He then decided to make a pathway down the side of the house. We use this route regularly from front to back. Because there is a slope away from the house, which becomes greater further down the pathway, it wasn't simply a matter of putting in a single height of edging.
There was a good deal of discussion about what material should be used to line the sides of the path. Chopped limestone block wouldn't match the house and we don't really care for metal edging. In the end we decided on wood to match the new fence. You can see that the edges of the path step down towards the far end and then rise up again. The surface material would run right up to the wall of the house.
This part of the project was greatly aided by this little gadget. I have no idea how much they cost but I know we paid $1 for it at a garage sale. When I think of all the times in my life I could have used this, but it only arrived last year.
More discussion about the material we should use on the surface: gravel or decomposed granite. In the end we decided on 1/4"-1/2" Fairland pink granite gravel from Geo-growers at $37.50 yd. We did a split load which included 4yards of granite for this project, 2 yards for other projects and 2 yards of soil to replenish the vegetable beds. That's quite a load for someone to move!
By the weekend the job was completed.
Now we just need a good rainfall to pack down the granite.
I asked D to add up the cost of this project. All those little trips for cement and wood added up to a tidy sum.
Total cost for both the projects $860. The project also came with a promise from me not to allow plants to grow in the pathway!