Should I add a landing on my Vancouver paver staircase?

Yes — adding a landing to a paver staircase is almost always the right call in Metro Vancouver, both for safety and for the long-term performance of the installation.

A landing breaks up a long stair run, gives people a place to pause and reorient, and dramatically reduces the risk of a serious fall. On a wet November evening in Vancouver — which describes about five months of the year — a continuous flight of paver steps without a landing becomes genuinely hazardous. The BC Building Code requires a landing at every change of direction and at the top and bottom of any stair run, but even a straight staircase benefits from a landing if it has more than 5-6 risers.

Safety and Code Considerations

The BC Building Code specifies that landings must be at least as wide as the staircase itself and a minimum of 900mm (about 36 inches) deep in the direction of travel. For exterior residential stairs, this is the minimum — a 1,200mm (48-inch) deep landing feels much more comfortable and functional. If your staircase changes direction at any point, a landing is not optional; it is required.

In Metro Vancouver's climate, moss and algae growth on paver surfaces between October and March creates slippery conditions that make landings even more important than they would be in a drier region. A landing gives a person's foot a full, flat surface to land on and reorient before continuing — something that matters enormously when surfaces are wet. Specify a textured or tumbled paver surface for steps and landings rather than a smooth finish, and orient any linear texture perpendicular to the direction of travel to maximise grip.

Structural and Drainage Design

A paver landing needs the same base preparation as any other paver installation — properly compacted granular base, adequate depth (typically 8-10 inches for a landing with foot traffic), and a minimum 2% slope away from the house or in the direction of drainage. The landing must not pond water. If the landing sits against the house foundation, slope it away from the building at a minimum of 1/4 inch per foot (2%) to prevent water from migrating toward the foundation.

The junction between the landing and the steps above and below it is a critical detail. Edge restraints must be continuous, and the base under the landing must be tied into the base under the steps so there is no differential settling. Differential settling — where the landing drops relative to the steps, or vice versa — creates a lip that is a trip hazard and accelerates cracking of the paver surface at the joint. A competent installer will excavate the landing and stair bases as a single continuous unit rather than treating them separately.

Cost and Sizing

A mid-stair landing on a residential paver staircase typically adds $1,500–$3,500 to the project cost, depending on landing size, stone or paver material, and site access. A 4-foot by 4-foot landing in matching concrete pavers at the midpoint of a 10-step staircase is a reasonable benchmark. Natural stone landings cost more — budget $2,500–$5,000 for a flagstone or granite landing of the same size.

If you are planning a new staircase from scratch, build the landing in from the beginning — retrofitting a landing into an existing staircase requires dismantling and rebuilding the steps above and below it, which is significantly more expensive than designing it in at the outset.

Get matched with a local hardscape professional through Vancouver Interlock for a free estimate on your staircase and landing project.