Paver Landing at a Patio Door — Small Landing With a Step Down
The new sliding door opens onto a drop to the lawn or a square of mud; a paver landing and a step put a proper floor outside the door without building a whole patio.
A paver landing at a patio door is a small landing outside a sliding, French or walkout door with one or two block steps down to the yard, so the door no longer opens onto a drop or a muddy patch. JMB Builders builds them across the Twin Cities metro: compacted class 5 base, the landing set one step below the threshold, solid step units on their own base, and the landing pitched away from the sill. Priced per project.
- Priced per project, quoted from photos
- Set one step below the threshold, pitched off the sill
- Steps on their own compacted base, risers kept even
- Quote from photos, reply within one business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Send photos and hear back within one business day — or book a free in-home estimate.
A patio door needs something outside it. On a lot of homes it is a drop to the lawn, a couple of concrete blocks, or a wood landing that rotted. A paver landing is the small version of a patio: a few feet of pavers outside the door at the height that makes the step out even, with one or two block steps down to the yard. It is enough to stand on while the dog goes out, to set the grill on, and to make the door usable until a full patio is in the budget, and it is built so the patio can be added to it later.
The height is the whole job. The landing is set one riser below the threshold, so the step out of the door is the same height as a stair tread and not a drop. From the landing, solid step units bring you down to the yard with every riser the same height, each unit on its own trench of compacted class 5. The landing itself is on a compacted base with edge restraint around it, pitched a touch away from the sill so rain and meltwater run off into the lawn and not under the door.
At a walkout basement door the landing sits at grade and the job is the opposite: a landing that keeps the ground from sloping into the door, often with a channel drain along the sill. At a door that sits high above the yard, the steps become a short run with a landing, and that is a block steps job.
What you supply
- A photo of the door from outside with a tape measure from the threshold to the ground
- The paver and block style, or let us match a walk or patio nearby; we order and deliver them
- The size you want: just a landing, or a landing wide enough for a grill and a chair
- A decision on a handrail at the steps if someone in the house needs one
What JMB supplies
- The threshold height measured and the landing and riser heights worked out so every step is even
- Excavation and class 5 compacted in lifts under the landing and under each step
- Pavers set on screeded sand with a pitch away from the sill, cut tight to the house
- Solid step units or wall block with paver treads down to the yard
- Rigid edge restraint spiked around the landing, polymeric sand in the joints
- A post-mounted handrail at the steps when you want one
- Sod repair around the landing and photos in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Landing size: a stand-on landing vs. one with room for a grill and chairs
- Height from the threshold to the yard, which sets how many steps
- Solid step units vs. wall block with paver treads
- Grade: a yard that falls away from the house needs a low edge or a short wall on the low side
- A channel drain along the sill at a walkout door
- A handrail at the steps
- Matching an existing walk or patio paver vs. a standard one
Send the photo with the tape from the threshold to the ground and tell us the rough size you want. Landings are quoted from photos.
How long it takes
A landing with one or two steps: one to two days. Materials are ordered after the quote and usually arrive within a couple of weeks.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Landing and one step at a sliding door
A paver landing a few feet deep across the width of the door and one solid step unit down to the lawn. The most common build when the threshold sits a little above grade.
Landing and two steps at a raised door
Where the door sits higher, the landing and two even risers on their own base, with a handrail post set through the landing if you want one.
Grade-level landing at a walkout door
A paver landing outside a walkout basement door at grade, pitched away from the house, often with a channel drain along the sill so the window-well-style low spot stops filling.
Landing built to take a patio later
The landing set at the height and in the paver the future patio will use, with edge restraint that comes out when the patio base is extended from it. Nothing has to be redone.
Paver Landing at a Patio Door — Small Landing With a Step Down: questions, answered
How high should a paver landing be below the patio door threshold?
One riser below it, so stepping out the door feels like a normal stair step and not a drop. The exact drop depends on the threshold and the riser height we use for the steps down to the yard, and we match the two so every step in the run is the same. A landing set flush with the threshold sends water under the door; a landing set too far below it is a trip.
Can you build a small landing now and a patio later?
Yes, and it is a sensible order. The landing is set at the height and in the paver the patio will use, on a compacted base, with edge restraint on the open sides. When the patio goes in, the restraint comes off, the base is extended out from the landing and the pavers are laid on in the same pattern. Nothing gets torn out.
Does a paver landing need a base, or can it sit on the ground?
It needs the base. Pavers set on dirt outside a door heave with the frost and tip toward the house, and then the sill is wet all spring. The topsoil comes out, class 5 goes in compacted in lifts, and the pavers sit on screeded sand with edge restraint around them and a pitch away from the sill. Same build as a patio, smaller footprint.
What stops water from running under the patio door?
The pitch. The landing is screeded with a slight fall away from the house so rain and meltwater run off into the lawn, and the top course is set a little below the threshold so splash does not reach the sill. At a walkout basement door where the yard slopes toward the house, we add a channel drain along the sill and pipe it away.
Do the steps need a handrail?
The code sets a number of risers above which a rail is required, and one or two steps at a patio door are usually below it. We add a post-mounted rail whenever someone in the house would use it, with the post set through the landing into the base. Say so at the quote and it is included.
Can you replace a rotted wood landing with pavers?
Yes. The wood landing and its posts come out, the footings are pulled or cut below grade, and the paver landing is built at the same height so the step out of the door does not change. The paver landing has no boards to rot and nothing under it for animals to live in, which is usually why the wood one is being replaced.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners, builders and dealers. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed October 1, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All pavers pages
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