Homeowner John Rude has a long concrete front entryway (figure A), but the concrete is cracked and dull, so he wants to dress it up with the look of old cobblestone. Landscape designer Dan Berger creates all the charm of an old-fashioned cobblestone walkway at a fraction of the cost by using interlocking pavers (figure B). The pavers are made of high-strength concrete molded to look like old, used cobblestones. He creates a new entry to the front door, widening the area for a comfortable seating area and adding a lot of charm.Pavers come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors (Figure C), so they offer a lot of versatility. They can be used in many types of settings, from formal to informal, to add an artistic flourish to any yard.
Berger estimates that a professional would charge $3,600 to design and build a entryway of interlocking pavers (not including the cost of plants), but do-it-yourselfers can complete the project for only $1,500 in two weekends. He gives this simple project a 2 on a scale of 1 (easy) to 5 (hard).
Step One: Preparing the Site
The easiest way to break up a lot of concrete is with a jackhammer, available to rent for $50/day. So, if you have an existing walkway or patio, just break the concrete slabs into pieces and remove them.
Dig out the walkway site about 8 to 10 inches below grade for the foundation and pavers. The crew used a skip loader to dig, but you can save $185/day by digging out the site with a shovel.
Step Two: Filling in the Base Rock
For the foundation, contractor Craig Matthews starts with base rock, available at building supply stores for 50 cents per square foot. It gives the walkway more strength and prevents it from slipping or sliding.