By: Bart Flegg - Merlin Landscaping Feb 1, 2010

Renovating your front walkway can be a great way to dramatically enhance the appearance of your house on a budget. Walkways made of stone and concrete are a solid, long lasting solution that not only looks great but can be completed in a short time frame with the right knowledge, skills and planning.

A stone walkway isn’t a complicated structure requiring permits or inspections. However just as any home improvement, it must be constructed with skill and care. Once completed stone walkways don’t have to be stained yearly or refinished and if built correctly should last 10 or more years without yearly maintenance. 

More important than the stone that you use or the MPA of concrete is the contractor that you choose for your project. There was a man walking by a construction site and he asked one of the craftsmen what he was doing. The worker replied reluctantly, “I’m mixing mortar, can’t you see that?” The man waited and watched a while longer and asked another craftsman what he was doing. “I’m just earning a living, putting food on the table,” he replied. A third time the man asked a worker what he was doing and the response was quite different, with pride the worker replied, “I’m building a cathedral.”

At Merlin Landscaping we build with concrete and stone daily but make it a goal never to lose pride in what we are building. We are the third worker, old world craftsmen producing quality stonework.

Walkway Size
The unspoken rule is that the larger the walkway will be, the more it will cost. Therefore it’s important to examine the width of the walkway because the length is normally fixed if you aren’t incorporating any fancy turns or other design elements. Standard widths for walkways are 3’ and 4’. It’s important to match the width of your walkway to the overall width of your front yard.

Some tips to keep your budget in check:
Plan the dimensions of your patio to be an increment of the stone you use to reduce cutting.
Work with the grade of your backyard to avoid building excessive retaining walls.
Use the soil taken from excavation and use it to build berms or raised beds to avoid disposal.

Marrying House and Walkway
Adding new stone walkway immediately changes the appeal of a home’s exterior design. The most successful walkway projects take into consideration the home’s size, finishing materials and style of construction.

Older homes might benefit from a cobble stone feel as opposed to interlocking brick pavers or square cut flagstone. On the other hand, contrasting your home exterior styling’s might be a striking design worth investigating further.  

Work With Your Front Yard
Don't rule out building your stone walkway where you want because of trees, rocks, hills or other obstacles. Walkways are often most attractive when they make use of difficult terrain features. A multilevel walkway has the ability to step its way up or down a hill and create different visual levels.

Get A Free Estimate On Your Walkway Idea

Free estimate and onsite consultation. Get in contact with the Merlin Landscaping team.

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More Walkway Information Proper installation is just as important as planning, placement or size. View More