Without country paths it is impossible to imagine a suburban area: they not only connect the house with other objects, but also perform an important decorative function. By choosing the right material, you can create a harmonious picture in a single style, and by building the paths at the cottage with your own hands, you can turn a few hundred into a unique and comfortable territory.
What kind of tracks can you make?
The main reason for dividing country paths and paths into types is the material from which they are built. Its diversity allows you to choose the best option for landscaping.
Natural stone is notable for its natural beauty and nobleness, but its price is quite high.
Natural stone is ideal for building curved paths: stone elements are arranged in a chaotic manner, so it’s easy to make smooth bends
A tree is perfect for arranging the territory in a rustic style.
The natural texture on wood saws depends on the type of wood, but an interesting effect can be achieved using special impregnations and varnishes.
Brick is a wonderful material, especially if the house is also built from it.
For the construction of garden paths, a regular solid building brick is not suitable, it is better to use special paving types that are not afraid of water and frost
Paving slabs or paving stones will serve for a long time and faithfully.
You can learn more about how to make paving garden paths from the material: //diz-cafe.com/diy/ustrojstvo-sadovyx-dorozhek-iz-bruschatki.html
Using paving stones of different colors, as well as a specific styling scheme, you can create an amazing original drawing that is suitable specifically for your garden
Simple and inexpensive gravel trails are also appropriate in the garden.
Gravel is not good near the landscaped area around the house, but in the garden or near the stream - it combines better with wildlife
You can use concrete to create unique road tiles.
In construction stores you can buy special plastic molds that are used for the manufacture of road concrete elements with your own hands.
By combining materials, it is easy to achieve a stylistic match of the tracks with surrounding natural and artificial objects.
Using decorative concrete, you can create the effect of not only natural stone, but also wood, brick and other relief coatings. More about this: //diz-cafe.com/dekor/dekorativnyj-beton.html
You can combine completely different materials: natural stone and multi-colored gravel, wooden boards and river pebbles, brick and concrete
Track and landscape layout
Paths are the same important strategic part of a suburban area as a house, a garage or a bathhouse, so you should think about their construction before building buildings and utility rooms. For convenience, it is better to draw up a diagram by drawing it by hand or using a computer designer program. Having identified important points, it is necessary to connect them with paths - straight or curved, depending on the terrain.
It is better if all objects, including a garden, a kitchen garden, greenhouses, a bathhouse, arbors, are present on the diagram - paths are a connecting element between them. Material for the construction of communication lines should be combined with buildings and surrounding decorative elements.
Paths on a summer cottage do not have to be the same: solid and stepwise, straight and curved options are perfectly combined
Drawing up a diagram or plan of the site, you can identify which plants and shrubs will be planted - this will help when choosing material for the construction of paths
If it often rains in your area, you need to think through a drainage system and dig plums along the edges of the roads so that water does not stagnate. When doing the construction of country paths with your own hands, remember: when freezing, water will spoil the material - wood, brick, concrete. Powerful trees should not grow near the coatings, as their root system will easily violate the integrity of the roads.
The more detailed the preliminary planning, the brighter the picture of the future country landscape will be indicated and the easier it is to come to the choice of design elements
3 Best Budget Options
Owners of villas and luxury cottages will most likely not mess with sand and stones, but will invite a famous landscape designer and a team of specialists. Anyone who independently arranges the garden knows perfectly well that it is not necessary to use expensive natural stone or collectible paving stones for the construction of original and convenient walkways. Therefore, we consider three options for creating tracks from affordable and inexpensive materials: cement, brick and wood. Be sure, the result will surprise you!
Option # 1 - a trail of cement leaves
Lovers of short-cut lawns will never trade silky green grass for dense thickets of bushes or flower beds, and even more so will refuse the path crossing the luxurious carpet in front of the house. But there is a tricky option, in which you can maintain the integrity of the lawn and at the same time arrange a kind of path that allows you to cross the grass directly.
Decorative concrete leaves are just an option that can be replaced with other elements: human footprints, geometric shapes, animal silhouettes
To build a miracle path, you will need an ordinary cement mortar and a plant that can be found somewhere nearby - burdock, or rather, its large leaves.
The leaves of burdock can be replaced with any other, most importantly, that they are large. As an option - the use of several different leaves
In a small container, knead the solution according to the instructions and spread the thick mass on a large sheet of burdock. What is not a form for filling?
Make sure that the cement solution has the necessary consistency: too thick will lie unevenly, and the liquid will not retain its shape
After the sand-cement mixture has completely set, the sheet is removed. We get the original decorative tile - the main element of the track.
You can create your own more durable form for filling garden paths, read about it: //diz-cafe.com/dekor/forma-dlya-zalivki-sadovyx-dorozhek.html
As you can see, nature turned out to be the best artist-decorator - a decorative leaf with a natural pattern will not violate the harmony of the lawn or garden
It remains to prepare a place for styling. Using a scoop or small spatula, gently remove a piece of sod so that a shallow hole forms.
The advantage of a step-by-step device for a lawn is the absence of a special tool: for example, a child’s scoop is enough for pit installation
We lay the tiles in the prepared nest, then do the same with the rest of the elements. The track is light, airy, harmoniously complementing the lawn. It’s nice and safe to walk on beautiful decorative leaves even in rainy weather.
Option # 2 - solid brick walkway
Brick is a universal material. You don’t have to think about how to make a path in the country, if you have at hand the necessary amount of this durable material, as if specially created for the construction of reliable coatings. Its advantage is that it is ideal for almost any country style. Red bricks, like gray ones, look amazing against the background of a building from the same material, blend perfectly with the tree, harmoniously fit into the natural environment. One piece of advice is to use only special, paving material.
The advantages of the brick are obvious: it is durable, lasts for decades, easy to fit, does not slip even in the rain, has aesthetic value
The main stages of construction:
- Boundary and soil extraction.
- Preparation of sand and gravel base.
- Brick laying.
- Filling the voids with sand.
The width of the trench depends on the size of the brick and the pattern that will be laid out of them. The minimum width of the path is 0.9 m. We define the boundaries and designate them with pegs with a stretched building cord. We take out the turf and tear out a shallow trench. Its edges need to be strengthened with boards - in the next two years they will serve as an additional emphasis for the curb. Then they can be removed, and the grooves covered with gravel or pebbles.
The basis for a brick consists of two layers. Lower - gravel and sand of a large fraction. After backfilling, the gravel mixture must be evenly distributed along the entire length of the track and rammed.
To determine the depth of the trench for laying a brick path is simple: you need to add the thickness of both layers of the base and the dimensions of the brick itself
Tampering the gravel layer is mandatory: loose material will provoke the movement of the remaining layers and as a result will destroy the brick surface
The top layer consists of one sand. Aligning it along the track, simultaneously press to make the layer dense enough. It is better to tamp segments of 20-30 cm, so the base will be better.
After making sand filling, it is necessary to level the surface: pull a special device on yourself, while pressing on it so that the sand lies in a dense layer
The next step is laying bricks along the boards. Before laying each element, dig a small hole, then put a brick in it and adjust its position with a wooden hammer. Products placed on the end will play the role of a border.
For the “clogging” of bricks in the sand, it is better to use a special rubber mallet: metal or even wooden can damage the structure of the material
Given the pattern of laying, fill the distance between the curbs with bricks, easily hammering them into the sand and regularly checking the level.
Focusing on a specific element, do not forget about the integrity of the track: regularly check the horizontal arrangement of bricks with a level
The last step is to fill the gaps between the bricks with sand. Gently sprinkle sand until it is level with bricks. Water the track and repeat the last operation. In the next few days, you can adjust the position of the bricks.
An ordinary brush for cleaning will help to evenly distribute sand: with its help, you can easily move sand over the surface and push it between bricks
Option # 3 - use of wooden saw cuts
If you compare wood with stone, then it will certainly lose: wood does not differ in durability and strength of granite or marble. However, when arranging garden paths in the country, elements from this seemingly inappropriate material are used. Wood cuts, while observing the installation technology, are excellent "bricks" for creating a decorative path in a rustic style.
Choosing wood cuts, you kill two birds with one stone: “attach” unnecessary sawn trees and decorate the territory with a beautiful and practical path
An old tree can be found right in the country or in the nearest forest. We cut the trunk into small segments - from 10 to 20 cm thick. Thick knots will also come in handy - small round beads are suitable for decorating the site or the edges of the track.
There are several options for arranging a garden path from saw cuts: in one they use flat parts, in the other in the form of hemp
At the planned site, remove the turf layer and tear out a shallow trench.
When digging the ground when digging a trench, do not take it outside the cottage: it is useful for filling the voids of the track, and the remains can be used for the garden or flower garden
We fill the bottom of the trench with sand, a layer of 5 cm is enough. Tamp and level.
Spread the sawn stumps along the track: it’s easier to imagine how many they need, and later it’s easier to use when laying
On the prepared base, lay out the saw cuts. Using the level, we give them a horizontal position, a wooden sledgehammer or a large hammer is perfect for this. In some places, voids form - they can be filled with small saw cuts.
When stacking large elements, do not worry about the large number of voids that remain between them: they are easy to fill with small stumps, gravel or pebbles
The gaps between the wooden elements are covered with sand or earth. In the spring they can be planted with lawn grass or small flowers - so the track will look more artistic.
To determine how to lay out beautiful decorative paths in the country, just look around. Do not be afraid to use your own technological secrets and design solutions during construction - then the summer cottage will become truly unique.
