Designing a walkway in front of your home is a great way to boost its curb appeal and overall aesthetic in an efficient and effective way. There are many different front walkway ideas – from a curved walkway to a garden path – to consider. When it comes to landscaping, the only thing that limits you is the creativity of your walkway idea. You can incorporate elements that will make your walkway feel serene and peaceful, or incorporate other characteristics to have your home making a bold statement.
A good front walkway always starts out with figuring out what type of landscaping layout you’re going to go with. Do you want the walkway to lead directly to your porch, or do you want it to wander off to your garden path, leading to the backyard? Do you want your walkway idea ending right at your doorstep, or do you want it to continue around your yard? There are many different questions to consider when thinking about front walkway ideas.
You’ll also need to consider how to level the property is in your front yard, before thinking about designing a walkway. If you don’t have ideal draining, then things can get a little messy later on. You’ll want to make sure there are no hazards in your yard that people might trip on when strolling up the walkway as well.
There are many different types of materials and products you can decide on for front walkways. You can choose a stone walkway, a flagstone walkway, or a concrete walkway. The prices between products will vary substantially, so it pays to do a good deal of research before jumping the gun and bulk purchasing a certain product without further researching your walkway idea.
Brick walkway
If you have a colonial or traditional style of home, a brick backyard walkway is an ideal product to go with. There are many different ways to lay brick down in a way that will have your curb appeal looking much better than it was. Some of the different ways that brick can be laid down are:
- Stacked bond
- Running bond
- Basketweave
- Bordered herringbone
The nice thing about bricks is that they combine very effectively with other types of materials. If you want a welcoming color, red, tan, orange, and brown work very well. Hiring a brick installer might cost you between $10 to $25/sq ft, but many people like to use brick pavers and complete their brick walkway themselves.
Gravel
Gravel is another common product for front walkways because of how flexible and versatile it is. It’s a cheap option that works very well with many different styles of homes. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a cottage or living on a ranch, gravel is an affordable way to boost the aesthetic appeal of your walkway design and your home.
There are a variety of different colors of gravel you can choose from. Plus, you can also incorporate pavers and rocks into the mix.
A gravel walkway is easy to get going. You’ll want to initially figure out the perimeter of your walkway using stakes. Some people like to edge out the perimeter of their walkways using PVC pipe or a simple garden hose. Once you’ve done that, level out the entire area before proceeding to spread gravel, a layer of sand, and another layer of gravel over that.
One thing to keep in mind with gravel is that it’s not the best product if your front yard consists of slopes. It’s also not ideal if you live in a climate that gets a lot of snow, since that’s difficult to clear on gravel surfaces.
Pallets
DIY people love pallets for many different things. You can use them to create an appealing-looking front walkway for your home. All you have to do is take the boards apart and use polyurethane on them to keep them sealed from the weather and constant traffic from people walking on them.
With pallets, your first step is to decide on the path your pallets will be installed in. You’ll then level off all of your soil and begin to place your planks where they should go. Make sure you leave around one inch between each plank.
Concrete front walkway ideas
Concrete is a very common product for front walkways. It’s so common a concrete walkway can tend to look mundane. There are multiple ways you can add some flare to your concrete front walkway, through things like:
- Lacy designs
- Spray paint
- Stenciling
- Texturing
Wood Chips
For people that live in a climate that isn’t prone to severe weather fluctuations at certain times of the year, wood chips can make for a great walkway. Wood chips are:
- Natural for the environment
- Are soft under your feet as you’re walking
- Good at preventing weeds from getting into your yard
To get started with a wood chip walkway, dig out the area where your walkway will be going, install some plastic edging, proceed to layer a few inches of stone to ensure drainage, and then layer wood chips on top.
Tumbled Glass front walkway ideas
If you’re into using recycled materials, tumbled glass is a great product to use for front walkways. This product comes from recycled bottles. All of the sharp edges are removed from it to leave you with translucent stones in a variety of different colors. Tumbled glass is pricier than wood chips, but it doesn’t require anywhere near as much maintenance, and it’s also a durable product that will last you a long time.
Logs
If you want one of the more natural front walkway ideas, consider gathering a bunch of logs, pruning them, and creating a walkway with them! You’ll want to make sure the logs are each the same size in diameter. Ensure to give them a good coat of polyurethane before placing them on a layer of sand on your walkway. If there are any gaps leftover, put some gravel or dirt in between the gaps.
Mosaic front walkway ideas
If you really want to create a distinctive walkway, consider creating a full pebble mosaic. If you manage to find the materials from a beach, you can save a lot of money in comparison to paying a supplier for it. A mosaic front walkway requires a lot of time, preparation, and planning in comparison to some of the other options on the list. You’ll have to:
- Construct a mold
- Pour concrete
- Figure out what pattern you’re going to use
Getting a little creative with front walkway ideas is a good way to showcase your home and display a sense of style and personality. Considering these ideas will help you determine which might work for your front yard, or even your backyard.
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