How We Rebuilt This Wildwood Walkway Around the Existing Grade
The homeowners were dealing with an aging stone walkway along the side of their Wildwood property. Over time, weeds had grown throughout the existing path, turning what should have been a straightforward route to the backyard into an ongoing maintenance problem. The walkway still provided access, but its condition no longer complemented the surrounding landscape and the homeowners wanted a cleaner solution that would be easier to keep looking finished.
Replacing the pathway also required considering the grade beside it. The ground changes elevation along the walkway, so simply removing the old stone and installing a new surface would not have fully addressed how the path connected with the surrounding landscape. Incorporating a retaining wall alongside the walkway provided a way to define that grade transition while creating a cleaner edge between the hardscape and planting areas.
Construction began by removing the old stone pathway, gravel, and surrounding landscape materials so the new hardscape could start with a prepared area. Once the existing materials were cleared, the walkway footprint and adjacent grade could be prepared for the new paver surface and retaining wall.
The homeowners selected Holland Stone pavers for the walkway and Bethany Ledge 6-inch Hampton Stone block for the retaining wall. The pavers were laid in a flowing path that follows the route from the gate toward the backyard, while the wall runs alongside the walkway where the landscape changes elevation.
The completed project included:
- Removal of the existing stone pathway and surrounding materials
- Excavation and preparation of the new walkway area
- Holland Stone paver walkway
- Retaining wall installed alongside the adjacent grade
- Bethany Ledge 6-inch Hampton Stone wall block
- Walkway layout connecting the gate with the backyard
- Fresh mulch and landscape finishing around the completed hardscape
- Completion in approximately four working days
Planning the walkway and retaining wall together allowed the two features to solve different parts of the same problem. The pavers created a more consistent, lower-maintenance walking surface, while the retaining wall organized the change in grade beside the path. The surrounding landscape could then be finished around those permanent features instead of continuing to work around the old stone walkway.
The completed side yard now has a clearer sense of direction and structure. The paver path creates an inviting route into the backyard, the retaining wall defines the landscape beside it, and the refreshed beds help the new hardscape feel integrated with the property rather than simply dropped into place.
For the homeowners, the biggest change is practical as well as visual. What had been a weed-filled pathway requiring repeated upkeep is now a defined paver walkway with a coordinated retaining wall and landscape edge. The side yard still serves the same basic purpose—getting from the front of the property to the backyard—but it now does that with a cleaner layout and substantially less of the maintenance problem that prompted the project in the first place.