Having grandeur, cost-effective walk paths

After designing a compound, walkways and pathways are some of the features that can be created to enhance the beauty of a home. However, some homeowners do not bother about them.

The difference between walkways and pathways is their width. Walkways are typically 1.2 to 1.8 metres wide to allow for two or three pedestrians to comfortably use at the same time, while pathways are usually 0.6 to 1 metres wide because they are used less often, and by fewer people.

Silvest Kiwanuka, a landscaper at Falsom Creations and Construction, says path landscaping has become a requisite for most homes.

According to Kiwanuka, in the past, these paths were only limited to getting from the front yard or the backyard as these footpaths were often a second thought for homeowners. “Currently, proper path designs for homes can provide a flow through your landscaping and a great way to show off your yard. Walkways and pathways are both a functional and beautiful aspect to your landscape,” Kiwanuka explains.

Pathways are appropriate for more natural settings, such as gardens, where they provide a means for enjoying landscape features without destroying surrounding vegetation. Walkways, on the other hand, tend to be specifically designed to move people from, for example, parking or driveway to the reception with no hassle.

He says the walkways are often straight routes, usually made from hard paving materials. A pathway, on the other hand, is more recreational feature of a landscape, a meandering route, often made from casual, rustic designs. Kiwanuka says landscapers offer a range of design possibilities depending on the homeowner’s taste, the intended pathway use, and project budget.

“Surface materials can range from coloured stamped concrete to crushed rock. Concrete is the most formal material for a walkway surface. Asphalt has good durability and traction (for steep slopes) and is surprisingly cost-effective,” he says, adding: “Our most popular material, however, is something we call ‘soil cement’. This popular choice is made up of a mixture of breeze gravel (crusher-fines) mixed with cement and colouring. The cement binds the crushed,” he adds.

Jeremiah Ntambi, a civil engineer at Struktur Association Limited, in Kampala, clarifies that the types of materials used to build pathways are typically different from those used to construct walkways. He says natural materials such as loose gravel or covering, are commonly used for pathways, whereas walkways are usually formed from firm hardscape materials such as poured concrete, large slabs of mortared stone or pavers. He adds that the cost of pathways and walkways, regardless of design, depends on several aspects such as size of site, nature of site before landscaping, nature and quality of materials to be used but, averagely each square metre can go for between Shs45,000 and Shs65,000.

Ntambi notes that although concrete is the mostly commonly used material for walkways, pavers are better for walkway surface.

Made from dropped concrete blocks, pavers usually look more natural than poured concrete and are available in various natural colours for better incorporation into the landscape. He explains that pavers are also are immune to the cracking that can mess solid concrete walkways. If a paver is damaged, it is an easy matter to remove and replace it with another.
Some of the common designs for walkways and pathways include:

Plane crashed gravel paths
These are the cheapest applicable walkways. They only require a gently compacted path, and then applying crashed gravel. Anyone can make them since they require less technicalities. This gravel walkway is an inexpensive and informal option for getting around a yard. You can make a stone footpath any width, depending on whether it will be used for solitary strolling or for walking side by side. Larger stones placed along the edges act as a barrier to keep gravel from spreading into planting beds.
They are cost efficient because the material is cheap and application is not also hard so it is easy to find someone who can install it. However, they are not durable, especially when the rains come, the gravel start sinking into the ground. With time, a mixture of mud develops. These are, therefore, mostly used for pathways, because walkways have high foot traffic which may spoil them quickly.

Precast concrete slab
Here after compacting the ground, precast (already made) concrete slabs of any dimension usually 1.5x1.5metres or 2x2ft is laid on top of a compacted surface after applying a layer of dry lake sand of soft particles. This one is a bit technical, but it is also cost effective, although it slightyly costs more than crashed gravel.

Crashed gravel & precast slabs
This is a combination of gravel and precast slabs. The application of this is done artistically to create a simple look and beauty in the walkways or pathways without incurring much costs. A square metre of crashed gravel costs about Shs30,000.

Lake stones (French pebbles)
These are not very common in Uganda, but are slowly being adopted because they are trending. They are, however, not good for homes with children who distort everything they set their eyes on. These stones are applied as the crashed gravel. The slabs are then surrounded with flowers to enhance beauty. They are easy to maintain because they only require handpicking out of leaves and no side weeding is required. This option is quite expensive compared to the other first three options, but it is cheaper than using machine concrete paver. A square metre of lake stones costs about Shs65,000. This option offers a client a unique walkway made of artistic features and material unlike concrete paver which limits creativity and art when creating them.

Slate walkways /pathways
If you are looking for ways to increase the landscaping appeal of your home, consider a beautiful slate path. As a natural material that is mined from the earth, slate provides excellent strength, durability and easy maintenance. It holds up well in any climate and various weather conditions, so you can expect many years of outdoor beauty for your home. Slate is in two categories. Block slates (uncut stone slates) and cut slates (cut out from the steel hard rocks). Block slates Shs 45,000 per square metre while cut slates Shs 85,000 per square metre

Paver walkway/pathways
A paver walkway or pathway can add an attractive touch to your landscape. Interlocking paver base panels make this an easy project and make footpaths in your home a focal point for your outdoors. A square of pavers can go for Shs50,000.