Adding a walkway to a sloped side yard

[Mark_17]

I'm looking to add a gravel walkway to my side yard. In the pics, you'll see my side yard is quite narrow and steep. Everyone comes this way when making their way to the pool in the back yard. I'd like to make it a little safer and easier for them to get back there. (Please ignore the scrap and garbage cans, the scrap is going this week and the garbage cans will be stored there when not entertaining.)

I think 6' wide would be comfortable. The 4x4 in the picture is 6' long. At the end of the 4x4, the drop is about 6". My plan is to dig down a few inches against the foundation, level it out, add weed barrier and geogrid (both I already have from a previous project), and use 4x4 PT lumber as edging and support, and fill with gravel. I figure I'll have to go 2 or 3 rows high for this to work. This doesn't have to last the next 100 years, I know ideally I'd put a real retaining wall up, as close to my property line as I could, but the money simply isn't there for that right now.

How's my plan? Functional for the next 4 or 5 years? What gravel would you use?

Beyond the stairs (which I never use), I'm not sure how to tackle that area. I'm assuming I'd have to make 3 or 4 large steppes as the hill is too steep back there. There is about a 3' drop from the stair landing to the fence gate. This area I'm not sure if I should leave dirt and grass or just fill with gravel as well.

Open to any ideas.

 

[mcj115]

Take a look at this product... These are relatively quick and easy and moderately priced. you could do a few tiers down the slope with a plants/garden and fill the top tier with gravel for the path. The large ones lift the level about 6" or so on the higher side, so if you drop is 6 inches 6 feet away from the side of your house the may work well. Since they are "rounded" you could add a railing on the indentations between the lockers to keep anyone from twisting an ancle.

I just ordered (but have not fully installed yet) 100 of these on a slope by my pool I did the basic install myself, it was quick (maybe 2 hours) all it took was a pair of work gloves, a mini sledge for the rebar stakes, and a tape measure/storypole. I made the stakes myself ( a lot cheaper). I still have to "fill" the dirt lockers themselves which will be the most laborious portion.

A local community garden did an install of these a few years ago where the bleachers of an old highschool football stands were on a slope, which was how I found out about the product.

 

[Firebrick43]

I'm looking to add a gravel walkway to my side yard. In the pics, you'll see my side yard is quite narrow and steep. Everyone comes this way when making their way to the pool in the back yard. I'd like to make it a little safer and easier for them to get back there. (Please ignore the scrap and garbage cans, the scrap is going this week and the garbage cans will be stored there when not entertaining.)

I think 6' wide would be comfortable. The 4x4 in the picture is 6' long. At the end of the 4x4, the drop is about 6". My plan is to dig down a few inches against the foundation, level it out, add weed barrier and geogrid (both I already have from a previous project), and use 4x4 PT lumber as edging and support, and fill with gravel. I figure I'll have to go 2 or 3 rows high for this to work. This doesn't have to last the next 100 years, I know ideally I'd put a real retaining wall up, as close to my property line as I could, but the money simply isn't there for that right now.

How's my plan? Functional for the next 4 or 5 years? What gravel would you use?

Beyond the stairs (which I never use), I'm not sure how to tackle that area. I'm assuming I'd have to make 3 or 4 large steppes as the hill is too steep back there. There is about a 3' drop from the stair landing to the fence gate. This area I'm not sure if I should leave dirt and grass or just fill with gravel as well.

Open to any ideas.

I say you have a pretty good place. Is the geogrid you’re talking about the mesh for retaining walls and such or the plastic grids for roads and parking lots?

People refer to both as such.

If the latter I would use clean #8 crushed stone.

 

[Kaizen]

thats a lot of stone to move.
i know you are looking for quick and easy with summer almost here, but I would not bother unless i made it all into flat walkway with stairs. It would only be about 5 steps with say 3 or four feet of horrizontal walking until the next step up. Depending on the pitch of it all you could do multiple stairs at a time. Then just drop pavers in or even stepping stones. basically have it flat. I wouldnt go wider then 2 or 3 feet. not like its going to get high traffic

 

[Mark_17]

Take a look at this product... These are relatively quick and easy and moderately priced. you could do a few tiers down the slope with a plants/garden and fill the top tier with gravel for the path. The large ones lift the level about 6" or so on the higher side, so if you drop is 6 inches 6 feet away from the side of your house the may work well. Since they are "rounded" you could add a railing on the indentations between the lockers to keep anyone from twisting an ancle.

I just ordered (but have not fully installed yet) 100 of these on a slope by my pool I did the basic install myself, it was quick (maybe 2 hours) all it took was a pair of work gloves, a mini sledge for the rebar stakes, and a tape measure/storypole. I made the stakes myself ( a lot cheaper). I still have to "fill" the dirt lockers themselves which will be the most laborious portion.

A local community garden did an install of these a few years ago where the bleachers of an old highschool football stands were on a slope, which was how I found out about the product.

Those look neat. Maybe I'll do the walkway as I proposed but add those below it and fill them with dirt and flowers.

I say you have a pretty good place. Is the geogrid you’re talking about the mesh for retaining walls and such or the plastic grids for roads and parking lots?

People refer to both as such.

If the latter I would use clean #8 crushed stone.

The type for roads. Something very similar to this - https://www.amazon.com/BaseCore-Geo...t-Pathways/dp/B08XB95PRY?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Firebrick43]

Those look neat. Maybe I'll do the walkway as I proposed but add those below it and fill them with dirt and flowers.

The type for roads. Something very similar to this - https://www.amazon.com/BaseCore-Geo...t-Pathways/dp/B08XB95PRY?tag=atomicindus08-20

That is what I envisioned the second one to be, I would use #8 in that

 

[kbuhagiar]

If I was dealing with the notion of constructing a walking path on a slope (such as the OPs) I would consider a decked walkway. Concrete piers on the sloped portion as a foundation, and then build the deck out to desired width.

Add handrails and railing and steps if necessary.

 

[NUTTSGT]

If you do the gravel/stone, you could use it as a base for the future and pour a concrete sidewalk on top of it.

If you have a mixer, I could do a section at a time if that fits your budget better.

 

[Joe Reed]

If I was dealing with the notion of constructing a walking path on a slope (such as the OPs) I would consider a decked walkway. Concrete piers on the sloped portion as a foundation, and then build the deck out to desired width.

Add handrails and railing and steps if necessary.

This would be my choice. I did something similar several years ago, but for a different reason. The narrow side yard on the north side of my house was always a mess. Water drained down that side and, being on a shady north side grass did not cover well. I got tired of it being a muddy mess most of the year, so I built a walkway similar to what you see often on the Florida Gulf coast areas like Seaside and Rosemary Beach.

It just consists of treated 4x4 rails at ground level with deck boards screwed to them. Underneath is covered with landscape fabric to keep weeds from sprouting. Water drains through underneath the decking, between the 4x4 rails. The deck boards are simply 5/4x8' treated boards cut into thirds - making the walkway just over 22" wide. That kept the price low and is wide enough to transport my trash/recycle bins to the street and to allow me to take the mower to the front yard. I've never once wished it was wider.
In the OPs case, the house side could just above ground level like mine, and the opposite side as high as it needs to be to make the walk level. Stairs to navigate the slope to the back yard would be simple as well.

 

[ATC]

I'd just cut down the high side to make it level, and line it with rock or stone edging.

 

[Youngandfree]

I'd just cut down the high side to make it level, and line it with rock or stone edging.

Use the money and effort to stack wall stones and have a much more permanent solution than wood steps.