It’s been a while—bet you nearly forgot about our front walkway project. If you want the full backstory you can refer to the original post, but here’s the short version: we tore out the old, failing path and used leftover slate to build a larger, more attractive walkway to the front door. The main task left was to set all the slate pieces firmly into the ground. Here’s a photo from before the big dig:
What seemed like a straightforward task—burying 48 pieces of slate—turned into a four-day, back-breaking project. Our goal was simple: build a wobble-free, well-graded, welcoming path to the house. It took longer than expected because we wanted the stones to sit solidly and to follow the yard’s slope so they wouldn’t tip or shift when stepped on.
Why did it take so long? There was a lot of trial and error finding the right shaped hole for each slab. Some people set flagstones on a sand bed to simplify leveling, but we worried that a sand base would make it harder for grass to grow between the stones. So we opted to set each piece directly into the soil and fine-tune its fit—more work, but better long-term for the grassy seams. Achieving a rock-steady fit often required four or five adjustments per stone, and we also had to keep everything consistent with the yard’s natural grade.
Now the hard part is finished and the path is safe to walk—no more ankle-twisting. Last night we spread grass seed along the seams, so we’re just waiting for the green to fill in. There’s one final “after” photo to share once the grass comes in, but in the meantime we’re enjoying a sturdy, more attractive approach to our front door.