Paver Walkways in Minneapolis, MN

Paver walkways take more foot traffic and more shovel strokes than any other surface around the house. The front walk carries guests, mail and packages, and in winter it is the surface you clear most often. A walk with one heaved paver or a sunken section is a tripping hazard, and a snow shovel finds every lip. Building a walk well is mostly about keeping it flat and keeping water from sitting on it or under it.

Front walks on older lots

Many Minneapolis houses sit above the sidewalk, with a short walk, a few steps and a stoop. The original concrete walks on these lots are often a century old, cracked and pitched toward the house. Replacing one with pavers means breaking out the old concrete, checking how water moves from the stoop and the lawn, and setting a new grade that sheds water sideways or toward the street. Where the walk meets city sidewalk, we stop at the property line; the public sidewalk is the city's.

Width and layout

A front walk wide enough for two people side by side is usually about 4 feet; 3 feet is enough for a side or garden path. Gentle curves look good but cost more because of cutting. Straight walks with a border are quick to shovel. If the walk leads to steps, the step treads and risers should be consistent, and we plan the height change at the estimate rather than improvising it on site.

Base for foot traffic

Unilock recommends a compacted base of 4 to 6 inches for walkways, deeper on clay or poorly draining soil. We dig past the walk edge, compact the soil, add aggregate in thin lifts and set the bedding with a cross slope of 1 to 2 percent so melting snow drains off instead of refreezing in the middle. Edge restraint on both sides keeps pavers from drifting into the lawn, a frequent way walks fail.

Ice, salt and shade

Shaded walks on the north side of a house can stay icy for days. A textured paver surface gives better footing than a smooth one. If you use rock salt, ask about the paver's resistance to de-icers; some homeowners switch to sand or a gentler de-icer on new pavers. Downspouts that empty across a walk are a common cause of ice sheets, and moving them is often part of the job.

Garden and side yard paths

Side yards on city lots are often narrow and shaded, with a gate to the backyard and a path to the alley. Stepping stones or a narrow paver path are both options here, and access for equipment is limited, so we plan how material gets in before we price it.