path to front door?

milliebear00001

I am guessing there is no cheap or easy fix to this but wanted to ask anyway!

My new house has a horrible path to the front door. It appears to be earth which the previous owners just chucked a load of stones on top of. The stones are driving me mad, and get everywhere.

I would like some sort of path laying, but am definitely not competent to lay a proper, dug-out, paved one myself and the professionals seem to charge an arm and a leg.

An additional problem is that we only have front door access to the street and we wouldn't be able to avoid walking on the paved bit if we needed to get out of the house!

Any suggestions for quick/cheap/easy solutions are very welcome!

Thanks.

milliebear00001

.....................................................bump

asbokid

People are stumped because you haven't described the length of path, the style of the house, nor your budget!

Personally, I like crazy paving.. easy to lay and inexpensive, and over time, it develops a natural rustic look, as grass grows in between.

milliebear00001

It's about two metres long x 90cm wide. Straight from the gate to front door and the house is a traditional stone-built Victorian terrace. I want to spend as little as possible.

diable

You have a horrible path and only front door access to the street? Do you have any photos to help us along?

milliebear00001

diable wrote: »

You have a horrible path and only front door access to the street? Do you have any photos to help us along?

I think we crossed posts, but please see the description above. I dug down a bit today and underneath the horrid stone chippings it seems to be bare earth! I am surprised as I presume there must have been a proper path there at some point. My neighbours though, all seem to have concreted paths.

Yes, no rear access at all - there is a right of way across the rear gardens, but we all closed off our gardens and now all use the front entrance only.

asbokid

milliebear00001 wrote: »

I think we crossed posts, but please see the description above.

It sounds quaint.

I dug down a bit today and underneath the horrid stone chippings it seems to be bare earth! I am surprised as I presume there must have been a proper path there at some point.

That's good. No removal cost for existing path.

My neighbours though, all seem to have concreted paths.

Do you want to copy them? Concrete paths last for ever but are never very pretty.

Yes, no rear access at all - there is a right of way across the rear gardens, but we all closed off our gardens and now all use the front entrance only.

The shared rear access to Victorian terraces was usually blocked up on the advent of the flushed lavatory, and when access for the night soil men was no longer needed!

Could you source some local stone that matches the terrace and lay it as crazy paving? Are there any tumbled down walls that can be robbed of paving material?

milliebear00001

I don't mind paying for decnt materials - especially as the paving couldn't cost loads due tot he small size of the path. I am thinking of some sort of york stone, which should match the colours of the stone house pretty well. It's the laying that's costing an arm and a leg! I don't think I am capable of digging out, and properly laying, a decent path.

asbokid

Only you know the answer to that..

There might be some help in here...

http://www.pavingexpert.com/home.htm

tizerbelle

If you are wanting to do it yourself but don't feel up to doing a whole path - you could consider doing a "stepping stone path" (google for lots of images).

That way you would only have to buy a few quality pavers, most would be positioned on the path on their own so no need to have to worry about getting more than one level with it's neighbours - although would do a few together by the front door and then you just bed them into the ground using mortar and then re-use the existing stones to fill in between the pavers.

ormus

old used bricks used end on, (edge uppermost), make a nice pretty rustic path.

and free if youre lucky.