What a difference a boardwalk makes

The Lee family was not thrilled with their front entrance. They tried a DIY project with tiles but with a toddler in the house and a new born who just arrived the project went south and wasn't adequate.

Green Alchemy designed and installed a wooden boardwalk. The intent was to warm things up with the red tones of the wood and to provide safe secure footing from driveway to front step.


The driveway was bordered by an area of cobblestone that was really bad to step on when exiting the car. The old brick retaining walls were crumbling and needed to be replaced.

We moved some of the cobblestone around the base of a Mugo pine, which is a dwarf pine tree. The retaining walls, constructed of the same wood as the boardwalk, now give continuity to the entry way.

We wanted to do more, like ripping out the concrete steps and aggregate landing at the front door, but we kept it simple and cost effective.

Once the cobble stone was removed we installed a simple slab of concrete to facilitate entering and exiting the car. The slab was then surrounded by shrubs in the 8" range to provide a bit of barrier. We planted more grasses and deer resistant plants in the retaining wall beds to match what is existing. The front entry is now both functional and attractive!