Decisions, Decisions

Our next project has the be the front sidewalk and gardens for our house.  If we do not do something soon, the neighbors will probably run us out of the neighborhood!

Gladys' front approach needs some serious attention.

Since we had the trees removed, Gladys really looks pretty shabby.  Yes, we have dressed her up with new doors and windows, an widened and tiled porch, double doors, and window shutters, but the walkway to the front door is still patio blocks on a dirt path.  Furthermore, the future front garden where the palm tree used to grow is nothing but a pile of mud which is starting to sprout weeds.

Rick and I took a walk out front today to make some final measurements and decisions regarding the space.  We originally thought about adding a paver porch area one step down from the tiled porch which would lead into a paver walkway.

Today I posed the question: Would we be better off cementing in the whole area from the front of the porch and then adding tile to match the existing porch tile?  Water is still a concern, and if we raised the whole area, we would elevate it all so no rain in the front yard would flow back down toward the house.

Rick outlined where an extended cement porch would be
located if we decided to do that instead of adding pavers
all the way to the wall and existing porch.

We looked at the area from all angles and decided to stay with our original plans of a lowered paver porch area and pavers all the way out to the driveway.  What directed us to that conclusion?

First, economics.  If we poured a cement slab, waited for it to dry, and then added tile on top, we would have the expense of at least 40 bags of concrete and all of the tile and tiling supplies.  On top of that, we also still would have to buy the pavers and base material for the rest of the sidewalk. The concrete/ tile route would take much more time and planning than digging out the area for the new lowered paver area and walkway. We probably will not start this project until Rick is feeling better and until at least the end of next week. The longer we wait, however, the more chance we have of hitting warmer and wetter weather.

Secondly, water.  Yes, a raised concrete then tiled porch all of the way to the front of the house would add a barrier to water from the front yard, but then we would have to be super careful that the solid porch was definitely tilted at enough of an angle to keep rainwater from standing or washing back toward the double doors.  If we just add the pavers one step down from the existing porch, we still will have a raised porch "lip" to keep rainwater away from the covered porch.

If a paver sidewalk abruptly ended at the
tiled porch, the area would seem chopped up rather
than having a natural flow to the front doors.

Thirdly, aesthetics.  If we extended the tiled porch all of the way to the front of the house, we would definitely have three distinct areas: the tiled porch, the paver walkway, and the flower garden.  We would have a definite end to the sidewalk that stepped up to the porch.  The transition from the driveway to the front doors would not be a smooth, inviting path.  With the paver sidewalk and lower porch area in front of the tiled porch, a person's eye (and thus, body) is drawn to the house and led to the front porch and doors.  The transition is more inviting to guests.

Finally, symmetry.  We want to extend the paver walkway idea to the north side of the driveway, providing a paver sidewalk that leads through the north fence gate and into the back yard.  Having the same pavers all the way through will enhance the curb appeal and give Gladys a more balanced look.

Stephanie is coming for a visit at the end of this week, so we do not want to start this messy project until after her visit.  Rick also needs a little time to recover from a sinus infection and asthmatic bronchitis that has had him down and out for the last couple of weeks. However, the medication is helping, and he should be ready to tackle the next project in another week or so.

We thought long and hard about this decision, but in the end we agree that pavers will be our best choice to make Gladys presentable to the neighbors again.  And obviously, some nice landscaping once the pavers are in place certainly will help!