Backyard walkways serve both aesthetic and functional purposes in the landscape. It’s becoming more common to have a walkway that takes guests and household members from the front yard to the back. Many homeowners are also interested in side yard walkways, particularly in areas where they have to handle garbage and recycling bins.

Backyard walkways are also useful in connecting one outdoor living area to another or creating attractive pathways between gardened or landscaped areas.

If you’re considering ideas like these, you might be looking for types of backyard walkways. A key consideration is what type of material to use.

There are some important considerations to remember when choosing backyard walkway materials. In this article, we’ll dive into some of your choices and when they might be the appropriate option. There are numerous factors to weigh.

Table of Contents

• Backyard Walkway Materials
• Natural Stone Walkways
• Paver Walkways
• Concrete Walkways
• Aggregate and River Rock Walkways
• Choosing Landscape Design in Northern VA

Adding hardscape elements to your property is an exciting enhancement opportunity. We love that you want to be an educated consumer when making decisions.

That’s a smart choice.

After all, the last thing that you want is to end up with something that you don’t like or that doesn’t meet your needs. That’s why we want to guide you through some of the options and considerations so that you can choose the perfect walkway for you.

Choosing Backyard Walkway Materials

When choosing the best material for your walkway, you’ll want to consider factors like aesthetic preferences, cost, and what’s appropriate for that space. That last factor can be complex as it’s not only a matter of what might “look” best in a certain space but what’s possible. There are even drainage issues to consider.

When adding a walkway, you must consider whether steps or solutions for a slope might be needed.

As more people aim to stay in their own houses for longer, we find increasing interest in solutions that make their properties more functional and safer to navigate.

Backyard walkways can play an important role in this.

Let’s talk about some of your primary options. We will cover: What are the different types of landscape walkways

While there is a lot of personal preference involved in this decision process, we want to help you understand what’s available.

Natural Stone Walkways

Natural stone is always a popular choice for walkways, and we love working with it for its timeless beauty and durability. Flagstone walkways, for instance, look great in the front or backyard. Masonry that involves a concrete base with flagstone pavers will have a formal and timeless look.

If you’re doing a walkway that connects all the way to the backyard, then you’ll obviously use the same material throughout the design. Many homeowners prefer natural stone in their front walkways since it is highly visible and boosts curb appeal. But this is going to be your most expensive option.

Of course, if you add a walkway in a space that does not need to be leveled, it may not need to be completely dug out, which could keep costs down. In some cases, you can dry-lay walkway slabs.

Paver Walkways

Pavers are a man-made material and can be anything from small and brick-like to larger slabs.

This is another popular option and comes in many color and design choices. Some of today’s pavers are even made to look like natural stone. We do a lot of work with paver walkways; they can look great in front and backyards.

Due to the variety of options available, many great walkway ideas can be executed with pavers. Different patterns and borders can make your paver walkway unique.

Concrete Walkways

You could also design a sidewalk using poured concrete. This is not the most aesthetically pleasing option, as it is somewhat utilitarian, but it serves the functional purpose you might be seeking.

Remember that when we do full-blown masonry, we first lay a concrete foundation and then lay a paver (natural stone or manmade) overtop. That’s why it ends up being a more expensive option.

You can stick with the concrete base; it’s less expensive. It is a highly functional option for some homeowners who need a solid walkway because of mobility issues.

One idea for dressing up a plain concrete walkway (such as a broom-finish concrete walkway) is to add a border with pavers. This keeps it less expensive if you do not have the budget for a full-blown paver walkway. But it does look more attractive than concrete alone. If you have pavers used in your patio or elsewhere around the backyard, this also helps to tie other areas together.

Aggregate and River Rock Walkways

Loose stones like gravel and river rock are another option for a backyard walkway. This is more of an informal look but can serve the purpose if you’re just trying to connect some areas and give people a way to walk without stepping on the grass (which be wet or muddy).

We have also created designs that include aggregates with steppers for people to walk on. It does depend on what you’re looking for and what’s needed for the space. For instance, we have used river rock with stone steppers in areas with drainage problems (like a low point in the yard). This might be incorporated along with a drainage solution like a French drain.

When people want to know what is the cheapest material for a walkway? We often suggest this option.

But it’s not always suitable or desired for every property. You have to remember that you’ll need some sort of edge restraint so that loose rock does not always end up in the yard. You also want to make sure that filter fabric is laid down between the rock and the soil or else the rock will just erode down into the soil.

While this is the least expensive option initially, it is also the most maintenance-intensive option.

Choosing Landscape Design in Northern VA

When it comes to choosing who will install your walkway, there is no shortage of options in Northern Virginia. Many companies offer landscape design work, including hardscaping.

But you want to carefully choose the right company for the job. Otherwise, you could wind up with something ordinary or that doesn’t fit with the overall design of your landscape.

While a walkway might seem like a relatively simple project, it’s often much more complex than people realize. And hardscaping is not exactly a small investment. You want to ensure that you’re working with a company that has an eye for design and the know-how and skill to execute the project.

It’s also important to note that while there are many different materials for walkways, not every company is familiar with working with all of them. Most companies tend to specialize in a couple of them but it’s rare to find a company that can offer all of them.

Working With Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape on Your Backyard Walkway

Most of the time, a backyard walkway is a component of a larger outdoor project that might include updated landscaping or even the addition of an outdoor living area. Here at Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape, we’re ready to help with that.

Clients of Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape have found that our eye for design, our abundance of walkway ideas and unique solutions, and our ability to work with any of these materials discussed have made us a great choice for their walkway design.

By choosing the right landscaping company for your walkway, you can have all the options and feel confident that your walkway will be built correctly, making it a beautiful and functional addition to your property.

If you need guidance on adding a walkway, request a consultation, get your customized plan, and relax as we give you the royal treatment.