When you own a home and the surrounding property, you want to be able to use your outdoor living spaces to their fullest advantage.
If it’s difficult for you to move from one part of your landscape to the other, things get more complicated than you’d like them to be.
Maybe it’s your landscape grade or maybe you just want a way to easily walk back and forth between outdoor living areas. Or you might even want a way to walk from front to back without stepping in dewy grass or on uneven ground.
Landscape walkways are your solutions. Though they seem simple, they are actually what connect various areas of your yard together. This makes them pretty important components of your overall landscape.
But you might be wondering about the cost to install a walkway. Let’s take a look at some of the driving factors in residential landscape walkway pricing.
3 Factors That Influence the Cost to Install a Walkway
Landscape walkways can be simple and straight or long and meandering with sitting area stops. And the walkway material options are endless -- from natural stone to concrete to modular or clay pavers.
And all of these things impact the cost to have a walkway installed.
1. Walkway Material Options
One of the factors that most significantly impact the cost to have a walkway installed is the walkway material you choose. Certain materials cost more than others.
The minimum cost for a bluestone patio is approximately $30 per square foot, which is similar in price to an expensive modular paver. Concrete pavers would be the cheapest material option and bluestone options will vary in price based on the type of bluestone you choose. Thermal -- blue/blue is the most expensive option, natural cleft -- blue/blue is the middle option, and natural cleft -- full range is the least expensive choice.
But unlike a patio where you can take your square footage and your walkway material option and pricing it out, walkways have other variables to consider.
2. Walkway Square Footage
Product selection is your first driving factor in the cost to install a walkway, but the size of your space will also play a role in pricing.
A mere 10 steps that go straight from a driveway to an entranceway in a straight fashion that is only 6 to 8 feet long, for instance, will be priced lower than something more expansive that is 60 feet long and meanders to multiple places.
This is the reason a natural stone front entry pathway can start at $4,500 and go up to $10,000 to $12,000, while a longer natural stone walkway with sitting areas can range from $15,000 to $45,000.
3. Walkway Details & Extras
The other factors that can increase a base square footage cost of your landscape walkway involve details that take your pathway up a notch.
It starts with intricate patterns and details, which very minimally impact pricing.
But let’s say you have some elevation on your property and your walkway now must include steps. Building stone or masonry steps can add to the cost to install a walkway. The same can be said if you want to install a built-in stone bench by your favorite garden along your pathway.
Thoughtful Walkway Design
You want to ensure your walkways aren’t just sloppily put in place. A walkway is ultimately a journey from one place to another. The journey should be direct, but it should also be pleasant as it takes you from a starting point to an end point.
This means curves should be gentle and not forced. The walkway material options you choose should be incorporated throughout your space and coordinate with your home. The path, steps, and seating areas should come together seamlessly.
Landscape walkways done right can make your space come together and look connected and complete. They are the perfect finishing touches.
Now that you know what a walkway can cost, you can begin to dream up the best ways to connect your outdoor spaces.
If you live in the Greater Chicago area and want to get some great walkway ideas and better understand the cost to install a walkway, KD Landscape can help. Our pros can show you the different material options and design ideas so you can find the perfect solution for your space.
Ready to see how KD Landscape can install the walkway you need in your Suburban Chicago landscape? We’d love to share our design and installation expertise with you and deliver a space that best fits your needs. Get started today with a free consultation. Together, we can create a solution that works best for you.
