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Our concrete front walkway needs to be replaced, and I had moved it to our spring to-do list because I wanted to get at least a season of warm weather to enjoy a replacement walkway before it gets beaten up by ice and snow. We hadn't decided on concrete, brick, pavers, etc. but the preliminary estimates I've had so far have been in the $1000-2000 range to have someone else install one of those options. Needless to say I'd rather spend that money somewhere else.
But recently walking on the icy snowy walkway, as I reached the part that has been basically reduced to gravel I was wondering - can I just replace the whole walk with gravel? I know it might be a messy pain to shovel but from a sheer traction perspective it seems a bit safer. Plus it seems like a cheaper option that we may be able to install ourselves, once we remove the old concrete. Also it seems it would reduce rainwater runoff, which is a problem in our yard.
From a building code / safety / liability perspective is there anything I should know about having a gravel walkway? Anything I should know about how to install it ourselves? Any reason (safety or asesthetics/home value) why we should go with concrete/pavers/brick instead?
Gravel migrates. You'll find bits of it as much as a few feet away from animals digging, normal snow shoveling, alien encounters. Gravel can also grow a nice crop of weeds. One irritant for me with our crusher run gravel drive is that my New Balance shoes inevitably pick up a gravel stone. If we had laminated floors, they would be a mess by now.
My wife wants to keep the path down the side of the house kept as gravel because she can hear if anyone is walking on it giving a security aspect to it.
If this is the main walk to the front door of your house, I think it will hurt the home value unless you are in a rural area. People expect a hard surface.
If you are worried about run-off, there are porous options. I don't have any experience with them.
My wife wants to keep the path down the side of the house kept as gravel because she can hear if anyone is walking on it giving a security aspect to it.
There is nothing wrong with gravel, I have it in part of my yard, but I also have outdoor security lights which work better than gravel and less expensive.
as I reached the part that has been basically reduced to gravel I was wondering - can I just replace the whole walk with gravel?
it seems like a cheaper option that we may be able to install ourselves, once we remove the old concrete.
Anything I should know about how to install it ourselves?
The concrete and any sod may not be as easy to remove and dispose of as you think.
You will most likely need some edging to hold the gravel. Most of what I see are the steel ribbons staked to the ground with steel stakes. They seem to eventually creep out and some appear dangerous with the steel edges. Bricks and pavers work well, but add to cost and labor.
Once you dig down, tamp the soil well (which can be a task), cover with landscape fabric (not solid plastic). Use a hand tamper for short paths. Rent a vibrating-plate tamper for long paths.
There are various gravels available from crushed stone to pea rock etc... Ask around locally to see what is available etc.
Anything less than 4 inches thick will most likely be a waste. Depending on other issues...
How about stepping stones placed in a gravel walkway? You would still have the rain absorbtion (sp?), but you could shovel each stone off, or walk on the gravel part in snowy weather. And you wouldn't be bringing stones inside on the bottom of your running shoes. But the stuff is still going to get strewn all over the yard as discussed above.
I bet if you figure the price of the demolition, leveling, and the price of the gravel, (which you will need a lot of)this project may turn out to be considerably more expensive than you originally thought.
Stepping stones can be more convenient than gravel... I live in a desert cimate and one side of our house was sand, so 15 years ago we dumped gravel on it. Five years later I started playing with cheap red concrete hexagon stones. The gravel was not an issue of being carried in... Walking through it caused a lot of shifting over time. This picture was taken in 2006 and we have cleaned it up a bit. I just can't find pictures of the current work I've "almost" completed. Those hex stepping stones are not too difficult to handle, I learned to space them about a thumb width apart. If you don't do that they can heave a bit.
Last edited by Poncho_NM; 01-06-2014 at 09:42 AM..
Yes, it is fine, it is a curious species, it is a member of the Cuckoo family. It's a Road Runner...
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