A stepping stone path is a practical solution to create a walkway through your yard or garden and at the same time be a complement to the landscape. You can lay it out as a straight walkway or as a winding path that meanders around trees and flowerbeds. It’s a way to create a path around obstructions in the landscape too. To help drain rainwater from settling, use a base material of gravel or sand, which will secure the stones.
Lawn and garden centers sell a variety of stones for walkways, so take time looking and pricing different material. If you have a heavy-duty vehicle and the strength and stamina to move the stone yourself, you can save the cost of having it delivered. So, when you’re looking at material, ask about delivery. No matter how it gets to your property, have the stones stacked near the planned path, so you don’t have to move them.
A landscape contractor will charge $2,868, including labor and material, to lay a 2-foot-wide, 40-foot-long stone path. You can buy the material — stone, sand and landscape cloth — for $1,200 and do it yourself, saving 58%.
For tools and equipment, you’ll need a wheelbarrow, shovel, rake, carpenter’s level, push broom and some string and sticks to lay out the path. This is serious grunt work that involves digging out the sod, laying the path with landscape cloth and sand to provide a weed-free base for the stones. As you lay them, position the stones so they fit together nicely and spread sand between them.
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Pro Cost — DIY Cost — Pro time — DIY Time — DIY Savings — Percent Saved
$2,868 — $1,200 — 20.3 — 30.0 — $1,668 — 58%
