How Creative Walkways Can Boost Your Curb Appeal

Home Improvement, Selling

Credit: 450 architects / Judit Langh Photography

Snap, Crackle, Pop

Pea gravel walkways provide a satisfying crunch underfoot and are especially at home in country and cottage settings. A solid edging keeps stones from escaping, and landscape cloth underneath keeps weeds under wraps.

Credit: Natural Path Landscaping

A Natural Beauty

A flagstone walkway made from quarried stone is unmatched for natural beauty. This is Goshen stone ($100 per ton, or about $5 per sq. ft.) that’s indigenous to the Northeast. Local stone usually is attractively priced because it isn’t inflated with shipping costs. These stones have been set about 3 inches apart to let herbs grow between them. Creeping thyme, oregano, and chamomile are good ground cover options that are tough underfoot and release a nice scent when walked on.

Credit: Walkway Design by Shobha Vanchiswar

Cutting Edge

The path leading to the front of your house may be direct, but that doesn’t mean you have to play it completely straight. This simple brick walkway gets a good dollop of curb appeal with edging that’s both playful and traditional. You’ll want to fit landscaping cloth into the notches underneath the bricks to suppress weeds and keep the edges well-defined.

Credit: Outdoor Dreams, Richmond, Va.

Mixed Media

Combining different elements is great way to give walkways (and the front of your house) personality. This geometric design brings together bluestone, pea gravel, and an edging of color-matched landscape rock. Plastic and metal edging keeps materials from wandering and makes sure the design stays in place.

Credit: Affair with a House by Bunny Williams

Boxwoods and Brick

This timeless combo has been defining walkways for centuries, and looks especially good in traditional settings — but both elements need upkeep. Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) is a tough, glossy-green evergreen shrub that looks good even in winter, but you need to trim it often to keep it under control. With time, brick walkways may settle and buckle; pry out individual bricks and reset them by digging out or adding new sand.

Wondering how to ramp up the curb appeal of your home to get it ready to sell? Call The McKenna Group’s team of full-time professional Realtors, for an assessment of the value of your home and how you can increase that value before you put it on the market.  Call us at 410-381-3336.