Though hardscapes make use of stones, pavers, concrete, and gravel, their goal isn’t to make your property seem drab, industrial, or plain. Quite the opposite, in fact. A hardscape company’s goal should be one or two things:
- to enhance your property’s vegetation and greenery,
- to provide practical functions in order to better preserve your outdoor area.
We’ve decided to take a look at one of the most popular features among homeowners who love hardscaping: walkways and pathways.
If any of this information happens to pique your curiosity, feel free to give us a call at (517) 339-2881. We look forward to hearing from you.
Why Talk About Hardscape Walkways?
Why do walkways warrant our attention today if they’re already so popular? Well, there are still a lot of homeowners out there who’ve yet to embrace the wonders of stone pathway. They spend all kinds of money on a beautiful green lawn and let it sit there plain as day.
While a pristine lawn is nice and picturesque, you want your lawn to be more than just a pretty picture, don’t you? You’d rather your property be a place where visitors can wander through or safely walk on, right? Chances are you agree.
Think about some of the hardscape features you’ve seen on neighbor’s lawns. Stone pathways or walkways never look out of place on someone’s property, do they? If anything, they make the surrounding garden beds and shrubbery seem deliberately placed and well-thought out. We’re believers that no property is complete without some aesthetically pleasing and practical hardscape features.
Preserve Your Property with Walkways
Is your lawn failing to live up to expectations? Is it littered with brown patches and decaying grass despite watering it on a regular basis? Have you been feeding it all kinds of fertilizer, but you still can’t get the results you desire?
Maybe the issue isn’t the fertilizer you’re feeding your lawn. Maybe the issue is really all that heavy foot-traffic. When people are stomping all over your property on a day-to-day basis, it is bound to take its toll eventually. This is one of the many reasons why people contact a landscape designer. They want someone to construct beautiful walkways that will direct foot-traffic.
When there are clearly defined paths on your property, people are less inclined to stomp all over your property and damage flowers, your freshly-fertilized lawn and sod.
Hardscapes Can Help People Avoid Hazards!
When your visitors have a path to follow, they’ll know where to walk—day or night. This not only benefits the health of your property. It also keeps your family and visitors from stepping on any difficult-to-spot hazards.
When they’re not walking over your lawn, they’re less likely to trip over your irrigation system and hurt themselves. They’re less likely to stumble onto an old tree stump, or some of those children’s toys strewn all over your lawn.
As you can see, there are many practical benefits to well-constructed paths. They steer people from trouble and keep people off your well-kept lawn!
Concrete, Stone, and Gravel Footpaths: Many Hardscaping Options
Whether you’re looking to construct winding footpaths through a garden or a small thoroughfare between your front entrance and your driveway, you will always have many materials to choose from.
Though remember, it is always best to go with lovely, natural-looking materials. They’re affordable, durable, and never fail to complement the surrounding natural elements.
Poured Concrete Pathways
This material is perfect for sidewalks and front yard paths. We say the front yard because the concrete often complements the front driveway. Though the price to install a concrete pathway might be a little more than crushed gravel, you wind up saving money in the long run. Weeds will never grow over the paved area, and it will be able to withstand even the heaviest footsteps. If installed properly you can expect your paver to last up to 20 years or more.
Concrete is also relatively easy to maintain, too. The smoothness of the surface makes for easy shoveling, sweeping, and pressure washing if needed.
A downside of concrete, however, is its susceptibility to staining. Though a little bit of elbow grease will remove even the most-unsightly oil stain.
Stone Tile Pavers
You’ve probably heard of pavers. They’re one of the most trusted and traditional materials for residential and commercial hardscaping. And for good reason!
Paving stones are often made from concrete or a concrete aggregate. Though they’re concrete-based, don’t go thinking they’re going to have the look of an old grey driveway. Stone pavers come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. With a little bit of guidance, you should have no problem finding the perfect paver for your property.
The installation process for these pavers can be a little tricky. For the pavers to line up evenly, the surface they’re laid on needs to be levelled. Thankfully, companies like us are only a phone call away.
Pavers are a great way to blend natural stone and grass, too. A lot of homeowners and hardscape contractors will space their tiles apart to let natural grass and moss flourish, giving the property a long-established and rustic look.
Cobblestone for Your Courtyard
ost people associate cobblestone with the quaint streets and narrow roads of merry England. But cobblestone can be laid anywhere—even in your yard.
obblestone’s rustic and well-worn appearance comes from the uneven and rounded edges of each granite piece. Thanks to the small size of these pieces, you and your hardscape contractor have a lot of freedom to design your patterns and pathways as you wish. Another benefit? Well-installed granite can last up to 100 years!
Crushed Gravel Paths
This low-cost and manageable method of pathway formation is favored by people all over America. With loose rocks and pebbles, you can cover winding walkways, and you can even purchase aggregate blends in different colors for a distinct look.
Are you curious about adding an easy-to-follow footpath or other hardscaping features to your home? Contact the professionals at Cherry Oak Landscaping today!