Last summer I finished the major landscaping projects in our suburban backyard. I placed a concrete block wall on sloping ground, thus creating a large raised bed to hold shrubs (lilacs and mock orange) that will grow up and provide a year-round visual screen along our fence. This will not only provide privacy for our back patio and lawn in the larger scheme of things, but also make our spa a cozier place to be, replacing the old brown fence as the visual backdrop for that corner.
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That was very satisfying, but winter’s forced hibernation has restored my energy and made me ready to plunge in to another project. Just when I was thinking everything that could be done was done, I remembered the stone path from the back patio to my “hut” (large garden shed turned into home office).
When I created the path, I used broken pieces of flat slate set into the dirt. The grass grew up around them, and it looks and works fine in drier months. Unfortunately, the stones do not provide a consistent raised surface that can be kept clean and traversed easily when it is wet and messy in the wintry months.
This has not been an issue until now, because I never tried to use my hut much in the winter. Now that I am starting to use it regularly, I find using the path is unpleasant and produces messy feet by the time I get to the other end and want to step into the inside. It now has a painted floor and area rug, so I want to keep it clean, which is difficult if I have wet leaves and goop on my shoes because the stones didn’t give me sufficient stepping spots.
Sooo…not only have I hit on a project that is well worth doing, but also now is a great time to go after it because the ground is not frozen, but it is soaked. It will be easy to remove the old pathway, spread some granite as a base, and put down a concrete walkway. I can hardly wait to get it done and eliminate the messy walk while improving the look of the backyard at the same time!
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There are good how to videos available on line for creating pathways with various types of stones or blocks without having to hire a concrete contractor. The more formal you want a walkway to be, the more hiring an expert becomes necessary to avoid a walk that detracts from the look of your place. Since mine is in an informal space, I am looking at using 30” x30” plastic forms that create a brick or stone look just by using them with premixed concrete.
Whatever I do will have to pass muster with the "head of the landscape committee," but I think a careful job with those forms and some concrete will be sufficient. On the other hand, a trail of bricks across the yard to an English garden surrounding the hut just might be the ticket…hmmm…
Here's a video on how to do this. It's obviously a product promotion, but explains the basic how-tos of the project.
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Perfect for me!
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concrete walkway molds
Welcome aboard!
I'm not sure I'd call it a stencil, but I think you're on the right track. Google "concrete walkway mold" on Google images and you'll get pictures of what I'm talking about right away. You just buy a plastic mold that creates a pattern of stone-like shapes when you put it down and fill it in with a layer of concrete. Let it set for a couple of minutes,move the mold to its next position adjacent to the just-laid pattern, and repeat! Very rewarding (and forgiving for do-it-yourselfers).If I recall correctly, I used bags of premix when I did it before,and got 4-5' of walkway for each large sized bag. Go for it, and send us a picture when you're done!
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