When a prominent university campus was laid out, the president refused the engineers’ plan to construct the pathways. They were six weeks into the first semester, and after the first rainfall before the president called the engineers and landscape architects into his office.
He walked them to a window high over the campus quadrangle. And, pointing to the mud paths the students had created, he told them to install the sidewalks there. The students had determined where they wanted to walk. Putting the walks elsewhere made no sense.
3 Ways to Create a Gorgeous Path and Get Rid of the Mudpit
With the help of pros, you can turn a dirt track into a perfect pathway. With the right materials and experience, landscapers can do wonders on your property.
- Build a boardwalk: With rain-resistant, mold-resistant, and sun-resistant decking, you can build your own boardwalk. It can stretch along ground level, or it might rise in tiers to an entertainment deck.
SFGate describes a redwood boardwalk, “an attractive walkway that complements landscaping or serves as a path on the property. Typically, walkways are 36 inches wide and may extend from a porch to the sidewalk, border the sides of a house or traverse through a garden.”
- Mix materials: Contemporary decking materials have all the beauty of natural woods. But, they have a new durability and flexibility. Combined with other natural materials, decking can replace or cover mud pits and paths.
For example, landscaping in Mississauga must endure cold wet winters and sometimes scorching summer days. Cedar, plastic, and composite decking can complement natural stone, flowering borders, and concrete or slate pavers.
- Design to taste: According to M. Hawkins, writing for Woman’s Weekly, “you want to make sure you get it right.”
In design terms, laying decking without apparent joints between the planks suggests fluid motion while diagonal planks suggest a static mindset. Strict geometric lines look modern, but random colors, textures, and lengths suggest something dynamic.
Turning a dirt track Into the perfect pathway
Landscaping your property and building a deck for family and friends takes time and talent. It’s the rare household that can do it all on their own. So, when you look for the landscapers to make it perfect, you want to seek a few traits.
Meet with more than one provider and ask them all the same questions. Review their portfolio of completed work and ask for permission to talk to those customers.
You might favor the landscaper who can build a 3D model of their plans and options. You want an open discussion of the pros and cons of using different materials. You should also revisit the process once they offer an estimate.
Once you have reviewed their insurance and performance bonding, you can accept or reject the bid. If the project involves a large outlay of money, you might want to run it past your family attorney.
If you can afford it and like the challenge, you might show what your neighbors have done to get rid of their mud pits. Doing something different in your community is a creative approach to a necessary change.
Author: Sophia Williams