Thanks for checking in Karin. Hoyess front door is better proportioned. But you make a good point about perhaps having a front patio instead of just a landing. As you can see from following photo, the landing is closed off on the side. I did a half-hearted try to see if I could get matching brick, and was told it came from Canada and is not stocked locally. If I was going to do something like that I would most likely have to get more brick. Might still be possible to get some if I looked harder, or inquired in Canada which is not that far. Still just mulling over ideas . . . RaeHelen's front walkway is GREAT! Imaginative approach and so nice and wide and welcoming. Adamante, not quite sure what your point is...? I know it's a long post to read all the way through, but previous owner ran out of money, hence no landscaping. He went bankrupt and we bought this house for cheap from the bank. Traded in a tiny, old tract home in San Jose,CA and got money back when we bought this. Of course I now live in the middle of nowhere, not near any good jobs but I'm sure happy with the trade. DH does not drive a lexus (your point??) but a beat up 98 Dodge truck with dents in it. I'm actually a little embarassed by the place, I bought it for the beautiful property - land, woods, and pond. Here's the landing from the other angle, showing how it's bricked off.

Thanks for the suggestions. We put a hose out for the past 2 weeks walking where a path had already been worn in the grass. It seems to work fine, so we've decided on that gentle curved path. I didn't take a photo while the hose was out, so can't show it. The exposed aggregate concrete path will start on the right from behind where a car will be parked in the driveway & curve left to then go straight to the front door. Since the front porch has some rotten beams, we will repair or replace it with a larger concrete landing with 2 steps down to the path Once we've done some landscaping like shrubs, building curved garden beds, & leveling the grass areas we'll be able to lay it out. It's hard for me to picture it now, but I know it will come together.

My mental picture was stone framing. one or several uniform pieces of managable size fronting each step and cut into the soil for stability. By this I mean that the bottom of the stone at the front of the step should be burried below the dirt of the next lower step by several inches. The gravel would have to be level with the top of the stone. I think wood would clash as much as brick with the upper portion. I also recomend some of the little solar lights next to each step to call attention to it and illuminate it at night. Cement can be used as mortar to hold it together better. Since you said it is only about 10' in length, get a level, a straight board longer than 10', and a tape measure. A partner would help too. place one end of the board at the point where you want the uphill end of the steps to begin. set the level on top of the board and lift the lower end until level. Measure the distance between the board and the ground at the low end. mark the board at this point where you measured. Then measure the length along the board to this mark. now you have the length and height of the entire set of steps and can divide it evenly, instead of "eyeballing it". Even height is safer, though eyeballing it may be more natural looking. The stone should be no more uneven than rough cut stone for the same reason. I also suggest keeping extra gravel to maintain the levelness of the steps to avoid that tripping lip effect as the gravel settles, compacts, and vanishes over time. You may also wish to get LOCAL advise on stability issues with the soil. You may need to place gravel under the stone framing, or use concrete to stabilize it due to climate and soil conditions. Ziggy

karin you make a fascinating point and when i stop and think about it you probably hit the nail on the head. Shame on you guys for telling me i need more curves in my landscape...if you only knew how much i needed order in my life right now you'd be ashamed of yourselves lol. When i post pics later and there are elegantly flowing curved beds everywhere you will know i am at a point in my life that there is peace and tranquility. Hope that is like tomorrow lol! As fast paced and hectic as life sometimes can be it's a wonder that we don't all have like a hundred square little flower beds all over our yards trying to get some order somewhere =). Today i definately feel like making a few square beds lol. A very interesting and truthful point though karin.