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LUMBERTON, NEW JERSEY - CURB APPEAL - NEW FRONT WALKWAY, GARDEN WALL AND ENTRYWAY LANDINGS

BEFORE                                     and                AFTER

MORE PICTURES BELOW

This beautiful property situated on 3 acres had a visually unappealing walkway leading from the driveway to the front porch.  The walkway was some 65 feet long by 3 feet wide and ran parallel to the house, creating a bowling alley effect when approaching the front door.  The front porch was a typical rectangular porch faced in brick to match the brick on the home with steps that were separating from the porch and sinking into the ground.  The steps posed a safety hazard as they were at varying heights and just didn't look very good.

The homeowners, Chuck and Lynn, both new that they wanted a change, and wanted to encourage visitors to the home to use the front walkway to access their home.  We were contacted and after preliminary discussions, developed a plan and presented our ideas.  Chuck and Lynn made some modifications and a consulting designer was brought in to render his opinion.  Between our initial plan, modifications by the homeowners and input from our consulting designer a final plan was agreed upon and we began the project.

We ultimately decided on increasing the width of the walkway and incorporating a gentle curve from the driveway to the first of three new landings.  At the driveway, we added another entry point, essentially forming a "Y" between the driveway and garage.  The existing landscaping was retained and the planting bed enlarged to provide a grander appearance.  A garden wall, complete with cap, was built as a means of retaining the soil and mulch from encroaching upon the new walkway.  A circle pattern of about 10' in diameter was used as the junction point of the "Y" at the driveway side of the walkway.  Three new, uniquely shaped landings (including another 10' circle patterned landing) were designed to replace the existing two steps on the front porch.  The front porch was overlaid with pavers and the sides were veneered with wall material. 

The photos below will show various stages of completion, with the goal of providing prospective clients with an idea of the process and commitment to quality that we dedicate our time to during the construction process . . .

A HARDSCAPING PROJECT (click on the picture for a better (larger) view)

BEFORE - the long walkway and uninteresting front porch

DEMOLITION BEGINS - we remove the existing walkway and get to the root cause of the failing front porch (the contractor that built the home did not provide a footing for the steps - they were just sitting on top of the soil)

EXCAVATION AND PREPARATION OF THE BASE MATERIAL FOR THE NEW WALKWAY - we over-engineer every hardscaping project that we construct.  ICPI construction techniques recommend 4" to 6" of base material for walkways and patios.  We always go the extra mile and provide more than what is recommended so that our work is destined to last longer and provide greater satisfaction to our clients.  The soil is excavated (some 25 tons in this case) and a special geotextile fabric is installed between the excavated soil and the base material (crushed concrete) that we use.  The base is installed in 2" increments and then compacted.  This assures proper compaction throughout the jobsite.

CONSTRUCTION ON THE FOUR LANDINGS BEGINS - the footprint of the existing porch is retained, however, instead of two steep steps, we are building three uniquely shaped shallow-stepped landings.  This provides easier access for the elderly and adds a real punch to the entryway.   This alone adds tremendous curb appeal.

Wall material is used as the skeleton of the landings.  Exact and precise measurements are taken, checked and re-checked and the skeleton is built.  We use the same crushed concrete base material and compact.  When finished, bullnose material is used to edge the landings (each one cut to form the various shapes we created), and pavers are installed.  In this case, you can see that we used a circle pattern on the third landing, which measures 10 feet in diameter.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE WALL - the garden wall runs nearly 70 feet and is parallel to the house.  It will be used as a means of delineating the garden bed, retaining mulch and soil from spilling onto the new walkway and as a "hard surface" for us to run our walkway pavers up against.  Lights will be added, providing some additional interest and safety for those night time visitors.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE WALKWAY - once the landings and wall are complete, we begin on the walkway.  First we make sure that there is sufficient slope away from the house along the entire walkway.  This assures easy drainage (no puddles).  Then we apply concrete sand at a depth of 1" (first photo shows the sand being screeded using pvc pipe and a screed board).  Pavers are then installed over the sand, in this case in an area slightly larger than the finished walkway, which allows for cuts and a soldier course border.  After all of the pavers have been installed, we then have the dubious pleasure of marking and cutting the curved shape of the walkway and the soldier course.  This process took 4 man days and involved hundreds of cuts.  After all of the cuts are made and the pieces installed, a hard retaining edge is installed, the pavers are compacted (forcing the sand from below up into the joints between each paver, creating a "lock") and a special polymeric sand is swept into the joints.  This sand will prevent weeds and insects from creating a nuisance on the new walkway.