foundation are settling at different rates. House foundations sit below frost depth on undisturbed soil; steps are frequently built on backfill that was never properly compacted, and that fill continues to settle for years. Add water from a downspout discharging beside the steps and the fill washes out faster. The gap itself can be pointed, but if the steps are still moving the joint will simply reopen — so the useful sequence is fixing the drainage, then addressing the steps.

It depends on how the entry is used and what the house already is. Brick matches most Delco housing stock and repoints cleanly, but brick treads chip at the nosing under heavy traffic. Natural stone treads — bluestone in particular, which is common in this region — are more durable at the edge and handle salt better, and they can sit on a brick or block substructure so the step still reads as brick from the front. Poured concrete is the most economical but the most vulnerable to salt spalling.

Riser and tread dimensions are the part we control directly, and we build to consistent dimensions as standard because uneven risers are the leading cause of falls on stairs. Handrail requirements, permit thresholds, and any local specifics vary by municipality across Delaware County, so the practical approach is telling us what the entry needs when you call (610) 990-1379 so it is scoped correctly from the start rather than adjusted afterwards.

K&S Masonry Restoration is based in Brookhaven, PA and works throughout Delaware County and the Philadelphia suburbs, including Philadelphia, Havertown, Springfield, Drexel Hill, Chester, Wayne, Radnor, and Ardmore, plus Montgomery and Chester Counties. If you are unsure whether your address is in range, call (610) 990-1379 and ask — it is a quick answer.