Building a Walkway
Everybody wants to upgrade their home. A home is someone’s living area and personal setting. How a home is set up can impact on how someone lives, sleeps and eats. Making sure that someone’s home is in the best possible state needs to always take precedence, however, such an upgrade can be expensive. Large-scale home renovations can be especially expensive, particularly when they necessitate the hiring of a contractor. Many home remodeling projects, like installing a stone walkway, can actually be carried out by the homeowner. Nevertheless, these tasks can typically appear overpowering and pressure the homeowner into hiring skilled labor.
Construction Parameters
Prior to homeowners start construction, they have to adequately assess what they want and how they want to obtain it. A stone walkway provides a nice bungalow design that is perfect for a homeowner trying to enhance their back or front yard. The design for this type of walkway, nevertheless, can differ greatly subject to the stone chosen for arrangement. Things such as these are important to consider when planning a mini-construction project.
Steps For Construction
The following are steps required to build a walkway.
Plan the Walkway
The initial step is to determine the boundaries and pathing for a specific walkway. Using markers such as flags or rocks is a perfect way to shape a path without it shuffling around. For pathways that are going to curve, stakes and string can be invaluable. This technique of path planning also enables the marker to stay in place as one constructs the path. The key to designing a triumphant path is to take into account width as well as length. A path should preferably fit two people walking next to each other. Whereas this sort of decision is at the discretion of the builder, it is something to think about.
Prepare the Path
This step is typically the most physically strenuous, so any home DIYer should make sure they are capable of carrying out this task. Help from relatives and neighbors is usually an untapped resource. Using a sod cutter or spade, carve out the borders according to the path boundaries set from the above step. All of the weeds and grass need to be removed before one begins to start digging. This is going to make digging a lot easier and make for more precise edging. The depth of the path needs to be about five inches in height for each 3 inches of stone. The most important thing to keep in mind when digging the path is to create a smooth and flat base surface. This can be obtained by tamping the walkway using a hand tamp or by carefully walking over it.
Construct Edging
This is an alternative step for installing a boundary along the sides of the path. Some of the various kinds of edging available comprise plastic brick paver, galvanized metal or wood timber. The reason why this step is optional is that the area around the path is going keep the stones from moving. Edging, in this instance, is an aesthetic choice rather than a pragmatic one.
Set Up Landscape Fabric
Landscape fabric typically comes in rolls or sheets so that they are more easily utilized. These pieces of fabric need to be placed around the bottom area that’s been dugout. This stops other grass or vegetation from growing in between the stones and unseating their arrangement.
Create a Layer of Sand
Two inches of sand needs to be blanketed over the fabric to leave the ideal amount of space for the stones to be even with the topsoil. This is the base just underneath the stones, so be sure to make it smooth and level like the layer underneath it. Sand typically can be bought in bags, making them quite heavy. Every DIYer should be sure they have some sort of technique to transport and distribute for each bag.
Lay Out the Stones
This includes arranging the stones in their intended position prior to laying them on the sand. Arranging the stones is a very undervalued portion of the construction process. It helps to establish which stones fit and whether some are going to have to be cut down for squeezing into the path. Anytime a DIYer or contractor is addressing stone pathing, planning out the inter-lock is extremely important. If somebody bypasses this step, they could be facing having to re-lay entire sections, if not all, of the stone placement.
Set the Stones
Setting the stones is among the most straightforward steps when constructing a pathway. The three things a DIYer has to remember when setting stone are constancy, spacing, and leveling. In regard to constancy, just be sure that all of the stone’s flat surface has contact with the sand. Use a mason’s level or a smart phone to be sure that the stones are level and not uneven. If done incorrectly, the walkway could become a tripping risk. Lastly, retain a two-inch space between each stone. This enables movement without the stones shifting out of place.
Fill In the Gaps
Whenever there is a project that necessitates sand or gravel, the DIYer or contractor should always buy a little bit extra. This additional amount could be used to fill in the gaps between the stones and repair parts that become crooked later. The sand needs to be level with the stones. Just be careful of moving stones that have previously been set.
Landscaping Materials Phoenix by A&A Materials, Inc.
A & A Materials, Inc., located in Scottsdale, Arizona, offers Landscaping Materials for your landscaping needs. Call us at 480-990-0557 for more information.