any brick layers or masonry guys out there?

I need to make some 5ft wide x 5ft deep step landings for my house

they need to be high (42") so I want to build cinder block walls then pour a slap on top but im not sure the best way to do that.

I plan to fill the cores full of rebar and concrete to lock it all together so should I mortar them together or just use masonry bonding epoxy glue and just glue them together with no mortar gaps in a nearly seamless look?

in addition, I need to know how best do I bond them to the existing concrete slab? should I just use masonry bonding epoxy glue for this bond?

and what should I do (if anything) to pre-plan for railing attachments?

im also looking for tips on the best materials and method to create the steps going up to the landing.

I have poured platforms and slabs before so I am confident I can do whatever is involved even though I have never done any block work before so any advice for a novice with no idea whats involved, is welcome

thanks for any help you can give me guys

 

I'd use block wire between the cinder block courses. It will beep the wall from bowing outward if it is tall (unbalanced load).

Rebar bent at right angles will secure the slab to the walls (rebar in place at the top course of walls).

What are you filling the platform void with? How deep is the void?

 

I have nothing at the moment, im in the planning stage right now but im ready to get started on it right now.

the door sill plate is roughly 48" off the ground and I have a 4" deep 5ft x 30ft slab extending all the way across the front of the house that is going to be where the stairs and platform need to be laid out to go onto. the side of the house has a similar slab area but that one is 10ft x 30ft.

the platform void, its going to be a 3 sided wall roughly 40"-42" high (5 cider blocks plus mortar) so I intended to build a wooden frame inside it and build a form to pour a 3-4" top slab with rebar grid laid out criss-crossing it. I will make it hand down about 1/2" lower then the top edge of the cinder blocks the hide the crack as well as lock it all together more solidly. do you think I should put a center column inside it so instead of the letter "C" it looks like the letter "E" instead? this would reduce the unsupported span to only 30" instead of 60" if I do the 3 sided "C" shaped version. I have been concerned about having such a large unsupported slab spanning 5ft like that so im thinking I need to do the "E" shape wall.

I will also band the outside edge of the landing with a 2x2 plus a 2x6 so it forms a 1 1/2" overhang beyond the outside edge of the cinder blocks. I then plan to pull the wood framing out after it has cured for a week and reuse it to make an identical second landing and steps for the side door.

I saw the block wire stuff being used on youtube but I wasn't sure just what its purpose was, since the guys using it were doing simple straight walls with it. I couldn't think of what it was used for but now that I know its used to keep the blocks from separating or bowing, it makes sense.

since im making a 3 sided wall with open back end and hollow center, im not sure if the wire would be of any use at all since the only expected forces involved would be the slab weight pushing straight down on the blocks.

the slab is already an existing smooth flat level slab so there is no way to set rebar in it, I suppose I could drill holes in it and install threaded wedge anchors and screw in some all thread rod to make a solid tie in connection to the slab.

I was thinking I might outta fill every other core or at least just the corners and ends of the platform cinder block cores with concrete and rebar to tie it all together and give it more strength.