DIY: 4 Walkways to Boost Curb Appeal

Photo by Craig Tidball on Unsplash

It's probably much easier and less expensive than you realize to improve your home's curb appeal. Simple fixes such as replacing rickety porch railings or giving trim a fresh, bright coat of paint go a long way toward making prospective home buyers smile. And when you create a welcoming pathway, that leads right to your door from the street or driveway, you may get more than smiles. Depending upon how professionally it's done and how cozy it appears, you just might get more money for your home. Try these five attractive options for creating the perfect, welcoming walkway:

Pavers

They come in all shapes and sizes, and they're relatively inexpensive when you catch them on sale at your local home store. Pavers can help you design a walkway that looks upscale and unique to your home. Place them on the diagonal, or lay them with small stretches of grass or gravel in between for a one-of-a-kind look that's unlike any other home in the neighborhood. A paved walkway gives guests traction on rainy days and can help keep the path to your front door mud-free. 

Stamped Concrete

Stamped concrete lasts forever, and you can customize it to create many different looks. Mimic cobblestone or slate, brick or natural stone, simply by stamping different designs into your concrete before it's fully set. Once cured, your design is there forever. And if your stamped concrete was dyed before it was poured, no one will even recognize that it's concrete. 

Stamped concrete brings texture and form to your front yard. It also provides nice, clean edges for placing annual border plants such as petunias or marigolds. Add color and function all in one, when you install a stamped concrete walkway. 

Mulch

A mulched pathway is an improvement over no pathway at all, but it may not raise your property's value. Mulch keeps mud at bay, and it delineates where guests should walk as they move from driveway to front door. It's an economic choice, however. And if budget is an issue, mulch is a perfectly acceptable material to use in building walkways. You can always up the wow factor of your mulched walkway by evenly nestling single, large pavers on top for feet to land on.  

Natural Stone

Natural stone such as shale or slate gives walkways an immediate boost. It can be a bit slippery when it rains, however, so be careful building natural stone walkways on slopes. Natural stone is one of the more expensive building materials to use inside or out, but its distinct appearance adds value anywhere it's used. 

When you're ready to bump up your home's curb appeal, whether for your family's convenience or to impress prospective buyers, consider the formidable power of the front walkway. It's a gorgeous few steps in the right direction.