As we mentioned in our post about expanding the backyard pool area, we also made big improvements out front. Namely, we finally have a proper front walkway and a real driveway. When you go without one for three years, it feels like a major milestone.
Why We Needed Parking & Pathways
Most houses come with a place to park and a path to the front door. Every other house we’ve lived in certainly did—some even had garages. But this house had none of that. The yard, outside the house, was simply pine straw, dirt, and leaves.
This screenshot from the video we took the day we first saw the house shows our rental car parked on the pine straw. The photo was taken from what is now our kitchen porch.
It didn’t improve much after moving in. A storage POD had been delivered into that clearing, so when we drove down to Florida we called our contractor and asked, “where do we put our car?” He told us to “just find a spot in the pine straw,” and that’s what we did.
For a while our primary “driveway” was just an open area of pine straw. We placed inexpensive concrete pavers around the house to make pathways. They were temporary solutions—sometimes they shifted or became rickety—so we knew we wanted something more durable and permanent eventually.
Later in 2021 we created a gravel parking spot on the other side of the house—almost exactly where the POD and rental car had been. We had recently renovated our covered side porch and added a new door to the kitchen, which became our main family entrance because it’s so convenient for carrying groceries. We left an indentation in the fence to allow access and spread about 15 bags of gravel to formalize that parking spot.
That spot fits one car, which works for our one-car household. But when guests visit they still had to park on the pine straw out front. For nearly three years we often sent photos to direct visitors to a parking spot, which was far from ideal.
Adding A Gravel Driveway
When we worked on the bigger backyard project, we planned for another proper parking area for two additional cars. We moved the fence and had the concrete crew pour a low retaining wall to define the space and contain the gravel. This helped create a neat driveway while keeping the stone in place.
We chose gravel for several reasons: cost, slope, drainage, and aesthetics. Many neighbors have gravel driveways, so it fits the relaxed, beachy vibe of our area. Gravel also meets local rules for porous surfaces. We selected a warm sandy-white stone called Bahama Rock from a local landscaper and had it delivered the next day.
With a neighbor’s help we spread the gravel over a couple of hours, using shovels to move piles and metal rakes to level it. It settled underfoot and tire for the first few days, but after some rain it compacted and now feels firm and stable.
From the street the driveway reads as a proper two-car space at 18′ wide. It fits perfectly between the neighbor’s fence and a small tree.
Though I sometimes miss the “natural” look of the original yard, the gravel driveway is far more functional for us and our guests. We also moved the fence at one point to preserve a large tree and create more space for the pool area, which changed the view in front of the house.
Our Poured Concrete Front Path
We also had a proper walkway poured to connect the new driveway to the front porch. We chose large poured-in-place slabs—bigger, sturdier versions of the temporary pavers we’d used for years. The concrete path and low retaining walls helped complete the front and made it much more inviting.
Here’s a before photo showing the old temporary pavers (taken while the fence was being rebuilt). You can see how different the space looks now with the new path and parking area.
And here’s an after photo showing the new walkway and parking spot being used.
Having a proper driveway and a wide, stable walkway makes the house feel finished. The temporary pavers did their job for a while, but the poured concrete slabs feel permanent and intentional.
We debated whether to run concrete all the way across the front. In the end we left one row of slabs instead of filling the whole area. Each slab is 48″ wide, which is more than ample for walking. Visually, the single row of slabs on the lower-left of the porch balances the L-shaped deck on the upper-right, creating a more intentional composition from the street.
From the street approach you can see how the L-shaped upper deck and the L-shaped walkway feel balanced and purposeful. If we had poured concrete across the entire front, it might have read more like a patio than a path.
A New Path Off The Kitchen Porch
We added large poured slabs in the side yard to connect the single-car parking spot to the kitchen porch. These replace the small temporary pavers we used before and provide a sturdier, more permanent route.
The house’s angles are quirky—the steps aren’t parallel and only one aligns with the gate—so we designed an asymmetrical path that connects everything without adding unnecessary hardscaping. There are four slabs total: three on one level connecting the kitchen porch to the gate and a fourth one step lower to meet the bedroom stairs.
The result is functional, understated, and still lets the yard feel natural. We’re hoping our plants recover quickly after last December’s big freeze so the greenery fills in again.
That’s the roundup of our new pathways, gravel driveway, and poured concrete details. If you missed our post about the larger pool area, it has more photos and the ways we used concrete throughout the project.
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