Garden paths and steps in Stockton

Paths

Garden paths take more traffic than you'd think, often in the dark and the wet. A few things make the difference:

• Width. Wide enough to walk side by side or wheel a bin or barrow. Too narrow and you'll end up with a muddy strip of lawn next to it.
• Route. Follow the line people really take. If the path goes the long way round, everyone will cut across the grass.
• Material. Porcelain, Indian sandstone, concrete slabs, resin-bound, or stepping stones in gravel or lawn. Matching the patio pulls the garden together.
• Edging and fall. Proper edging stops it spreading, and a slight cross-fall stops water sitting on it.
• Lights. If you want low-level lighting, run the cables before the path goes down.

A path is built like a patio: dug out, a compacted base, and slabs on mortar or resin on a sound base.

Front paths

Paving more than five square metres of a front garden can need planning permission if the rainwater runs off onto the road or pavement. A porous surface like resin-bound, or letting water drain to a lawn or border, normally keeps you clear. A path to the front door rarely runs into this, but it's worth knowing.

Steps

Plenty of gardens round Stockton aren't flat. Some of the newer plots in Ingleby Barwick and Wynyard rise noticeably away from the house, and the older gardens in Yarm and Eaglescliffe can drop towards the river. Steps make a slope usable, and they need to be safe in all weathers:

1. Every riser the same height, so nobody catches their foot on the odd one.
2. Treads deep enough for a whole foot.
3. A solid footing under the bottom step and a firm build behind each riser.
4. Grip, with textured slabs or a nosing on the front edge, especially in shade.
5. Water running off each tread rather than pooling.

Steps often come with low walls either side to hold the soil, or lead up to a raised patio.

Questions people ask