Householders these days are looking beyond manicured lawns and fancy garden furniture to deck their outdoors. The emphasis is now on having a natural look for the gardens and one favored way to achieve it is with a stone walkway. Pricing issues rule in this regard.
When you are going in for an installation of a stone walkway, pricing matters need to be sorted out right at the outset. Doing up a stone walkway will involve costs on three fronts: the expense on the stone, the base on which the stone slabs or chips are going to be laid out and of course, the installation costs.
The cost of the stone encompasses the lion’s share of your stone walkway pricing estimates. And this cost will differ according to the type of stone you are using for your walkway. You may want to go in for the Tennessee flagstone or Tennessee fieldstone if you want to give your lawns that alluring country feel. Alternatively, if you prefer a ceremonial look, you can opt for the Pennsylvania stone cut in squares and rectangles.
Whatever be your choice, stone walkway pricing will have you shell out anything between US$200 to US$220 per ton of stone. And for a 50 feet long and 3 feet wide walkway you will need about two tons of stone.
Thus the cost for flagstone, silver mica and other types of quarried stone will hover somewhere around US$1 to US$3 per square foot. For a natural gray top rock built stone walkway, pricing will be about US$100 to US$150 per ton of stone.
After you have decided upon the type of stone to be used for your stone walkway, pricing matters should now concentrate on the expenses that you need to bear on account of the base of the walkway.
One of the popular means of preparing a base for the stone walkway is to have the stones laid out over a concrete slab. But this method is complex and requires a lot of dexterity and professional help is mandatory. Seeking expert assistance will add to your cost. So you have to decide whether you want to go for it at all.
However, while deciding on the type of foundation for your stone walkway, pricing options that are cheap abound. But for these you need to take up the trowel and start digging yourself. That is to say, a do-it-yourself project will prove to be the cheaper route. As they say, “Self-help is the best help.”
Saving a penny here and a shilling there will go a long way in lessening your stone walkway pricing. But investing in quality material is equally important, as it would minimize the costs of frequent future repairs. Thus if you are cutting down on the costs of labor, do go in for the mortared-in-stone-on-concrete as the base for your stone walkway. They are good value for money and if installed correctly, will see you through years.
The third aspect of stone walkway pricing is the installation cost. There are however not many rules of thumb regarding this as installation costs vary according to the nature of the project, soil conditions en site, and accessibility and kinds of products used in the project.
While you are planning natural stone retaning walls or a stone walkway, pricing issues should be at the forefront. You budget should always include the cost of raw materials, labor and delivery charges, just to ensure that things do not come to such a passé that you have to shelve the project midway.