A walkway or a pathway are types of trails you can establish in your yard. Generally, a formal, purposeful element meant to carry regular foot traffic from one place to another is a walkway. The sidewalk from a back door that leads to the driveway is an example. With concrete, pavers, or large flagstone typically construct walkways. Walkways are wider and sturdier than pathways. A more creative element that carries a lesser volume of foot traffic from one feature of your yard to another is a pathway. Pathway examples are those from your back door to your pool or from your patio to your rear garden. With more artistic materials, like natural stone, pathways are narrower than walkways and tend to be more designed. Today, we at Mickey’s Lawnscapes would like to further discuss walkways versus pathways.
Outside Walkway or Pathway Designs
When determining the type of material and location of your pathway or walkway, there are a few important considerations to look at.
Costs. When determining the type of material and area that can be developed with a hardscape, your budget is a major factor. Between the type of media, such as stamped/stained concrete, concrete, or pavers and how well they are finished, stained or sealed after installation, the costs of materials greatly vary. While middle-market designs are made of pre-cut pavers that fit together in a pattern, higher end materials are usually comprised of custom cut stones or masonry work.
Sunlight. How much sunlight the hardscape receives is determined by the location of your walkway. Because sunlight prevents the growth of mold, mildew, and algae that grow in damp and/or shaded areas, this is important. Especially after rain, it results in a dark green or black staining and makes the surface extremely slippery to walk on when they grow on media. Shaded pathways should be constructed with natural mixed aggregates, and shaded walkways should be constructed with pavers.
How Do You Layout a Walkway or Pathway?
Choosing the color scheme and/or pattern for the feature, this is usually the most fun part of the design process. As it usually pair well with existing colors in the exterior of the home, such as brick or stone, most materials come in shades of earth tones. A color from the home that complements the material to be used is often recommended. Offering a few options for color schemes for a stone or paver walkway is a stone chimney, for example. The style, location, and architecture of the house should also guide the design.
Does a Walkway or Pathway Add Value to Your Home?
When installed properly, pathways and walkways both improve home value. While also giving it visual appeal, defining spaces, and making the yard or approach to the house inviting, they provide a finished look to the yard. These types of improvements increase the salability of the home and curb appeal to prospective buyers. Typically, the investment you make in the yard usually pays considerable dividends. For base and installation techniques, properly constructed walkways require skilled excavation.
Landscape Design & Construction, Lawn Maintenance & More in Amagansett, Aquebogue, Baiting Hollow, Calverton, Cutchogue, East Hampton, East Hampton North, Greenport, Jamesport, Laurel, Mattituck, Montauk, Nassau Point, Northville, Northwest Harbor, Riverhead, Shelter Island, Southold, Springs, Wading River, Westhampton Beach in East End of Long Island, New York
If you are interested in installing pathways or walks on your Montauk & East Hampton property, call in the experts of Mickey’s Lawnscapes and let us assist you!
