Award: MNLA Award Winner for Residential Special Projects Under $50,000
Project: Forest Hills Residence
Designer: Brian Diemer, Owner/Vice President
When it’s time to change, it’s time to change! This customer’s front walkway was suffering from sinking due to years of use and tunneling critters. Together we decided it was time for an upgrade with new pavers to elevate the curb appeal of their beautiful home.
The original pavers were a collection of small pavers used as both the field and soldier course. Many of them were sun-bleached as well as uneven due to years of use and the sinking base. The customer wanted to have a more updated design that wouldn’t clash with any of their existing landscaping or the colors of the home.
Based on the coloring of their home we decided to replace the existing pavers with Legacy Elite pavers in the color Sandy Oak. Choosing a complimentary soldier course is important to continue to design aesthetics which is why we chose to use Oxford Elite Pavers in the color Mesquite. These colors mirrored the lighter colors of the home and would allow for a seamless shift in aesthetics throughout the landscape. The paver color choice also gives the surrounding plantings a lighter base to show off their darker color.
Comparing the deep greens and reds to the light tans and greys of the pavers gives a nice contrast all along the walkway. Our crew had to perform a lot of cuts on the pavers to follow the curve of the pavers. Although it was a very large and exact puzzle, the pavers came together smoothly!
One anticipated challenge we foresaw was the position of the walkway and the proximity to many plantings that the owner wanted to preserve. We took extra care to protect the plantings surrounding the walkway during removal and installation. We also had to be careful around the existing lighting along the pathway. This is a staple in the customer’s design and is used often as the surrounding plantings cast many shadows especially when the sun is not very bright. Our crews worked to preserve the existing lighting work and keep the necessary portions safe!
Another challenge we encountered was the grade changes in the site. To help with the planning and accurate design and quoting of the project we used a smart measuring device called Moasure. This allowed us to find the exact level of sinking that the original walkway had suffered and how much extra base we would have to bring in to revive it to the correct leveling. This also gave us the ability to find the exact measurements of the walkway despite the many curves.
The customer wanted to preserve as much of the front landscaping as possible to cut down on costs, so we decided to keep the existing Chilton Outcropping stairs. In order to account for the readjusting of the new walkway’s elevation we added in one more outcropping to match the existing rock work. We then cleaned and power washed the existing outcroppings to revive them to their former beauty and match the new addition in coloring.
With the new pavers installed, the customer and their family can now safely traverse from either driveway to the front doors on a flat, modern path. This project allowed us to not only update this customer’s front walk, but also refresh their curb appeal. Bringing together the plantings we have done in past years with a modern paver choice elevated the beauty of the existing landscape and the wonder of the winding walkway.
This project had its highs and lows, both literally and figuratively. We are proud of the work that we did to craft an updated path that will be used often for future generations.
