Are the paths getting muddy after the rain, looking unsightly and uncomfortable to walk on? It's time to start improving them. You can do it yourself, even without much construction experience.
Once the house is built and the garden is planted, it is time to fix the unnoticeable but very important details. One of them is a poorly made (or missing) trail: they not only spoil the overall appearance of the site but also make walking along it unsafe. It is easy to fall on a path slippery from the rain, hurt yourself on stones sticking out of the ground, and trip on the sprouting roots of large trees. You can even design beautiful and practical garden paths with your own hands, and it will take very little time. We tell you what options there are for DIY house paths, how they differ, and how to make a garden path.
General principles of DIY house paths
Garden paths can be very, very different, but they all must be, first of all, convenient and safe. And for this, you will have to take into account the specifics of the site and other aspects.
Soil and site characteristics
The first thing to evaluate is the soil type.
It can be mobile (heaving) and immobile. In the latter case, you can take any material: such soil (loose, saturated with sand) is suitable for creating paths from any material. If the site has loam, clay, or sandy loam, then you need to take into account their ability to "walk". Such soil contains a lot of water, so with the onset of frost, it increases in volume due to the transformation of moisture into ice. When the heat returns in the spring, the surface of the site will thaw and settle again, but only paths made of loose material (gravel, crushed stone, granite chips) or concrete with reinforcing strapping will survive such expansions and compressions, but you will have to refuse tiles or paving stones (or fill the soil with sand so that it stops retaining water).
The relief is also of fundamental importance. If there are significant differences in height, the paths should be winding or zigzagging - this will make it easier to walk along them. If the slope is too steep, it is better to make a staircase, while providing wide steps or a ramp so that you can easily move garden equipment there.
Another nuance is vegetation. The roots of large trees can become an obstacle when arranging a path. On the one hand, they can be so strong that they cannot be removed without special equipment, on the other hand, if you lay the flooring on them, over time they can lift it or grow through it.
Technical nuances
Any trail must comply with engineering standards, otherwise it will be inconvenient or will quickly become unusable.
The width of the passage depends on its purpose. If it is a path to the house or to the main objects on the site (sauna, garage, garden, etc.), it should be no narrower than 100-120 cm, otherwise, two people will not be able to walk along it at the same time. Secondary paths (utility paths) that lead to a barn, toilet, or vegetable garden are made 70 cm wide, this is a comfortable distance for one person with a garden wheelbarrow and quite sufficient for two people to easily pass each other on the path. Sometimes thin paths are needed to utility rooms, drainage well, or between flower beds: they are made extremely narrow, but not less than 40 cm. The size of decorative alleys depends on the area and design of the site: their width can be any, in the range from 50 cm to 1.5 meters.
Even a small angle of inclination complicates the laying of a crushed stone or pebble road: the fractions will constantly roll down. The best solution in this case would be concrete or wooden flooring. You can also lay bricks, tiles, and other "piece" material, but it is recommended to lay geotextiles under them and provide a fixed stop at the bottom.
A perfectly flat area is also not the best option, since after rain the water will not drain away from the paths. To prevent them from getting wet, they are made with a slight slope to one or both sides. Literally, 1-2 cm difference in height is enough to prevent the passages from being flooded. There is usually no such problem with bulk paths (water passes through the material directly into the ground), but they can be washed away by heavy rainfall, so a geogrid should be placed under the gravel, pebbles, stone chips, and crushed stone, which will prevent them from rolling away.
What to make a path from
The list of materials that are suitable for creating garden paths is quite large.
Paving slabs
This is an elegant and durable way to create garden paths.
Created specifically for paving pedestrian areas, paving slabs are the best choice for arranging paths. They are not afraid of cold, heat, or precipitation, they hold firmly in place where they are laid (if the laying technology is followed) and they are easy to wash. The only downsides are the relatively high price and the need to invite builders since it is very difficult to lay them yourself without experience.
Advice: If tiles seem too refined and "urban", replace them with pavers, which have the same strength and durability characteristics, but look more natural and authentic.
Stone
The stone covering will last for decades, it is environmentally friendly, does not fade, and is not afraid of loads.
Both natural and artificial stones look solid and expensive (however, it is also not cheap), so it is used for main and decorative paths. You can lay it yourself, but it will take a lot of time and effort, so it is better to entrust the creation of such a path to specialists.
It is unlikely that you will be able to make garden paths with your own hands from large boulders found on the site or in the field, since to obtain a smooth and even surface, each boulder must have at least one flat edge, which is extremely rare in nature. However, if you have a lot of small stones, you can lay out borders with them.
Concrete
Despite its simplicity and unpretentiousness, it is a good choice for a path.
Concrete is very strong, and durable, it is not afraid of sudden changes in weather, frost, and rain, and its maintenance is limited to rare rinsing with a hose. If such a coating seems too boring, it can be easily diversified: add color pigments, or small stones to the solution or lay out a pattern of pebbles after pouring, but before complete hardening, and the path will turn into a designer masterpiece. You can also cover the material with decorative and protective impregnations to add shine and shade.
Brick
A red brick path looks very attractive and usually fits well into the overall design.
This material is environmentally friendly, non-toxic, and durable if it is treated with compounds that protect against moisture. Laying blocks is easy, you do not need special knowledge and experience. And if you have bricks left over after dismantling an old building, then such a pedestrian alley will cost practically nothing, which means it is also one of the most economical options.
Wood
The wooden decking looks very nice.
Such an environmentally friendly and natural material is more than appropriate in the garden. But it has serious disadvantages: short life, difficulty in maintenance (wood is afraid of water, insect pests, and drying out, so it must be constantly treated with special means ) and some impracticality - when wet, wooden paths become slippery.
Gravel and similar
Gravel, crushed stone, shell rock, pebbles, and other bulk materials are often used in landscaping.
The richness of shades, shapes, and sizes allows you to make a path that will perfectly suit the landscape design. However, caring for it may not be the easiest: small fractions fly away from the wind, large ones slide down slopes and after heavy rain, in addition, weeds quickly grow through them. However, these problems can be solved at the stage of arranging the alley: geogrid and curbs will protect the embankment from erosion, the mesh will protect against moles, and film or agrofibre will not allow plants to appear.
Such paths made from improvised materials with your own hands are very popular among summer residents, as they are the easiest to make yourself. In addition, the material for them is one of the cheapest.
Advice: you can decorate a path made of loose material with wooden inserts or by laying flat pieces of flagstone on them in artistic disorder.
Tennis court material
It is a material consisting of brick chips, clay, and lime.
It was originally used on tennis courts and sports fields, so it is durable and long-lasting. It is extremely easy to use: it needs to be periodically rinsed with water from a hose and topped up about once a year. And besides its original appearance, it has a lot of advantages: it is durable, but not traumatic (it softens the impact when falling due to its shock-absorbing properties), easily passes moisture (dries in just an hour after rain), and is not susceptible to fungus. In addition, it is environmentally friendly and safe.
