How hard is it to build a walkway or patio?

Question

Simple or not?

Answer 1

I see you have 7 answers before mine, and some may be valid? With no offense meant to you or any, "HARD" is relative. Especially since you offer NO DETAILS.

You don't state the material you'd like to use, the size, the skill levels you might have, the time span you have, or the budget.

Without those details (As Yahoo suggests, to get a decent answer) I hardly think anyone can give you a satisfactory answer without a long diatribe.

I'd be more than happy to advise multiples, or ways to narrowly define the process if you re-post or email.

Steven Wolf

Answer 2

There are so many different kinds. Concrete, pavers, etc.. The labor is the biggest part. Decide on which kind of walkway or patio and seek advice from your local home improvement store. I would have to rate this a 9 on a 1-10 scale of difficulty to turn out well.

Answer 3

if building on the flat, over an existing lawn for example, pretty straight forward.
if (like me) you have a slope to deal with then a bit harder.
as in a previous answer, not a great amount of details in the question so hard to give any specific answer.
for a flat lawn all you really need to do is to dig out the area you need, for ease, you CAN get away with taking say the top 2", the ground will be compacted then all you need is sand to bed the pavers.
if on a slope, then you will need a retaining wall at one end and plenty hardcore to fill with, this needs to be WELL compacted before the sand is added.
as with any job, the more care and time taken over preparation the longer the end result will last....skimp on the fill or the compacting for example and you will most likely be lifting the pavers every year to reset.

Answer 4

Not simple. There is a lot of prep work to do. Remove top soil and clay soil. Make sure there is drainage. Then add crushed gravel. Then coarse sand. Then pavers. Then washed sand. Then a vibrating compactor. You also have to have some sort of border to keep everything from moving.
I had my patio, made of concrete pavers, installed by professionals. It was done 18 years ago and only recently is there some sign of settling of the pavers.

Answer 5

Make sure the ground that you are going to put the walk way down on is compacted and as level as possible, then use a good stable base like crush and run and then sand. Level and compact then place the pavers ...not too bad but it can be exhausting if you have a long walkway to do....

Answer 6

Simple, I purchased the outdoor project book at Home depot. It gave me straightforward directions from preparation of the walkway, a variety of patterns, how to cut the pavers, how to maintain the finished product. Also put up a picket fence as I had so much confidence! You will enjoy the inner feeling of creating a functionable work of art! Take your time, read and understand and trust yourself. send a picture!

Answer 7

First you need to know the difference between a walkway and a patio. Second, if you need to ask it's going to be difficult.

Answer 8

Its not hard at all. I would use some pavers to set the foundation with or some nice pavers. Go on the internet and find some nice homes with nice backyards and take some of there ideas. The only thing that will be hard is the work.

Answer 9

easy enough if your prepared and dont mind hard graft. paving bricks herringbone style you'll need a half moon spade/spade soft brush/ building sand/ brick cutter the brick cutter can be hired. a brickies pins and line, trowel and spirit level. for flags you'll need the same as above and quarry dust and use of a stihl saw which can also be hired. its easy enough to do. just remember to use sand only as a filler for the joints on terracotta flags and bricks. sand cement dry mix or quarry dust on flags only when its dry with no chance of rain. just brush either in.

Answer 10

It is very simple and you have several choices.
Poured cement, bricks, cobblestones, and large rocks imbedded in the cement.
Its your choice.

Get you a some wire to lay down before pouring so it doesn't crack if you decide to pour your cement.

What I did when I made my drive way was put my board frames up and level; my depth. Layed down my wire and had a cement truck come and pour some cement and they charged me $300.00 to pour it and I leveled it myself.
My drive way is awesome.