From Muddy Mess to Paver Walkway
Is your yard a muddy mess?
Whenever it rains, the area right behind the gate into my backyard becomes a muddy mess. After cleaning my dog's muddy paws off for the 1000th time, it was finally time to do something about it. In today's #makeitmonday demo , I’ll show you the solution I chose, installing a paver walkway.
Supplies
concrete pavers (I used 12” x 12” pavers)
bricks (I used these)
shovels
mallet
Steps
To start, level the ground as best as you can and dig about 2-3" down where the walkway will be. Thankfully, this time the ground was wet after a storm so digging was a little easier!
Next, I chose to create a border with bricks since I'd be using pea gravel to fill around the pavers, and didn't want them to spill all over the yard. To create the border with bricks, I dug the perimeter of the space down about an extra 1 inch. Then I used the paver sand and spread it for about a 1/2 inch cover in the narrow path. I laid the bricks on their side and hit them with the mallet to secure and level them as I went.
3. After I created the border, I spread one layer of paver base, about a half-inch deep, and smoothed it down by patting it with a brick.
4. Next, repeat this process with fine sand or paver sand.
5. Then, layout your pavers. I eyeballed this, but you can be as exact as you want.
6. Finally, fill the space around the pavers with pea gravel, and voila! You have a practical and attractive fix for a muddy mess.
7. I also recommend spraying the entire project with a light shower of water from the hose to help the paver base and sand set to keep it stable.
Note - I think I’ll add a little more pea gravel to hold the pavers more securely, but I ran out of gravel the day I photographed this.