Garden paths and steps in Hartlepool

Garden paths

Paths get used more than almost anything else in the garden, often in the dark and in the rain. They are worth getting right:

• Width. Wide enough to walk side by side or wheel a bin and a barrow. Too narrow and the lawn beside it wears away.
• Route. Follow the line people really take, or they will cut across the grass anyway.
• Material. Porcelain, Indian sandstone, concrete slabs, resin-bound or stepping stones in lawn or gravel. Matching the patio ties it all together.
• Edges and drainage. Firm edging stops the path spreading, and a slight cross-fall stops water lying on it.
• Lighting. If you want low-level lights, plan the cable runs before the path goes down.

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

Front paths

Paving more than five square metres of a front garden can need planning permission if the water runs off onto the road or pavement. A porous surface such as resin-bound, or letting rain drain onto a lawn or border, normally keeps you within the rules. A simple path to the front door rarely runs into this.

Garden steps

Hartlepool is fairly flat, but plenty of gardens are not, especially where a garden has been terraced or rises away from the house on the western edge of town and out towards Elwick and Hart. Steps make a slope usable, and they need to be safe in all weathers:

1. Even risers. Every step the same height so nobody catches the odd one.
2. Deep treads, enough to take a whole foot comfortably.
3. A solid footing under the bottom step and a firm build behind each riser.
4. Grip. Textured slabs or a nosing on the front edge, especially where steps stay damp and go green.
5. Drainage, so each tread sheds water instead of holding it.

Steps often come with low walls either side to hold the soil back, or with a raised patio that needs a way down to the lawn.

Questions people ask