Creating garden paths with your own hands at low cost is a subject of tireless care and thought at the beginning of arranging a new site. But it only seems that, having once arranged the transitions between important objects, you can calm down and no longer deal with this problem. Paths tend to collapse with heavy use. There is also the problem of exposure to natural destructive conditions. The decision to make paths with your own hands at low cost, that is, rationally and thriftily, with an unprofessional approach, easily turns into the need to update them in a short time. And the desire to create a truly original design project can lead to the fact that the paths in the garden will require a radical redesign in just a year.

Creating garden paths with your own hands at low cost is a subject of tireless care and thought at the beginning of arranging a new site

The choice of means, materials and methods for creating the final chord of landscape design should be dictated not only and not so much by the low cost or even the originality of the project, but by the need to create a truly durable and convenient means of transition.

Modern industry, focused on consumer demand, has provided many options for those who, having some means, prefer to work on the site themselves. Using things like this can save time and solve several problems at once:

• lay out beautiful paths at the dacha (decorative and maintained in a certain style);
• allow installation on any surface, with minimal time and available tools;
• simultaneously obtain a durable and aesthetic structure.

To see this, just visit any hypermarket. building materials. Choosing the right material is only a matter of a person’s preferences and the state of his finances. The most popular materials are:

1. Garden parquet (specially treated wood). Quite an expensive material that can also be used for terraces, gazebos, and verandas. It is easily and quickly assembled using special tools and just as easily disassembled if necessary.
2. Plastic plates. The path of them is arranged easily and quickly; They are made of frost-resistant plastic, do not slip, and fit both lengthwise and widthwise. This covering can be easily and quickly dismantled for the winter, and in the spring, paths can be laid in any convenient location. Such installation and dismantling make it easy to correct errors in calculations when country paths are laid in in an inconvenient place or unaccounted passages have been trampled.
3. Garden parquet made of plastic. By appearance and received visual effects resembles wooden parquet, but is much cheaper and more resistant to natural influences. The paths made from it will last until you want to update them.
4. Ready concrete plates small size. Concrete is a resistant and durable material, and the use of a ready-made form has its undeniable advantages: slabs can be laid without special preparation - directly on compacted dirt paths. True, their appearance will not be very aesthetic, but it is durable and functional.

Modern industry, focused on consumer demand, has provided many options for those who, having some means, prefer to work on the site independently

When purchasing ready-made styling products, it is best to consult with a specialist who will help calculate the required quantity and give some practical advice. But with the use of such functional modules, the paths at the dacha will be equipped with your own hands in a day or two.

Gallery: garden paths (25 photos + video)

Difficult and time consuming

For lovers of thorough and labor-intensive work involving measurements, mixing, pouring and waiting for the result, there are paths for perfectionists.

You can make a path with your own hands from concrete by pouring, from paving slabs, from wooden rounds, from natural stone, from flat river pebbles.

It must be taken into account that even for a simple concrete pour you will need:

• formwork;
• shovel;
• improvised concrete mixer;
• cement;
• sand;
• stone chips or gravel;
• covering material until the concrete is in place.

If the calculation of the required sand or crumbs is unsuccessful, such a path will begin to crumble over time and require additional refilling.

When purchasing ready-made styling products, it is best to consult with a specialist who will help you calculate the required quantity and give some practical advice.

To lay paving slabs you will have to prepare an even more impressive list of tools:

• wooden mallet;
• rubber hammer;
• tiles;
• Master OK;
• cord;
• rake and broom;
• cement, sand and gravel;
• manual tamper;
• level;
• channel;
• hose.

You can make a path with your own hands from concrete by pouring

Paths made of paving slabs are laid out long and thoroughly:

1. The turf is cut.
2. Layers of sand and cement are poured.
3. Geotextiles are laid for strength.
4. At the end, the tiles are cut to fill the places where there are irregular pieces of space left.
5. A curb is laid out to secure the path.

But it's worth it. Everything will be like in the best houses, that is, beautiful, stylish, decorative and fashionable. A few days spent on work will more than pay for itself with the appearance of the site. There will be no shame in posting a photo. It is quite possible to make such paths at the dacha with your own hands.

The most difficult and original ones in choosing how to make a garden path are those made from round river pebbles and wooden rounds. This is a true challenge for those who like to put together thousands of puzzles on long winter evenings or assemble ships in a bottle with tweezers. It will take several days to prepare a base that would reliably support and secure such handmade masterpieces. And in order to line the paths with small pebbles (and even intricate patterns), it will take even more time. If you wish, you can have fun with this all summer, carefully selecting pebbles according to pattern, format and shades. Only the path made of plastic bottle caps, a photo of which was posted by its proud author, can compete with this.

You will have to spend a long time collecting the required number of covers, but the paths will be no worse than the mosaics in Rome.

Paths at the dacha should be made from wooden rounds, focusing on the sawn material. The only thing you should remember before deciding on such a labor-intensive process is to carefully study the technology of wood processing. Simply placing wooden rounds on the soil means that you will have to do it on next year new path. The earth will subside, the wood will crack, the trail will become unusable. Therefore, the process is expected to be long and complex. These DIY paths will be very convenient. Natural stone for paths is very reliable, fashionable and, with some skill, also decorative.

In limited means and quickly

The simplest solution is to leave the already trodden dirt paths. This is associated with certain inconveniences in rainy weather, but is extremely budget-friendly and delightful in its simplicity. A slightly more complex process is to fill borders from scrap material or wooden slats and fill the space between them with stone chips or gravel. There are many tips on what to make paths from in your dacha without spending any special money or effort. For example, you can use waste construction materials remaining after the construction country house. This is much cheaper than making a lawn path wide enough for a lawn mower to pass through, and maintaining it so that the grass grows extremely evenly.

Its entire design largely depends on how the paths on a suburban area are designed. Even in such conditions, when it is not possible to perform labor-intensive and expensive work, you can choose more affordable options that have been developed and already tested by folk craftsmen.

You can make paths in your dacha with your own hands from the most different materials by selecting suitable option from those presented below. For example, ordinary bricks or round timber sawn from logs, round, medium-sized pebbles or ordinary corks from plastic bottles. There are also removable options for tracks that can be laid exclusively for the summer period. By the way, such paths can also not only be purchased ready-made, but also made independently.

In any case, before laying any garden paths, it is necessary to carry out preparatory work.

Design on paper

First of all, you need to schematically place the house and outbuildings on the plan, connecting them to each other and paving the way to the entrance gate - these will be the main paths, which in any case cannot be avoided.

Then, you need to plan paths leading from the house to various areas of the site, for example, to a gazebo, swimming pool, playground or zone.

If there is a need, then, having brought the path to the garden or vegetable garden, it is worth branching it in such a way that it is convenient to reach every corner of the site in any weather, since the absence of paths is especially unpleasant for moving on “bare” ground during or immediately after rain .

Once the project has been drawn up, you can transfer it to the site.

Marking on the ground

To determine the width and direction of the paths, it is necessary to mark the area. This is especially important if they are maintained in certain widths - for example, laid out from ready-made tiles or bricks.

Marking is carried out using driven pegs and a cord pulled over them. To make it more convenient to visually estimate what the direction will look like and whether the width of the path is sufficient, each border on the sides can be sprinkled with a little lime.

The best option– if, along with the path, you immediately mark the location of the plants that will frame it, since on the ground everything looks a little different than in the project.

In places where bushes and trees will be planted, which will be located along the path, you can install signs or lay out stones, and mark the boundaries of future flower beds with lime.

It must be remembered that the pit to be torn off must be somewhat wider than the path itself, since in order for it to serve for many years, it must be fenced on both sides with stone or concrete curbs. Whatever material it is planned to build the path from, such a preparatory part will in any case improve the quality of the work and allow the laid path to function for a long time.

Having made the markings, you can begin preparatory excavation work.

Preparing the base for a garden path

To prevent the path from crumbling in a year or becoming overgrown with grass with the same sad outcome, you need to carry out serious preparatory work. It must be remembered that the path should have a slight slope in one or both directions. In addition, a small trench is made on the side of the slope into which water will flow during rain.

• First of all, from the places where the path will pass, a fertile layer with a thickness of 15 ÷ 200 mm is removed. To ensure that the depth of the pit is approximately the same along its entire length, it is necessary to control its sides using a ruler.

• Next, in order to maintain the evenness of the edges of the future path, boards are installed inside, along the entire length of the walls of the pit, but it is advisable to first add and compact a little sand under them.
• If the pit is limited by concrete curbs, then their width should be 70 ÷ 100 mm greater than the height of the walls of the pit. The curbs are leveled, and to prevent them from moving, they are fixed with reinforcing bars, which are driven into the ground inside the trench, next to the curbs. The length of the rods should be from 250 to 350 mm, and this segment should be driven in at 200 ÷ 300 mm. The pin remaining above the ground surface will hold the curb in the desired position.

• If the walls of the pit turned out to be uneven due to excessively loose soil, then you will also have to drive reinforcing pins along the walls, and then install curbs, pressing them against them, aligning them and also fixing them on the other side pins.

Filling with gravel or crushed stone to create a “pillow” ...

• Next, crushed stone or gravel mixed with sand or cement is poured into the bottom of the pit. can range from 50 to 100 mm after compaction.

...and careful compaction to maximum density

• After backfilling and distribution throughout the pit, the resulting surface is periodically moistened and thoroughly compacted.

The type of material being poured will largely depend on the overall thickness of the “cushion” and the type of top decorative coating. Also, do not forget that between the “cushion” and the top lining, most often there should still be a layer of sand.

Types of garden paths for a suburban area

As mentioned above, paths can be made of different materials. It is worth considering the installation of some of them in order to accurately determine the choice of the most suitable option.

brick path

Brick makes a fairly reliable, durable and aesthetic path. It is laid, in principle, using the same technology as paving slabs or. In order for such a track to last a long time, you need to choose a high-quality clinker brick And carry out work very neat.

• The base for the path, with a compacted top layer of sand, needs to be well leveled using a homemade rule.

The rule is made from boards with perfectly even and smooth end sides. The board should be 200 mm longer than the width of the path. The corners of the bottom of the board are cut to the thickness of the brick. Upper, longer, uncut parts the boards will serve as a stop and limiter when leveling the sand layer.

• When the entire sand layer is leveled, you can begin installing the side bricks in the path, which are installed on the edge and driven half-width into the sand rubber mallet.

Laying and driving in a line of “border” bricks

• If the construction of the path does not include a curb, then the side bricks are fastened together with mortar, and after it hardens and is removed, they must be secured on the outside with reinforcing pins, and then a backfill of crushed stone must be made, which will need to be thoroughly compacted.
• After installing the side bricks on both sides of the path, you need to decide what pattern will be laid out in the middle of the path. The brick can be installed on the end or laid on its wide side.

• To make the masonry rigid, you need to lay one row along and the other across the path, driving the bricks into the sand at the same height as the framing ones. However, to make the path as reliable as possible, it is recommended to fasten the bricks together with a cement-based adhesive solution intended for street work - this will also reduce the risk of grass growing in the cracks between the bricks.

It is advisable to place the solution in such a way that it does not protrude from above, but remains inside the masonry, which means that not too much of it will be required.

• After completing the laying of the path, the gaps between the bricks are filled with sand. To do this, it is poured onto the path and distributed with a long-haired brush, first over one area, then in another - and so on until all the gaps are completely filled.

The remaining excess sand is swept off the surface with the same brush.

• Next, when the path is almost ready, the formwork from the boards is removed from its sides. Crushed stone of the middle fraction is poured along the outer edge of the path and carefully compacted, and another layer of crushed stone is freely poured on top of it.
• To brighten the color and prolong its service life, it is recommended to treat the brick with a penetrating primer, and after it dries, coat it with varnish that is suitable for stone in outdoor conditions.

With some assumption, a type of such paths can be considered those that are laid out from thick. How the process occurs is shown in detail in the video.

Prices for paving stones

Paving stones

Video: master class on laying a garden path

Round timber path

Option #1

To “pave” the path with posts, you need to take a dried tree of one of the hardwoods. The round wood must have a flat surface, so sawing them must be done very carefully.

Then the surface of the stumps is cleaned and leveled.

• Logs are taken to create a path different diameters, so that it turns out to fill the space of the pit as tightly as possible.

The height of the round timber should be twice the height of the walls of the pit, counting from compacted crushed stone, that is, the columns should rise above the surface of the soil located around the future path by 100 ÷ 130 mm.

• When the log blanks are prepared, it is necessary to treat their lower part with an antiseptic, which will protect the wood from biological pests and the negative effects of ground moisture on it.

This is best done by placing the hemp one by one in a container with liquid and leaving for 3 ÷ 4 minutes. The rest of the surface is simply applied with a wide brush. Before installing paths in the pit, the round timber is thoroughly dried.

• After drying, the hemp is dipped in “Kuzbass varnish” for a few seconds - it will perfectly protect the wood from moisture. However, the disadvantage of this composition is that its structure is destroyed by exposure ultraviolet rays and overheating. However, if it only treats the lower part of the stumps, which will be covered by the pit wall, sand, geotextiles and crushed stone, then such harmful effects do not threaten.

A replacement for varnish can be ordinary heated tar, which, when cooled, forms a fairly dense film on the surface of the stumps - it is not afraid of any heat, nor sunlight.

• Prepared round timber from trunks of different diameters begins to be installed on compacted on the bottom pit crushed stone as follows:

— A small amount of sand is poured onto the transverse wall of the pit at the beginning of the path.

— Then, the first row of round timber is installed. It must be carefully selected in size so that it fits as tightly as possible.

— Sand is poured between the logs to the level of the top of the pit walls.

— Similar cyclical manipulations continue until the end of the path.

• Along the edge of the path, a sandy border is filled and compacted.

Option No. 2

Another option using round stumps, which is installed in combination with crushed stone or gravel.

In this case, only a curb is assembled from stumps, and the remaining stages of work with removing soil, pouring sand and installing stumps to the walls of the pit are carried out in the same way as a path made entirely of logs. The process takes place in the following sequence:

• A “cushion” of sand is poured and compacted at the bottom of the pit;
• Then, along the edge of the future path, stumps are installed, which are driven in at one level and sprinkled with sand. The sand bedding is compacted directly near the bottom of the stumps;
• After the borders of logs are completely laid out, geotextiles are laid on the entire surface of the path, the edges whom bent onto stumps by 80 ÷ 100 mm;

• The next step is to make an embankment of gravel or mid-fraction crushed stone directly onto geotextiles;

The gravel embankment is distributed over the entire area of ​​the path in an even layer. If necessary, the layer is increased, since it should be equal in height to the ground level of the entire site.

The gravel layer should act as a second retaining wall for the stumps in the border.

• If the tops of the stumps have different colors, and you want to achieve harmony in the design of the path, then they can be coated with paint intended for external work, and the shade in this case is selected to the taste of the owner of the site.

Path made of round river stones

For those who value originality - a mosaic path made of river stone

Paths with amazing curls are made from Altai river stone, which has bluish shades, from very light to dark gray-blue. To make such a wonderful path, you need to prepare round and oval smooth stones of different sizes, clean sand, a rubber or wooden hammer, cement, a sponge, a level, and, of course, water.

Preparatory work pass in almost the same way as when constructing a brick path, but with slight deviations.

The whole process begins with sorting the stones, as they may have small defects. If the flaw is not too large, then it can be hidden by turning the stone with its even side up.

Having sorted through the stones, you need to choose a pattern that is suitable in size to the width of the path, the base for which has already been prepared. If you don’t find a suitable one, then you can easily compose it yourself, using squares as a basis for a design, into which curlicue shells will fit perfectly.

Option #1

• The drawing from the sketch is transferred to the prepared base. The curl must be placed in the marked square, and it is desirable that this square has all four sides sides, which will not allow the mosaic to fall apart.

Since the base is made of crushed stone, the marking can be done with lime.

• The next step is to mix sand with cement, approximately 3:1 or 4:1, add water and make a thick mixture, from which a side with a width equal to the length of the pebbles is laid out according to the markings. The stripes are arranged in small areas to make it easier to level stones in them.
• An oval stone with rounded edges is folded into a small path - it is placed on the side and slightly pressed into the solution.

If the solution has already hardened a little, then to level all the stones, you can knock on them with a rubber hammer.

• When one of the strips is laid out, its evenness must be checked using a building level - there should be no strong protrusions above the general level of the track.

• So, looking at your sketch, row by row, they lay out a similar stone mosaic. It can use both small oval smooth stones, installed on an edge, and round ones, if they fit well into the pattern being created.

• In addition, you can use different shades of stones, for example, laying out one strip with light stones, another with dark ones, or making a smooth color transition.
• Depending on the intended design, the stones can be installed in height. The main thing is to maintain constant control using a level.

• After one of the parts of the mosaic is laid out, it is watered with water using a sprayer. This will not only strengthen the hardening solution, but will also wash away excess of it from the surface of the mosaic.

• So, dividing the drawing into separate parts, gradually, in accordance with the sequence thought out in advance, they lay out the entire plane allocated for the mosaic. As a result, it should be densely filled with stones.

Option No. 2

Another option can be called simpler, since the stones are placed immediately in leveled wet sand, without the use of cement.

However, so that the created composition does not fall apart prematurely, it must be laid out in a limited space. For this purpose, installed borders with temporary partitions can serve, since the mosaic is laid out in parts, or a kind of formwork made of boards, which is removed only after compacting each of the parts.

• So, on a base with compacted crushed stone, curbs are placed and leveled, as well as temporary partitions that will limit the area of ​​work being carried out.
• Next, wet sand is poured into the resulting form, compacted and leveled with a rule. The height of the sand cushion should be 20 ÷ 30 mm below the sides of the curb or formwork - this is exactly the height at which the stones will remain on the surface, and the laid mosaic will need to be leveled along the curb.

Lines are drawn along the leveled sand surface along which the stone mosaic will be laid.

• It is more convenient to lay out the stones not one at a time, but to immediately place them in a path and, tapping on top with a rubber hammer, deepen them to the desired level. If necessary, the sand must be additionally moistened.

While carrying out work, the height of the stones must be constantly monitored using.

• Having laid out a certain section of the mosaic, until the sand has dried, you need to go over the entire surface again with a rubber hammer, and then you need to pour more dry sand or a mixture of sand and cement on top. The excess of such backfill must then be immediately swept away with a brush.

• After the laid surface has completely dried, you can brush the surface again.

After a few hours, the sand will compact and sink slightly between the stones. After this, you need to repeat the procedure with bedding and splashing.

• After the mosaic dries again, all the stones are washed with a wet sponge.

• The entire composition is moistened with water every day for a week - this is necessary for the path to “gain hardness”.
• If work is being done When installing a mosaic in an open space, then in order to avoid its erosion by rain, it is best to cover the entire composition with thin foam rubber at night. It will allow water to pass through, but will not allow sand to wash out.
• If the work was carried out in formwork made of boards, after completing the masonry and its temporary fencing, it is necessary to strengthen the path by covering it with stones or bricks in the form of a border.

concrete path

For concrete path marking is carried out in the same way as described above, and then soil is excavated along the marked area.

Then, sand is poured onto the bottom of the pit, which is moistened and compacted. The final thickness of the compacted layer should be 60 ÷ 70 mm.

Crushed stone is poured on top of the compacted sand, which also needs to be compacted.

A reinforcing grid is installed on the crushed stone, which will make the path much stronger.

Then, you can do one of two ways, depending on what kind of track you want to get.

1. If a flat surface is to be obtained, then a thin one is made, which is used to fill the formwork.

— In the case when concrete is poured into the space between already installed curbs, the rule will need to be made independently, and it should have the same basic form as the one described in the section about leveling sand when constructing a brick path.

— The finished path is reinforced with iron. To do this, on a still damp surface. thin layer dry cement crumbles, which is immediately carefully rubbed in using grout. Commercially available strengthening topping mixtures can also be used.

2. If the path is planned to be made using a form that helps imitate stone laying, then the concrete mixture is poured into the formwork in two layers.

— The first layer is poured to half the height of the formwork and also leveled using the rule. In this case, a rough mortar consisting of cement and gravel is used. The surface should be fairly level, and to achieve this, it is recommended to install beacons required height, and level the concrete along them.

— After the concrete has set, a form is placed on its surface and filled with a thin solution. It is leveled on the surface of the mold. The form filled with concrete is left to harden for 3 ÷ 5 days.

Curly shapes to achieve the effect of a “paved path”

If there is only one form, then the work, of course, will take too long, so when using similar technology It is advisable to have at least two similar forms at your disposal. It should be noted that with their help you can design not only paths, but also the floor in the gazebo, the area near the gate or near the garage.

Prices for cement and basic mixtures

Cement and base mixtures

Video: example of using a form to fill a “paved” path

Garden paths made from lids

A very interesting version of the track - it turns out that it can be made from caps from ordinary plastic bottles. Thanks to their bright, varied colors, they can be used to create various ornamental designs that will help decorate the garden landscape.

The only difficulty that will be encountered on the path of the master who decides to make this work will be collecting the required number of these “mosaic elements” of the future path.

Having decided to do this work, you need to start collecting the lids in advance. While the drilling process is going on, you can think about what pattern to choose for the path and draw up a rough sketch of it.

You should not wait until the required number of covers for the entire length of the path is completely assembled. Having collected a certain number of them, you can begin to assemble elements of the future canvas from them. For example, to assemble the fragment shown in the photo, you will need only 19 caps.

A large number of caps are usually found on the beach in the summer. And by the way, you can get triple benefits from the collection process:

- at least slightly clean the beach sand from foreign objects;

— get some fresh air while walking along the beach;

- get the material for making the path completely free of charge.

• To connect the lids into the desired pattern, you will need a “gypsy” needle, an awl, always with a wooden handle, and a large amount of fishing line. A wooden handle is needed because the awl will have to be heated over a fire so that holes can be easily made in the lids to fasten them together.
• Holes for the passage of a needle are pierced on the sides of the covers, as shown in the photo above.
• First, individual elements are assembled according to the prepared sketch , and when several of them are ready, they are connected to each other.
• The work of assembling the elements of such a track is quite long and painstaking, but it does not require T ore-intensive preparation of the base associated with excavation or concrete work.

If you have the material and the necessary diligence and patience, you can “pave” fairly large areas

• When the mat of lids is completely ready, the place for it is prepared as follows:

- marked space for installation, sprayed with weed killer;

- then, a prepared mat of lids is placed on it;

— so that less soil falls on the surface of the path during operation, it is recommended to install a border made of brick or stone along the path;

- to do this, the top soil is removed to a depth of approximately two-thirds of the brick, and then the space of the trench is filled halfway with sand, into which the brick is placed at an angle and tapped. The side gaps between the soil and the brick are also filled with sand, which is moistened in advance.

Prefabricated paths made of plastic slabs

Mobile garden paths can be laid quickly, without arranging a base for them, using special plastic panels.

From them you can assemble a path of any width, since they have fastenings that will allow you to connect them both along and across.

Connecting elements having sufficient big size, impart rigidity to the structure, since every two slabs are fastened in two places and serve as a kind of support legs.

The advantage of such slab panels is not only the speed of installation, but also the fact that their surface is absolutely non-slippery, such paths can withstand quite heavy loads, and they are very durable in use.

For the manufacture of plates, frost-resistant plastic is used, which can withstand not only low temperatures up to - 35÷40, but also high up to + 45÷50 degrees. However, there is no particular point in leaving such a garden path for the winter - if desired, it can be quickly and easily disassembled, stacked and sent for storage in one of the outbuildings. The tiles will not take up much space, and in the spring the path will not be so difficult to lay out again as quickly as possible anywhere in the area.

The tile has a very convenient size for working with it - it is 570 × 570 mm in width and length, and its thickness is 22 mm.

In addition, the convenience of such tiles also lies in the fact that water does not accumulate on them, since there are longitudinal holes on the surface.

By the way, on winter period You can lay out a mat from such tiles in front of the front door - its surface is corrugated, which means it will not allow you to slip and get injured.

This option for arranging garden paths does not require much effort for installation, since the tiles can be laid both on and on the soil surface. If grass begins to grow through the holes in the tiles, the path can easily be moved or disassembled, and after getting rid of the grass, it can be collected and put back in place.

"Garden parquet"

“Garden parquet” is quite expensive type of material that used not only for laying on the site, but also for decorating floors in gazebos, verandas, terraces and balconies.

Expensive, but very cool - “garden parquet”

It has characteristics similar to plastic plates. This option is excellent for laying on garden paths - “garden parquet” is also quickly assembled and disassembled, since it has special fastenings for this, which have their own specific features.

Fastening "garden parquet" tiles

Detailed panels may have different arrangements of the elements that make up its design. They are laid on compacted gravel mixture or fine crushed stone.

Laying garden parquet will never take much time

This “parquet” is made from wood that has been treated in a special way and does not react to ordinary external “irritants” - it is not afraid of humidity, direct sunlight, temperature changes, or biological effects. However, in addition to wood, special plastic is used to make “garden parquet” (relatively inexpensive models), which perfectly imitates natural wood. It is clear that the second option of parquet flooring is much more accessible to the average property owner

So, there are a very large number of country paths. After careful review, you can always choose one that is suitable in terms of price, design and complexity of doing all the work yourself. Therefore, if the time comes to plan a site, you need to carefully think through all the nuances and calculate your strengths and capabilities.

Video: Variety of options for garden paths

Neat, gracefully meandering between green spaces and landscape decor, are an integral attribute of any garden. So, if you want your site to be truly well-groomed and complete, do not neglect the paths. Fortunately, to equip them you don’t need to spend fabulous sums and attract professional designers– you can make beautiful paths with your own hands, seriously saving on both materials and labor. How? There are many answers to this question, because there are a huge number of types of garden paths that can be laid at low cost. Next, we offer you instructions for the most popular options with accompanying photos and videos - after reading them, you will definitely be able to effectively improve your area.

Original path made from wood cuts

Wooden round timber - very simple, but original material For garden paths. Raw materials for them can be found on every site - there are probably old trees everywhere that would be time to replace them with new seedlings. It is advisable to use larch or oak - they are the most resistant to external influences, which means they can boast a long service life. The path from the saw cuts is made according to the following scheme:

Advice. In order to protect the path from moisture and increase its durability, arrange simple drainage - place a layer of fine crushed stone between the sand cushion and the saw cuts.

Durable paths made of stones

One of the most durable options for garden paths is made of natural stone. Here you can use cobblestones or rubble - they are equally durable. The path is laid as follows:

1. Mark the garden path.
2. From the area where you plan to lay the path, remove the top layer of drainage. The depth of this layer should be 7-10 cm greater than the height of the largest stone prepared for the path.
3. Fill the resulting trench with a 10 cm layer of sand, carefully level it and compact it.
4. Place one by one on sand cushion stones, pressing them firmly into the base. The distance between small stones should be no more than 2-3 cm, and between large ones - up to 8-10 cm.
5. Carefully fill the remaining gaps cement mortar. Once the track has set, fill the seams with soil or fine sand to make them look more natural.

Classic concrete paths in the country

Concrete is a traditional material for laying paths, which is always popular due to its low cost and ease of use. Anyone can definitely make a cast path:

1. Mark the boundaries of the path - drive pegs along its contour and stretch a wire between them.
2. Within the designated contours, dig a small trench up to 30 cm deep.
3. Place a 5 cm layer of gravel and the same layer of sand on the bottom of the base. Compact the resulting pillow.
4. Cover the base with chain-link or any other thin metal mesh.
5. Install lumber formwork along the perimeter of the future path.
6. Prepare a cement mortar: 1 part dry cement, 1.5 parts sand, 2 parts gravel and 1 part water.
7. Pour the cent and evenly, with vibrating movements, using a spatula, distribute the composition over the entire area of ​​​​the path. During installation, pierce the mixture with a rod to prevent the formation of voids.
8. Use the rule to do final leveling paths and cover it with plastic.

In 3-4 days the path will be ready. All this time, do not forget to gently moisten it with water to protect the concrete from cracking and give it maximum strength.

Advice. To make the path more interesting, even before concrete mixture to finally set, “drown” various decorative pebbles, pieces of glass or shells in it.

Budget garden paths made from tires

Found a long time ago wide application in dacha farming: they are used to make flower beds, and now also garden paths. This trend is not surprising, given the operational characteristics of the material: tires are resistant to moisture and temperature changes, easy to care for, do not slip and are durable. You can arrange a garden path out of them like this:

1. Using a knife, divide the tires into two parts: rolling tracks and sidewalls. To make the knife fit into the rubber easier, lubricate it regularly with oil or soap.
2. Cut ribbons from the resulting rings. Adjust them to length and trim the edges.
3. Take wide wooden boards and carefully nail rubber bands onto them so that they completely cover the wood - there should be no empty spaces between the elements.
4. Remove the top layer of soil no more than 5 cm deep along the entire length of the future path and press wooden boards into the base. If desired, the rubber can be painted.

Country paths made of bricks

Another traditional material for garden paths is brick. It is recommended to use clinker products, as they are characterized by high resistance to various types of chemical and mechanical influences. It is important that the bricks are intact and without chips, otherwise the path will turn out not only unaesthetic, but also unsafe.

The path is laid in this way:

1. Mark the path: drive a peg around the perimeter and stretch a rope between them.
2. Dig a trench along the marked contour - up to 25-35 cm deep.
3. Place barriers made of bars or boards along the trench.
4. Cover the space between the limiters, that is, the “body” of the path, with a 10 cm layer of gravel and compact it thoroughly. Place a layer of sand no more than 5 cm high on top.
5. Remove the limiters and make curbs in their place: on both sides of the path, lay one row of bricks in the “edge” position.
6. Form from bricks inner space paths: lay them in the usual position, gently tapping them with a wooden spatula or rubber mallet until they settle.

Advice. The bricks do not have to be laid closely - to give the path a more original look, leave small gaps and fill them with pebbles. In addition, you don’t even have to cover the gaps - after a while grass will grow in them and decorate the path.

Multi-format wooden walkways

Wood is one of the most beneficial materials for making garden paths, as it can be used in completely different forms. Let's consider two common options: paths made of boards and paths made of bark.

Site preparation looks the same in both cases:

• mark the path and remove the top soil - about 20 cm;
• lay geotextiles on the resulting trench;
• Place a 10 cm layer of gravel on top.

Further technologies diverge. So, if you are making a path from boards, prepare the component elements: adjust them in length and width and treat them with an antiseptic. If desired, you can give them a twisted shape. Next, install wooden supports along the edges and in the center of the trench along its entire length and secure them with cement mortar. The final stage is to nail the prepared planks to the supports.

If you want to build a path from bark, make sure that the material is durable - it should not crumble. Be sure to treat the bark with an antiseptic. Before fixing the material in the trench, lay a sand cushion on its base, and then drown the bark in it.

Garden paths made of tiles

Although tile cannot be called a very cheap material, it is still used very often for making garden paths. There are several reasons for this: aesthetic appearance, good performance and ease of working with the material. The technology for laying tile paths will convince you of the latter:

Now you know a lot interesting ways make a garden path with your own hands at low cost. By following simple instructions, you can implement any of the above options on your site, so feel free to get to work and discover new opportunities for improving your garden area.

Garden paths at the dacha: video

DIY garden paths: photo

Increasingly, the dacha is becoming a vacation spot for family and friends. The plots are equipped with houses and outbuildings, recreation areas and flower beds. Space is also allocated for a vegetable garden, which acquires decorative qualities. All objects are connected by a communications network - paths. They allow you to avoid dirt, create convenience for agricultural work, walking on fresh air and are elements of a single landscape design garden territory. Let's get acquainted with the basic techniques for beautifully and competently arranging pedestrian paths for a summer residence.

What are they for?

The paths are different functional purpose. Depending on this, certain materials are used; the width and laying technology depend on the purpose of laying the path. There are several main functions of communications in the country.

Entrance from the gate to the porch of the house

This is the front area of ​​a private or country house; it is used most often. A wear-resistant material with good decorative qualities is appropriate here, which should be combined with the style of the main buildings, copy the material of the base, and have a sufficient width (from 80 cm to 1.5 m) to easily pass each other when two people meet or ride a bicycle to the house. A flat surface is required.

When choosing a material for the main entrance path, preference is given to paving slabs, concrete slabs with decorative design, and natural stone.

Connecting the house and outbuildings

For this variety, the coating material chosen is strong and durable. It is better to make paths straight (for example, for ease of movement with a wheelbarrow when carrying out gardening work). The width varies from 80 cm to 1 meter. The surface of these paths should be smooth, non-slip, and convenient for use in rainy or snowy weather.

In addition to the above materials, you can use more affordable concrete pouring into the formwork. For better wear resistance, it is reinforced with metal mesh. Artificial stone has proven itself well. It is much cheaper, is not inferior in performance to natural materials, has a lot of colors and imitates different structures.

Walking

I make walking paths from lightweight materials: wood, sandstone with intervals of ground cover plants or sand, mosaic concrete slabs. These paths can be covered with pebbles, sand, and tree bark. The width of the paths varies depending on the distance from the main communications and is calculated based on the size of the entire area. If possible, it is necessary to provide a width of 1 meter for walking together. To create a flair of mystery and romance in special corners of the garden, a standard tile size of 35-50 cm is allowed. Any curved shape that emphasizes the topography of the soil or the zoning of the garden is welcome here.

Natural materials they look natural and harmonious in the landscape.

Paths between beds

Their function is to limit the accumulation of dirt during gardening work and organize space for vegetable plantings. These paths are made 50 cm in size; the material used can be very diverse (from rubber tires to board coverings on logs). It is not at all necessary to make a sand and gravel cushion under these paths: most often they are simply laid on the ground. When redeveloping the beds, it is easy to move these paths to a new location.

When arranging stationary high beds, the paths are covered with crushed stone, laid on black acrylic insulating material. This material isolates them from weed germination, while moisture freely passes deep into the soil. Paths made of fine gravel look aesthetically pleasing and last a long time. Paths in a dacha with different functionality can be designed in the same style, using the same material, changing only the width and shape of the paths. It all depends on the preferences of the owners, the size of the plot and the price segment of landscape work.

Selecting a location

An important stage in the improvement of a summer cottage is the road and path network around the cottage and the surrounding area. At the first stage of planning, future paths are traced. There are two approaches to tracing: if the building exists or the site is just being developed. In existing buildings, they focus on well-trodden dirt paths between objects. These paths are taken as a basis, applied to the site plan, given a technological size and the desired curvature, or straightened a little for ease of use, without disturbing the vector of the path itself.

To develop a new site, the necessary and desired paths are drawn on the plan. It's better to make two or three options. Using these plans, they navigate the area, walk along these routes several times, and evaluate the ease of movement. Changes are made depending on the terrain or taking into account economic needs and the location of communications. In both cases, there are common factors that affect the trace.

The necessary utility paths are planned first:

• from the gate to the porch of the house;
• from home to outbuildings;
• to the garden area.

These communications are subject to the same requirements, the main ones being:

• wear resistance;
• sufficient width for the passage of small garden equipment;
• ease of cleaning from debris or snow;
• non-slip coating;
• no sharp bends.

Additional paths are needed to connect with the recreation area or access to remote corners of the summer cottage.

The load on them is not as large as in the first case. Decorative and useful qualities do not require straightness or a particularly flat surface. Paths can be made from scrap materials, using the inclusion of natural elements. Often they are given a deliberate curvature to lengthen the route or inspect certain landscape compositions. The width can also vary.

After tracing and determining the width of the transitions, the relief is studied. To protect against the formation of puddles on the surface, it is necessary to maintain a slope. The soil in some areas will have to be added. In others, choose to level the top layer. If the relief of the site is textured, it has big differences heights, it may be necessary to install stairs or remove a large amount of soil with the installation of retaining walls to prevent soil from falling onto the path. In some cases, it is necessary to change the location of the path to bypass relief depressions or protrusions in order to avoid a large amount of excavation work.

Next, the drainage arrangement is taken into account. For solid paths on a cement base, a transverse slope from the middle to the edges is used to drain water. The middle is made slightly higher, and the finishing material is laid in an arc towards the side edges. The slope must be at least 15 degrees. Paths with more sparse laying of finishing material on the ground, sand or crushed stone have natural drainage. When installing a curb, it is necessary to lay special storm systems under the road surface.

The next planning stage is to create a decorative effect. The communications network is not only of practical importance, but is also an element of landscaping of a personal plot.

Simple concrete paths are practical enough, but a network of gray, boring straight lines is unlikely to please the eye. They should be given some curvature, for example, a sharp turn over a hill can open a beautiful flower bed.

Paths can be a means of visually changing the parameters of a site. A narrow elongated section will look wider with a path in the form of a sinusoid across the section. For a short section, it is better to place the coating material along the track surface. This will visually lengthen the area. The transverse layout of the material will visually reduce the distance.

The color scheme of the finishing material is selected at the planning stage. Here you need to rely on the basic colors of the environment. A house surrounded by dark green coniferous trees will require gray, dark stone paths or finishing in the color of dried pine needles. The paving pattern plays an important role in the overall perception of the landscape. For example, cottages decorated in a rural style can be decorated with brick or homemade mosaic paths. Children will love the soft rubber tracks made from tires.

Planning ends with drawing up an estimate for the purchase of materials. Calculate the length of the canvas, multiply it by the width and get the required amount of finishing material. It is worth considering land work: will it be carried out independently or will it be necessary to attract equipment and specialists. For cement-based paths, take into account the presence of a 10-15 cm sand cushion, layers of crushed stone, and a cement-sand mixture in a ratio of 1: 6 (for laying slabs). If the paths are made of different materials, estimates are drawn up separately for different types coverings. This is justified, since resource savings can be achieved using a simplified approach to the arrangement of secondary paths. To do this, consider the types of garden paths.

Types of garden paths

Garden paths are divided into two types: hard and soft.

Solid

Hard coverings are made of brick, concrete tiles, clinker stone, flagstone, paving stones. Such coatings are used in car parking areas, in the entrance area, on the main alleys of the site, between country houses.

Hard surfaces are chosen for paving recreation areas and some paths.

A special base is prepared for them.

Select soil to a depth of 25 cm, compact the bottom of the trench manually or mechanically by means of a vibrating rammer. For the manual method, a special tamper is made from a log with a nailed transverse bar instead of handles. The bottom of the trench is lined with geotextiles to isolate weeds. A layer of sand (5 cm) is poured, after compacting, a layer of crushed stone (from 5 to 10 cm) is laid on it, compacted and covered with sand.

After this, they spill water so that the sand fills the voids between the stones well. After drying, sprinkle with sand again in a layer of 5 cm, followed by a layer of cement-sand mixture (5 cm). Finishing material (natural stone, brick or slabs) is laid on this layer. They tamp and fall asleep cement mixture. Sprinkle with water and cover again with cement mixture until the desired level is reached.

Soft

The soft covering on the paths is made of crushed stone, sand, wood, bark, rubber, marble chips, pebbles. Such paths are for walking, although they are also used for tending the garden. Grass and rubber surfaces are optimal for children's playgrounds. For soft finishing material, there is no need to prepare a complex trench before installation. Here it is enough to remove the soil to a depth of 10 cm, compact it, cover it with geotextiles to prevent weeds, add 5 cm of sand and lay the finishing material.

From paving slabs

Paths made of paving slabs have a universal purpose. Laid on a cement-sand mixture, they will serve excellently on the main driveway due to their high performance qualities.

The tiles, placed at some distance from each other with a grass cushion in between, will create a clean, dry path in tune with the natural landscape.

Pedestrian paths at the dacha you can beautifully combine different materials, the main thing is to take into account the overall style of the site’s design.

Styles

The same finishing material in a certain context can be a participant in retro styles and the most modern trends landscape design at the same time. If you want to create a garden in a certain style, you should adhere to the following rules.

• To design the site Mediterranean style choose pebbles, tiles and sand. Country goes perfectly with natural wooden coverings. Forest areas are landscaped with paths made of stone, cobblestones and wood cuts. It looks interesting to use crushed bark to fill paths.
• Modern especially loves floral decor and rounded smooth lines. Eco-style prefers paths made of sand and stones, covered with fine gravel (without curbs, almost invisible in the landscape).
• Wood and stone– traditional materials used for centuries to equip paths. Today they are given special attention.

A striking example of a combination of a variety of materials is industrial style hi-tech in landscape design. It combines glass and metal, concrete and plastic, water and stone. These materials can be arranged randomly or symmetrically. The main thing is the presence of a clear geometric pattern. The paths are strictly straight, the turns have a strict pattern. The coating avoids texture, the color scheme is restrained and monochrome. The most popular coatings are made of concrete and marble filling with inclusions of glass elements edged with metal. Presented in an original way water environment in this technologically advanced design.

The design of the paths has the same striking uniqueness. Japanese style. If the high-tech style sharply distinguishes the natural environment and the human environment, the Japanese style includes humans in the natural landscape. The finishing materials here are natural stone and wood, plants and streams. The paths are combined with bridges and recreation areas in a classic Japanese style.

Great importance attached to natural stone. The stone has a deep philosophical meaning and is a symbol of original ethnic design. The entire garden or a separate section of it is decorated with appropriate plants. The paths have smooth curves, the surface is decorated using pebbles, crushed stone and flat boulders.

The width can be arbitrary: from very narrow paths for contemplative solitary walks to wide dry rivers. Flat and smooth paths are combined with yielding rapids boulders.

From the same materials you can create completely different style solutions registration dacha area.

Let’s take a closer look at what materials can be used in the construction of country communications.

Materials

Different materials are used to make paths.

Flagstone

Traditional options for designing paths at the dacha are natural and artificial flagstone. The stone has a maximum wear resistance coefficient; it is one of the most durable materials. It is not exposed to seasonal temperature changes and has the necessary roughness, which ensures no slipping. Has a huge palette of colors. It is better to choose the color to match the color of the house or base: this will compositionally unite the house and garden.

Laying flagstone does not require special skills; this work can be completed without the involvement of special workers. Prepare the ground for the hard surface, laying the stone with a small gap (like a mosaic).

The stone covering does not require a curb; any bend in the trajectory can be made.

The width of the path can be easily changed smoothly along its entire length, which gives a natural look to the entire appearance of the garden and yard.

There are several types of natural stone: slate, quartzite, granite, sandstone, shungite. Stone with spaces filled with turf grass creates a warm and comfortable transition through the area. The disadvantages of this paving include the high cost of the material. For a budget option it is better to use paving slabs.

Paving slabs

Paving slabs are not inferior in strength to stone. There are concrete and ceramic tiles. It may have a pattern, then it is laid out in the form of an ornament. This is a very colorful coating with excellent performance qualities. Manufacturers offer surface-painted or fully colored tiles (in the first case, the top layer may wear off after a few years).

For the parking lot and the front alley, vibrocast tiles are used: they are more resistant to loads; for paths, vibropressed tiles are more appropriate. Tiles are produced in the form of bricks, diamonds, and coils of different colors. Smooth edges allow you to install a border that can be matched to the tone of the main pattern. Paving is carried out using hard surface technology with a wide variety of patterns.

Clinker brick

A durable hard surface is clinker brick. This material is not afraid of moisture, has an interesting range of colors and is designed specifically for paths. It can be filled with a cement-sand mixture. Another way is to fill the top layer with soil and sow grass seeds, however, caring for this coating is more labor-intensive (you will have to remove weeds and sow grass in places where there is abrasion).

Can be made from bricks various schemes, just like from a parquet block.

Decking

A special garden wooden parquet - decking - has been created for road surfaces. For its production, particularly hard wood or plastic that imitates is used. different kinds parquet wood layout. Decking is produced in the form of slabs or individual planks, which are laid out on a prepared base in a specific pattern. The sections have dimensions of 35 x 50 cm or 50 x 50 cm, due to special fastenings they are connected to each other, they are placed on special supports. This connection allows you to model the path according to the terrain of the site.

You can assemble the parquet flooring yourself. Using decking boards to design paths made from natural or polymer materials will not break the budget. Decking requires the preparation of a base made of concrete screed or sand and gravel cushion. Garden parquet requires thorough care; it must be protected from moisture and regularly impregnated with special compounds. Especially valuable species trees need to be dismantled for the winter.

Concrete

You can make a hard road surface yourself from reinforced concrete. Prepare a sand and crushed stone bed. A metal mesh is placed on it. The formwork is installed and filled with cement-sand mixture. The top layer can be decorated with pieces of old ceramic tiles and broken dishes. The result will be a kind of colorful mosaic.

An original pattern can be laid out from multi-colored caps from plastic bottles into not yet hardened cement. True, you will have to make an effort to collect them. However, the result will be bright and exclusive. If a river flows nearby, the surface of the concrete path can be lined with pebbles or shells.

Various patterns and natural colors of the path will decorate your summer cottage.

Modules

If there is a lack of finishing material, it is worth casting separate concrete slabs. It is worth preparing a pillow of the size for the base, making formwork in the ground and pouring it with concrete, the top will remain to be decorated according to your taste and the availability of material. Combining materials gives an excellent effect: this breaks the monotony of one finishing material. At the same time, high performance qualities are maintained.

The advantages of modular tracks are the variety of shapes, the possibility of decorating them with improvised materials, adding color using tint. Modular tracks are easy to repair by replacing modules. They can be made gradually, lengthening the track as needed. Simple rectangular modules look stylish against the background of the lawn.

Plastic

Plastic garden paths have become a new offer on the finishing materials market. They immediately gained popularity due to their ease of installation, ease of maintenance and low cost. Colorful plastic coverings are sold in rolls or modules, which are assembled like a construction set. This type of coating is not as durable, but it performs well against dirt. Even a pensioner can lay roller paths on his summer cottage.

Plastic modules are indispensable in the garden or playground; they are easy to move to the right place or put away for the winter.

Gravel and crushed stone

Soft paths in the garden plot are covered with gravel and crushed stone. For the base, dig a shallow trench, compact the bottom, lay geotextiles and fill with crushed stone or gravel. It is better to install borders here so that small pebbles do not spread throughout the area. This type of path looks especially impressive when using gravel of different colors.

Rubber

Budget-friendly and comfortable paths are made from rubber mats. Rectangles of thick rubber are placed in the right place - and the path is ready. It does not slip, it is pleasant to walk on it barefoot, as it is warm even in cool weather, light and durable, and will last for several seasons. Often used in this case rubber tires from old wheels.

To do this, the side parts of the tire are cut off, the resulting ring is cut and straightened into a track. On one side it is smooth, on the other it has a tire texture. You can use both sides. Aesthetic qualities leave much to be desired, but such paths perform the practical function of protecting against dirt well.

Tree

Traditional wooden paths in the country are environmentally friendly, inexpensive and beautiful. You can use leftover boards or wooden pallets from transporting building materials. The pallets are of sufficient width, the blocks consist of identical processed boards. They can be laid out along the route, but their service life will be short-lived and some boards may break and pose a risk of injury. It is better to dismantle the pallets, prepare a trench from crushed stone or concrete, lay boards on top of the logs, secure them with self-tapping screws and treat them with special anti-rotting agents.

Paths made from wood cuts look beautiful. They cut down stumps 10-15 cm high, prepare a trench, and fill in a sand cushion. Hemp impregnated with an anti-corrosion compound is installed in the trench, the gaps are filled with sand or small crushed stone. Such paths are appropriate in coniferous landscape compositions.

Bottles

A path made of bottles will be a unique solution for garden communications. The principle of the device is similar to the previous version. Only instead of stumps they install bottles filled with sand. The glare of light reflected from the glass creates a pleasant shine.

The trench for the path can be lined with bricks left over from construction. It is worth remembering that red brick is susceptible to moisture. After a few years it will have to be replaced with a new one. Preparation for installation is done as for a hard surface.

Paved paths made of paving stones or cobblestones are the most preferred options for creating a hard road surface. These materials are durable, wear-resistant, and their decorative qualities make it possible to use paving in the front area.

Masonry schemes

There are many options for laying paths. Creating them is a fascinating process.

At the same time, for the most good result It makes sense to turn to the basic schemes that professionals adhere to:

• Linear-angular diagram. The bars are laid with their ends to the edge of the longitudinal side. It turns out to be a “herringbone” at an angle of 90 or 45 degrees.
• Linear with shift. Classic form: the bars are laid in a row, the second row is installed with a seam in the middle of the long side of the first row, while the outer bars are shortened by half.

• Multi-colored tiles are laid in a checkerboard pattern.
• The “braid” is obtained by alternating longitudinal and transverse tiles.
• The end arrangement of the bars is used to mark the boundaries of a path or pattern.

When choosing a laying method, you need to know that the transverse arrangement of the tiles visually shortens the length of the path (and vice versa). A “herringbone” at an angle of 45 degrees visually compresses the space, a “herringbone” at an angle of 90 degrees expands the track surface. The easiest to install patterns are herringbone and braided. They are convenient to use when working with regular-shaped bricks or rectangular tiles.

The stone can be laid “seam to seam” or “in a run”. In the first case, the edges of the ends are aligned, in the second they are shifted by a certain amount. Laying "in a running start" gives interesting picture movement in a wave or diagonally. Alternating longitudinal and end parts of the stone are used. This technique creates “Gothic”, “Dutch” masonry, “well” or “cross” masonry. The most difficult is the “radial” masonry. Its implementation is best left to specialists.

Marking

The initial stage of arranging paths is marking the route. To do this, fill the contours of the future path with chalk or sand along the entire length and required width. The width is set slightly larger than the size of the track itself for installing formwork, curbing or installation drainage system. They study the route again, assessing the convenience and adequacy of the path width. It is important to take into account the view that opens from the path and think about where the water supply and electrical cables will run.

To do this, they walk along the future route several times, visually representing the size of adult plants along the path, so that as they grow, they do not interfere with traffic, and the roots do not destroy the road surface. The path should be at least 2 meters away from large trees. If there are no green spaces yet (or they have not yet grown), the contour of the crown in an adult state is outlined with sand. Dimensions can be found in plant growing reference books.

It can be difficult to imagine a particular plant in the future. Then use the following technique. Place large stones, boxes, or drive a stake at the planting sites (this will help with visualization). After approval of the route, the paths begin to lay out the finishing material.

How to post?

To save material resources, many landowners build a pedestrian network in their dacha with their own hands. This process consists of several stages.

Digging a trench for the path bed

Based on backfilling, soil is selected to the required depth:

• for hard surfaces 25-30 cm;
• for filling by 10 cm.

The bottom of the trench is leveled and checked to the construction level so that there are no holes or bulges. It is necessary to monitor the general slope of the path for water drainage (5 degrees). If it is not possible to provide this slope, provide for slopes of the finishing material sheet itself towards the sides (5 to 15 degrees). The bottom of the trench is compacted with a log with a nailed plank or a mechanical tamper.

Preparing the base

Sand is poured onto the bottom in a layer of 5 cm for hard and soft surfaces. Compact, check the level of the horizon and slope. Next, crushed stone is poured with a layer thickness of 5 - 10 cm. You can combine these two components and immediately fill the bottom with a sand-gravel mixture. Next comes another layer of sand 5 cm thick. Everything needs to be thoroughly watered and left to dry for several days. Finally, they carry out a final check of the level and add sand in the right places - and the base is ready.

Laying finishing material

Stone, tiles or bricks are laid out on the compacted top layer of sand according to the chosen pattern. If you lack experience, it is better to first lay out a small part of the pattern on the ground, and then lay it out on the base. Flagstone, cobblestones, paving slabs can be laid on a cement-sand mixture or concrete. Bricks and paving stones - on sand.

The technology for laying on concrete is similar to indoor tiling. In the second case, sand and sand-cement mixture are poured onto the base in a small layer. The covering material is tightly laid on them and compacted, regularly pouring sand or mixture on top, swept with a brush, spilled with water, and sand is added again until the seams are completely filled.

If it is necessary to install a curb, it is installed before work begins on the construction of the base for the walkway. For backfill paths, the technology is simpler. Here you can use the installation option on concrete screed with a curb or on sand and gravel mixture. For narrow garden walking paths, a simplified version of the construction of paths made of brick, gravel, sand, concrete or paving slabs is used.

Design

Summer cottages equipped with high-quality paths are a great convenience for owners. At the same time, they also have a decorative function, and therefore require careful attention to the choice of shape and material of manufacture. A garden plot with a variety of uneven paths looks out of date. Designers advise adhering to a single design style for the entire summer cottage. The exception is especially large areas from 30 acres and more, where you can allocate a place for a regular garden with straight wide alleys, borders and flower beds along them. Here it is worth decorating a front area with a fountain and a circular path around.

In a large garden area there is room for several stylistic solutions:

• You can set up a Japanese garden with a dry stream or a mysterious forest alley. Most dachas do not have this advantage, so the house, outbuildings and communications design are kept in a single design. The material of the blind area and finishing of the house is taken as a basis, the color of the tiles is selected to match.
• Traditional rural style with a log house or bathhouse will be complemented by paths made of stone or wood cuts. These paths in the shade can be framed with hostas or ferns, in the sun with bright sage and lavender.

• IN English garden With its natural beauty, brick paths are indispensable. They look harmonious among the riot of summer greenery and wildflowers with bright accents of roses, being protected from prying eyes by dense hedges of evergreen conifers.
• It would seem that a gravel path looks boring. However, if you decorate it with suitable plants, the view will be transformed into an elegant alley.

Landscape design in Scandinavian style combines simplicity and expressiveness. Cobblestones, paving stones, clinker bricks, natural boulders, pebbles with their natural weight will support the dark thuja needles against the background of white buildings. Mossy tiles can echo the gray stone of the paths. The design of the site preserves the natural contours; some curvature of the paths will add expressiveness and mystery to the northern design. These gardens contain compositions from coniferous plants and stones, alpine slides and rock gardens. Visitors will want to take a closer look at these compositional accents, so paths should skirt these areas and reveal their full beauty.

In homes with children, you can create original paths with your own hands from scrap materials. A few ideas for using plastic gratings will help transform your yard and protect it from dirt. The gratings are easy to install on a leveled area covered with geotextiles. Some of the forms can be filled with soil, seeded with lawn grass, and other cells can be filled with sand or small crushed stone. This design is quite reliable; soil and sand will create the necessary strength and keep the yard and paths clean and tidy.

The bright mosaic on the paths will delight the eye for many years, lifting your mood in cloudy weather. Ceramics and glass are durable, mosaic fragments can be easily repaired by replacing parts with new ones. By pouring concrete forms yourself, you can decorate them with unusual mosaics made of glass or pebbles. There are a lot of design options.

The improvement of the dacha area begins with the design of the front area. The best decorative materials are used to decorate the courtyard area. Path from the gate to the porch - business card owners.

There is no need to save money; it is better to purchase material that matches the decoration of the house:

• Remote paths can be made from budget or improvised materials; for example, paths made from thick and wicker branches like a wattle fence look interesting.
• An ordinary dirt path is covered with sand and planted with border plants: the result is a beautiful and practical path.

Installing a curb makes the structure more expensive. If this is not a regular park alley, it is better to limit ordinary country paths with the remains of stone or brick or install formwork from boards. A protruding border will make it difficult to mow the grass; you will have to cut the grass along it with garden shears. This drawback also applies to the track surface. To do this, the surface of the path is buried to ground level or a couple of centimeters below (for ease of lawn processing).

When planning walking routes, you need to make sure that the path does not run into a fence. If this cannot be avoided, a false gate, an arch with a bench, or a flower bed are arranged at the end of the path. Don't be afraid of the terrain on the site: steps made of large boulders or concrete sleepers add charm and charm to the landscape design. An important detail are competent technological designs of steps: walking on them should be comfortable.

A skillful combination of finishing materials on one path looks beautiful. These materials should match each other in color and structure (for example, stone and crushed stone, boulders and pebbles). Use materials that are available locally. For example, to create an island Japanese garden It is enough to place pyramids of ordinary stones along the path at some distance.

An illuminated or illuminated path looks impressive. Modern LED backlights safe. They consume little energy, create a romantic night garden atmosphere and allow you to safely travel around the site. Lighting requires installation electric cable. It is placed at a safe depth in a special corrugated hose to protect it from damage.

All work on laying electricity and water supply systems is carried out before the roadway equipment: if the technological sequence, you will have to dismantle some sections of already finished tracks for laying cables and pipes.

Beautiful examples

Stylish paths are an important element of landscape design on the site. By designing paths you can create a garden in a minimalist style from concrete structures with a minimum of decor.

Using color will add bright colors in the spring and autumn seasons. The use of a material of one shade in finishing the path allows you to create a monochrome garden. If it is planted with flowers of the same color, there will be a unique complex of plants and landscaping structures.

Bridges and steps will add color to the path and garden, enhance the steep terrain of the site, and help decorate a cliff or hill.

A few years ago, only parks and squares were equipped with paths. Today, every summer resident strives to improve his plot. We present some beautiful examples of designing garden paths.

You will learn how to make a garden path yourself from the following video.

These 27 simple and cheap garden path ideas will allow you to transform your landscape design without investing large sums and without risking your budget. This selection presents options using natural stone and pebble and gravel backfill.

The first idea is a path made of small crushed stone, edged with curb stones. The most effective and budget option that can be recommended for both paths and paths.

The next idea is a combination of crushed stone and concrete square slabs, placed at a certain distance, under your foot.

A beautiful idea for a path made of stone and coarse crushed stone. The border here is a tape that prevents lawn grass from creeping onto the path.

An interesting idea for a path made from bottle caps pressed into a cement base. You will need a lot of corks, but you can set yourself the goal of twisting all the corks from the bottles that you find on the street while walking.

For small paths, you can use a wooden beam or board treated with impregnation or waste machine oil.

A great idea for a path made of stone slabs and ground cover plants; such fabulous paths can be made in shady areas.

Let's return to the title photo - the idea of ​​stone slabs, with a border of border bricks and a backfill of river or sea pebbles.

A similar idea for a path, only in this case square slabs are used instead of stone.

They look very nice wooden paths, raised above the surface of the earth. Terrace board or a board impregnated with a protective layer will last quite a long time.

Another idea made of stone slabs, a garden in the shade and it is clear that in this case the hostas are adjacent to ferns, forming some kind of mysterious surroundings.

A combination of large stones - pellets from the river and concrete slabs.

An option for a paving stone path, you can also consider the idea of ​​​​using old red brick.

the idea of ​​double slabs and gravel backfill. You can also use brick chips or slag.

A beautiful mosaic path consisting of stones and pebbles laid out in a wonderful pattern.

An option for a path made from wood cuts, if you use, for example, oak, then such a path will last for decades.

In some cases, even a stone imitation will be very beautiful, pay attention to this idea!

A variant of a path interspersed with large wooden sleepers or timber, covered with pebbles.

The distance between stone slabs can be either large or small, literally the width of a pebble.

An interesting idea with the offset of the slabs on the path relative to each other. Pay attention to the mulch made from hazel shells, that’s a lot of nuts to eat!

A variant of a path made of square slabs, with the border made only on one side, the stone placed on the edge and slightly elevated above the path.

The idea of ​​a path made of stone slabs and gravel backfill with asymmetry.

A variant of a path made of wooden boards laid out in a geometric pattern interspersed with pebbles.

Concrete path with imitation paving. A wonderful budget option that combines beauty and speed of creation.

A path made of slabs laid diagonally. The space between the slabs is sown with ground cover.

Once again let's return to the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe mosaic placement of pebbles. By the way, the stone can be painted! It will turn out very lively and bright.

Get inspired and create paths, paths, and dead ends in your summer cottages and private households that lead to relaxation areas.

Any effort aimed at creating a harmonious space will subsequently return to you with a feeling of pleasure from the work done. And in general, creativity in any of its manifestations is the most valuable aspect of our lives!