front walkway design

9 years ago

Hello all, after haunting the kitchen forums, I'm now moving outside! My house is 14 years old, and I joyfully landscaped the front yard by buying what I liked at the garden center & stuffing it in somewhere. I need to start over, and will hire a landscape architect to help with the big picture.

The first order of business is the hardscaping. Currently the walk to the front door is very close to the house, and straight from the driveway.

Most of the pros I've talked to suggested arching it from the front stoop to lower on the driveway, which would be replaced with concrete. This would require a few more steps due to the grade of the front yard. Some have suggested a small retaining wall, others say it's not necessary. I'd love to get some thoughts from you wonderful people about how you'd re-route this walkway. And if you like, how you'd incorporate the garden beds around the re-routed walkway.

Thanks!

Comments (8)

Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
9 years ago
Are you on a slope? You might need a little terracing. Gentle curves are always better than straight.
PRO
Yardvaark
9 years ago
Given that the grade nosedives right out of the garage, I'd say it's a safe bet that some form of retaining wall will be necessary if the walk is reconfigured ... if you want it to be NICE! (It's present placement was a builder cost-cutting initiative.) It will be an improvement to pull the walk away from the house and re-do the plantings. A person would need grade measurements and to spend some time with it in order to come up with a scheme, so hiring an LA is a good move.
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Stephanie S
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks guys! Yes, we are on a slope, and the walk is definitely builder-grade placement. We are thinking about curving the new walkway and putting a small retaining wall on the inside curve.
designoline6
9 years ago
Soft some rigid line.
designoline6
9 years ago
Add a porch,if have budget.
PRO
Yardvaark
9 years ago
"We are thinking about curving ..." If you are hiring a landscape architect, hopefully, you will hire one you have confidence in. Then, it would be better to let them propose to you what should be done. They will have faced these issues before and will propose ideas that will work. If locking on to an idea that it should be this way or that, you may overlook a consideration and place a constraint that makes the work harder or the outcome inferior. Good curves require space; do you have it?
Stephanie S
Original Author
9 years ago
Yardvaark, the three I've interviewed all had similar basic suggestions...reroute the walkway in basically a curve from stoop to driveway with a few steps. Each had some unique ideas as well, but I struggle to visualize them. Retaining wall or no. Long slabs stepping up gradually or a cluster of a few steps. Flared path where it hits driveway or not. Pavers inlaid in concrete or not. We don't have a ton of space actually... I appreciate your & everyone else's advice. I'm a researcher by nature, so love all the input.

Also designonline6... Wish a porch was in the budget. Thanks for the ideas!
emmarene9
9 years ago
sstrazisar I think what you did with your plants looks good. It will probably change with the new walk but I just wanted to compliment you.