In an earlier post, Putting in a New Front Walk, I talked about starting our new project of replacing the problem walk. Unfortunately the weekend project turned into a week-long project due to a need for additional supplies as well as a freak hail storm.
After removing all of the weeds that had grown within the path between the flagstone I previously removed, I moved on to defining the path. It needed to be wider and more even than it was previously. I used the same hand tool that I used for weeding to define and edge the walk, and to and remove grass and weeds from the lawn as needed.
The next step was to build up a layer of mulch on the walk. This would keep the weeds down, create a level surface for the new flagstone and look nice. My husband previously purchased large bags of pine mulch and carried it home in his Ford Ranger. He drove the Ranger on to the lawn, and he laid out the bags of mulch along the path. This allowed us to see how many bags of mulch we needed, as well as how to space the mulch out for even coverage.
I followed behind the bags and slit each one open, while the kids torn at the bags and dumped the mulch. Next, we all pitched in to evenly distribute it out. It was at that point that our project hit a road block. because we hadn’t made all of our purchases ahead of time, we had to go out to purchase some rive rock to line the path. The rive rock can keep the mulch from being washed away, as well as add an aesthetic appeal to the walk. It was while we were out that the freak hail storm rolled in.
As a result of the violent storm, some of the mulch we had just installed did wash away. A thick layer of broken leaves lay over everything, and they would have to be cleaned off before we could go any further in the project. Rain and hail continued for the rest of the weekend.
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