Transformation Tuesday: The Road Less Travled

This courtyard had plenty of grass but didn’t have a defined walkway from the front gate to the porch causing issues when it rained often resulting in the client tracking in mud. Our client also thought that a defined walkway would improve the overall appearance of their courtyard.

The first step of this transformation was to remove the grass from the area where we were going to place the pathway as well as the area to the right. In our day-to-day lives, we usually take the straight path from point A to point B and even though that is usually most efficient, we all know that sometimes veering slightly off that path (aka the scenic route) is usually worth the extra time.

Even though it is a lot more work to cut the angles and it uses more materials, it is worth the extra work!

The team got to work cutting and hand-chiseling the flagstone. Prepping is the same as for flagstone patio: tamping, leveling, and bringing in the sand. We needed to gently place the flagstone on the sand and level the whole walkway. A weed barrier is needed to help reduce the number of weeds that would grow in the gravel itself. The client wanted the patio to be flanked on both sides with several inches of river rock to add to the pathway along with some of the river rock around the block that surrounds the tree (see on the right).

The last step in this transformation was to spread the gravel and rake it out! Our client was thrilled with how their courtyard looked and we were impressed with it as well!