Curb appeal is all about sprucing up the outside of your home so that the house and property seem like the perfect package deal. Adding something as simple as paved walkways, for example, is an inexpensive way to improve curb appeal and property value. Whether you are selling, or simply looking to add a little pizzazz to your pad, we can help.
At High Prairie Outdoors, we are a leading Kansas landscaping company with years of experience in all things landscaping. From building outdoor kitchens to ensuring your plants are watered on time, we strive to provide high-quality service at every job. One of the questions we often receive as landscapers concern outdoor builds, and specifically walkways. Here, we have compiled a list of 5 ways you can use paved walkways to amp up your outdoor style.
1. Make it a Garden Combo
There is nothing more alluring than paved walkways framed by flowers and shrubbery. To make an impact, we often suggest outlining the walk with some sort of garden space. Currently, there is a growing trend in Kansas for black mulch garden path exteriors. This is an easy look to produce.
Once your path is laid, you simply dig out an even strip on either side of the path. Fill this with planting earth, fertilize, and add whatever greenery strikes your fancy. Depending on the time of year this could be aromatic lavender or hearty hedges. After planting, pour black mulch just throughout, careful not to pour over your plants, but around them. The results will be impactful, eye-catching, and well worth the effort.
2. Consider a Colored Path
Paving stones come in a variety of colors and textures, but you can also stain the stones to match your style and taste. One of the features we have been seeing at client homes across Kansas this summer is brick-red paving stones. The look is stunning, and totally on-trend with modern American gardens across the nation.
You can stain the stones before or after laying them, making this an easy process. This is a perfect way to improve a path that has begun to look dated or boring. If you are looking for a way to increase value and add appeal to your outdoor space, brick-red paving stones will do the trick.
3. Sometimes Pieces Look Better Than the Whole
Geometric shapes are another landscaping theme we are seeing a lot of this year. You can incorporate triangles, diamonds, and other shapely shards into your concrete path, by opting for a broken stone look. The key to this style of walkway is to ensure it looks purposeful, not sloppy. The shards must be carefully arranged to create a path that is still symmetrical, attractive, and practical.
With this paving method, be sure to properly line the ground beneath the shards of stone before laying them. Over time grass and weeds will sprout up, pushing the stones around. You may also find that they sink easier during the rainy season because there is less to keep afloat. Bedding sand or stone aggregate beneath the path will ensure this does not happen.
4. Light the Way
A paved walkway leads your guests to your front door, or out into the garden, but what guides them at night? Adding some illumination to your walkway improves the look and ambiance of your property. You can purchase outdoor lights from any home hardware or seasonal gardening shop. We recommend choosing lighting which matches your home exterior.
Some other things to consider when selecting path lights are whether to go with electric, low voltage or solar-powered. We usually recommend low voltage lighting when possible, as it lasts longer.
5. Make it Interesting
Finally, a great way to improve curb appeal and aesthetics with your paved walkway is to give your path a little shape. A straight line from curb to door is nothing to write home about. A winding pathway, like something out of a Thomas Kinkade painting, is just the thing to turn your suburban paradise into a cozy cottage scene.
As you plot your path shape, be sure to measure as you go, so that while the path isn’t the same direction all the way down, it is the same width.
Call High Prairie Outdoors
Interested in putting in your own paved walkway and not sure where to begin? High Prairie Outdoors can help. Call us today at 1-816-398-2901 to hear more about our landscaping services.
