[Stonehenge]

Crazygator approached me a couple days ago about conducting a real-life, online tutorial for paver installation, the results of which would be documented here to serve as a guide for whomever else would need the information.

The idea is simple - Crazygator will ask questions, and will employ the answers he gets in building this paver project. Lots of photographs, lots of info for any newbie paver installers.

So I'm going to turn this thread over to Crazygator and let him get this project underway....

[Mac]

this is just awesome Jeff. thanks

[Stonehenge]

I think so, too. I just wish it was my idea.

[Crazygator]

Ok boys and girls here we go. The following photos will show you the walkway that I want to make better, and learn some tricks as I go. I have yet to decide what brand of paver or style or color, thats where you wonderful folks come in.

I will take all suggestions, then make a decision, only after I post them here to make sure its the right way to go. So your ideas and advice will make this project. It will be a group effort, and I love the fact that Jeff is letting us do this.

Here is the specs of the existing walkway:
Gate opening - 4 feet
Walkway length - 24 feet 4 inches
Walkway width - 3 feet

Now to see if I can post the photo's....haha

[Crazygator]

Ok, we can go wider or any other direction to make this look like it should. It can stay straight, or go curvey or whatever, just as long as its balanced.

And dont even look at the rest of the yard. It was last on the list last season, and I want this project to change all that.

As far as matching it to landscaping, everything is getting ripped out and replaced. So nothing there will be, not even the walkway LOL!

One more thing to keep in mind, at the side of the house I will be putting in a short retaining wall , as a flower garden for my daughter. We can match these two projects together, as far as what product to use or not. You guide me, thats what this is all about!

Thanks in advance to your great ideas, advice and thoughts.

Now, lets get our hands (my hands) dirty

[Lanelle]

Can we get a look at the steps and stoop? Just thinking that you might want to make it match the new walkway. You're up for a challenge, right?

[VoodooChile]

Before we recommend brands/colors, it would be good to see any other hardscape elements (boulders, brick, natural stone) that are in the landscape or part of the architecture of the house.

Also, the color (current/future) of the house's siding should be considered when choosing the pavers' color.

Fence stays, right?

I would consider replacing the asphalt Y tie-in to the walk with pavers as well; cut the asphalt back in line with the main drive line, and lay the pavers up to that line.

Any drainage issues?

Would be great to do the steps too, for sure.

[Stonehenge]

I'd like to have answers to the above questions, and also - is this a front yard or back yard?

[BJR]

The fence and gate looks new, so I would guess they are staying.

The path is too short to curve.

It should be taken out to the width of the gate. i don't like paths that are narrower than 900mm (3ft).

You should consider a different textured and coloured paver for the header course.

The smaller the paver the better. Small pavers make the path look bigger. Even if you have a 100mm (4in) sq cobble style paver to use.

If you can line the edge of the path up with the front edge of the bottom step. I take it that you are going to replace or cover the stairs?

[HLS]

I would make the path as wide as the gate which is 4 feet . I think it to small for a curve I think straight will look just fine . I would also like to see what other stone work is one site and the house color as well . But as far as matching the wall and paving stone I do have a brand in mind because I have done matching before . To everyone on here it will be no surprise that I am going to say I used Unilock stone to do it since I do use mostly Unilock products .

For matching pavers and wall stone I like using Brussels blocks and Brussels Dimensional stone . For the pavers I would use a few different sized Brussels blocks to give a random pattern look and have a solders course of a different size or color of the Brussels block . Brussels Dimensional stone is great for small garden walls and can be matched to the pavers easily . As for the color i will need more info before I would choose a color .

Good luck with your project .

[VoodooChile]

I think this walk could have some swoop, and still provide a straight line from drive to stoop.

[Stonehenge]

Crazy - I realize you'll be shooting over the playhouse, but I'd like to see what's what where those steps meet the house. Also, I'd like to see a shot of the yard, to see if we can find a better placement for that playhouse, but still keep it in view of mom and dad from the house.

[Paul]

I would go along with Voodoo's idea, but expand on it. Gates are places where people have to stop, turn, set things down, unlock or lock. I would widen it out to 4' and add in more curves using a smaller paver or even a circular pattern. a 3/4 circle at the steps with a circle at the drive might allow you to sweep a nice curve between them.

[agla]

I think that we are seeing that there is more to designing a walkway than just the walkway. Look at the questions being asked. A walkway is not just a chunk of pavement from A to B. It is not just a landscape element. It is a circulation element that needs to respond to what happens and what you want to make happen in a landscape.

I used to have a professor that would ask his standard question for anything we would put into a design. That was "so, what?". It did not mean we were wrong to put something in the design, but he wanted a sound reason as to why.

Here we have a 24' walk. We can simply replace it with a better material, or we could find out how the site is being used, who is using it, what is happening around it, what are some criteria of the users, and whatever else we can arm ourselves with in order to make this as effective as possible.

We can see play equipment, so we know there are children. I'm seeing the fence and a lot of play equipment that makes me wonder if it is a day care. If it is, there are a lot of safety and security issues we should at least stop and think about.

Is the fence staying? Are the steps being redesigned? Sometimes the shortest direct route from door to parking makes sense, but if the kids are really close to that gate that might not be visible from the window that they are being watched from, it might be better to place the gate where you can see who is coming and going and making that take a lot more time than open the gate, grab the kid, stuff 'em in the waiting car. This might not be an issue, but it is one example of design process.

Why make the walk curved? Why leave it straight? Why make it wider? Should the stairs be redesigned with a turn and a landing, so the child is less likely to go fast and fall all the way to the hard pavement at the bottom?

Or, maybe we just replace the walk only thinking about how the pavers look.

[VoodooChile]

Agla,
"Form follows function" is a great rule of thumb, but it is also only part of the story in landscaping. A percentage of my clients are looking for intangibles like "drama" and "whimsy" in their landscape, and are concerned with circulation only to the extent their new hardscape doesn't inconvenience them. Otherwise, it's all about looks.

Still, you're right. We need to know lots more before this new walk can be all it can be. Crazy, where are ya?