If I want paver, it will cost me about half the price per square foot of what you're getting and my build is not cheap.

There is not much utility from pavers verus asphalt. It would be an aesthetics choice. I think you need to decide if that is the best spend of your resources (or maybe invest in different landscaping options, or an interior upgrade). To me, option 1 would be your best choice on the walkway, although it seems strange to have a 4 foot walkway adjacent to the driveway (unless you plan on the driveway being full of cars often). In that case the walkway would only be useful for those arriving on foot (those parking in your driveway would still use the driveway).

adkbml - We do figure on the driveway having cars in it often, however the idea was that we did not want non-guests (delivery, movers, package handlers, etc) walking in the driveway where our cars would be parked... We had figured it would be better to have a designated walkway.. While we can't "force" anyone to use the walkway and not the driveway we anticipate that most would logically use the walkway..

I don't understand the requirement for a curb on each side of an asphalt driveway. Abutting the path to a curb would look odd, but so does a straight path that doesn't go directly to the entry. Could you do something 'curvy' with the path, making the drive asphalt and the path flagstone or blocks -- distinguishing one from the other?

Option 2 is silly and dangerous -- people will be tripping and getting hurt on that curb.

Can you add some curves to the walkway? Will you have a flared out apron where the driveway meets the street?

After a few years, you will have to keep spraying the weeds that will grow between the pavers. Also, if you have an uneven one, it's hard to shovel snow.

Colored, stamped concrete would be another way to go.

Well I met with the builder today to try and figure out what the best method was for laying out this pathway.. First off, we decided to stick with the asphalt.. Pavers would look nice, but we decided to keep the money in the bank for a rainy day.. Basically after looking more into it I feel that my original option (Option 1) would look awkward with the pathway walking straight towards the front windows and then making a 90 degree turn to get back on track with doorway and then another 90 degree turn to get to the door... I was still against Option 2, especially since there would be a curb of some kind.. I believe they may end up doing belgium blocks but we are contacting the engineer to double check if there was anything specific he wanted with the material.. But again, even if they use the blocks you still have a walkway and driveway side by side with a curb in the middle which if someone is not paying attention could easily trip and fall.. We decided that the best way was to go with option 2, however we would leave a 1ft gap where we could install path lights.. This would give a break between the walkway and driveway.. Even though its only 1 foot it would be more visible and again it leaves the space for some lighting.. The walkway would be about 5ft wide and then it will merge with the walkway from driveway which is 6ft wide.. We did contemplate leaving 2ft which would shrink the walkway to 4ft, but the issue i was having is that the walkway would stay in line with the left side of the porch and felt that 2ft made it look too "off centered".. At least with the 1ft its not too "off"

Final:

This is a quick picture I made up:

One thing is for sure - less lawn to mow. One general question - any issues with the total area of ground coverage? I remember putting an above-ground pool in in a house we owned in NJ and we had to calculate the current coverage of all driveway/walkways to see if we were within zoning laws.

adkbml - We did have to calculate the lot coverage.. In our town we were allowed to cover a total of 65% of the lot.. In our lot we have a total of 10,416 square feet.. Before the pool and front walkway we were at a total of 35%.. With the pool, patio, and walkway we jump to 44%.. We still have a significant amount of open property..

That is a generous amount. Our town's zoning law was at 40%. Always good to double check so you do not get a surprise later when looking to add a pool.

So I was playing around with the photos again and came up with the builders original idea vs my idea.. I still like the "idea" of having a "buffer" zone.. But when compared with just having a large walkway I am not sure if it looks "cleaner" to just have the walkway connected.. Granted the 1ft space will leave room for pathway lights so i can stagger them or for holiday pathway decorations.. But for year round appearance I am at a standstill.. Opinions? In option with the 1ft buffer there would be Belgian Blocks between the buffer and driveway but NOT between the pathway and 1ft buffer.. In this option I would also add matching Belgian Blocks to the far side of pathway.. In the second option with no space between pathway and driveway I would still use the Belgian Blocks on the far side but the pathway would also then butt directly up to the Belgian Blocks of the driveway.. In this option the pathway would become a 6ft wide pathway since we eliminate the 1ft buffer..

1ft Space:

No Space:

Are all of the surfaces flush with each other? Because otherwise I see it as a tripping hazard where you and everyone who visits your house will be cursing it every time they stub their toe and stumble.

If it can't be flush, then I'd vote for a much wider separation with grass or something in between or no walkway (ie. just turn the walkway so it runs into the driveway).

Greg - All the surfaces are not flush.. The property is on a slight slope but the builder will be leveling everything out for driveway and pathways.. The problem is that the town requires (as per ordinance) that the driveway have a 6inch "curb" on either side.. So without a doubt the curb must go in.. The original plan from the builder was to do the pathway with no space.. I wanted to have a space, but the problem was the issue with lining it up with the front entryway.. The front porch is 6ft wide.. If we left a 2ft gap between driveway and pathway then the pathway would look off centered.. I thought that if we only did 1ft it wouldn't look that bad as far as lining it all up.. This is what a 2ft would look like (approximately)

I'm not an expert by any means, but the majority of homes I see do not have a separate sidewalk the runs the entire length from the property line to the front door. Most people just walk up to the house using the paved garage driveway. Why aren't you interested in doing it that way? I think it looks strange the way you've designed it.

The idea was that we did not want "uninvited" guests using our driveway to access our door.. While we cannot stop anyone from using the driveway we wanted a designated path for any type of delivery personel (UPS, FedEx, USPS) as well as any one else that may be coming to the house that is not a family, friend, or invited guest that would use the driveway.. Part of my reasoning was that I did not want people walking near our vehicles to prevent any type of damage or such.. My current residence does not have a walkway and I cannot tell you the amount of times I have seen a UPS guy carrying a large package try to squeeze past my car only to have that neat signature pad whack into my and slide across it.. Or the times that the food delivery guy that is on his bicycle either has the bike fall over into my car or they try to ride past the car in the driveway and scrape along side.. Again, we understand that everything will be open so we cannot technically stop someone from using the driveway, but I am thinking that most people will see the driveway and pathway and will subconsciously choose the pathway.. The second part of my reasoning is that we have several cameras that are part of our security system.. They enable the function of setting an "alarm" if certain areas in the camera are triggered with motion which sends alerts, so we figure a pathway will limit the amount of "false" alerts..

Lisa - I have seen it both ways.. Many times it is a financial issue when not adding a separate walkway.. Essentially with the driveway you have an entry point that pedestrians could use so why spend the money on another walkway that goes down to the street when you could just tie off of the driveway closer to the door.. Or in other circumstances the driveway may be excessively long... Leaving the driveway as the only entry for pedestrians is fine and works.. However, personally, I have always felt that a designated pathway has a more "defined" entry.. I also feel as though it has a more "grand" appearance for lack of a better word.. I know the house is not a huge mansion estate or anything like that.. I have also personally felt very awkward going to houses that do not have a pathway.. I almost feel as though the driveway is a "personal" space.. My parents have a vacation home in Florida and many of the homes down there have just a driveway.. I always feel weird walking up to their house.. Even local houses here in NJ.. My job en-tales going to many different homes.. And it always gives me a weird feeling walking up to a person's home in their driveway.. Its a feeling like "I don't belong here"..

We always park our vehicles in the garage unless we run home really quick to grab something before leaving again so I never thought much about delivery drivers whacking into our cars. I guess that's a good point to consider.

Do you have the option of doing a curved sidewalk to the front door instead of just a straight runway? I was thinking something like having it start where you've drawn it, then at some point midway it curves to the left (creating a rounded flowerbed area between the sidewalk and driveway) and then have it curve back toward your front porch (and leave it connecting to the driveway near the garage doors like you've drawn it). I don't know if you have enough property in the left of the photo to make a curve look good or if it would look too squished, but it's an option to consider. I do think if you want a straight-shot sidewalk like that, you should leave a minimum of 3-4' in between the sidewalk and driveway for landscaping. Anything closer than that comes across as looking like an afterthought/diy job.

Lisa - A straight shot with a 3-4' gap wold look too weird and would put the pathway too far to the left.. The porch is only 6ft wide.. So a 3ft gap plus 4ft pathway would not work properly.. We could do a curved pathway to the house.. And if I am understanding what you are describing then it would be like the picture below.. We have the space to make a curve, however we then essentially lose the "lawn" that we had to the left.. It wasn't "huge" but it was a nice 14ft space (roughly).. so if we make the curve and give 3-4 feet for the "island" we shrink the lawn down to a 10 foot space..

Guess there's not room for a semi-circular drive.

We have no 'path' to our door. Our driveway is an 'el' shape, coming in from the street and curving left to where our garage is set 120 degrees to the house. Ms. UPS walks up the drive and steps up onto our front stoop to ring the bell.

I wonder if an extra-wide drive work. Put your curb 'way out on the left. There would still be plenty of room *beside* the parked cars. You'd have ONE type of paving. You'd be spared the little 'patch' between the surfaces. No one would trip over the curb.

It's the curb that's the bugaboo here. What is the reasoning for having these on the sides of a driveway?

ChiSue - I am not entirely sure on the actual purpose for the curb.. Based on the ordinance it relates to the "Residential Site Improvement Standards" here in NJ.. If I recall the conversation with the engineer correctly it has to do with stormwater management.. I want to say that the curb is supposed to prevent water from flowing into the driveway and out into the street.. Basiclly that the curb blocks the water and forces it to stay on the property where it can be absorbed versus flowing into the street and overwhelming the local sewer facility..

I had also wondered about simply widening the driveway. If you used stamped concrete, you could vary the pattern or even color to separate path from drive, but even the same color/pattern would be more attractive. Another approach: could the path itself act as the needed curb? The curb has to be higher than the driveway, but does it have to be higher than the path? If the curb was one with the pathway (similar to a city sidewalk and curb) it would greatly reduce the tripping hazard. (I say this as someone who lacks peripheral vision and would certainly trip over the curb.)

This doesn't make sense. Curbing will just keep the water ON the impervious surface and channel it into the street. Maybe they're afraid of dirt washing into the street? You certainly don't want water standing on the drive or washing back toward your foundation.

I have never seen curbs at the sides of driveways. I've seen stakes and rails to prevent gravel from washing out of the space or to hold bricks in place.

I wonder if you could eliminate the curbing if you used non-impervious materials? (Let water soak into the ground.) We have a bluechip drive without an impervious base. (Yes, we have to hire a snow plow guy who knows how to raise the blade of the plow.)

I'd do "ONE type of paving" for both walkway and driveway as suggested earlier. My other choice would be "the second option with no space between pathway and driveway". Since the front porch and walkway width is about 6 ft, that is plenty of space and most people would walk in the middle of the walkway. The option where you colored a light green line between the pathway and driveway looks really weird.

I think the curve looks good, but I'm not totally sure it would look balanced on the left since you have such little space between you and your neighbor. It would really depend on proper landscaping to make that area look nice (ie: not plant grass on the left but actual plants).

The picture below is similar to your other drawing, granted this particular one is tiny and ugly, but it shows what it would look like with approximately a 1ft gap between your driveway and front walkway. If you balance it out with a landscaped border on the other side like the photo shows, it wouldn't look so bad. But, please do not do pavers -- at least go for stamped concrete (or plain concrete). The pavers come across as being an afterthought to me (even in nicer photos). If you are keen on doing pavers, you'll need to use them elsewhere to tie it all together such as creating a paver border around the driveway to frame it.

Couldn't the driveway and walkway be flush with each other and the curb is put on the OTHER side of the walkway? That seems like it would conform to whatever weird requirement the city has.

Otherwise, if you HAVE TO have a curb between the driveway and the walkway, can it just be a gentle slope up as opposed to an abrupt edge? I tried googling and this is the best visual I could find for what I mean (ignore the metal rails and spikes):

Maybe even more of a gentle slope than that.

Then have the walkway remain at the higher level (and stick with the concrete instead of pavers so there aren't so many different materials).

If you have winter weather -- the pavers in the walkway will shift, and no pizza delivery bike rider is going to want to come up that walkway if there's a remote chance they can do the driveway. If the delivery truck can park at all in the driveway, they'll use the driveway most of the time. Shortest distance between two points and all.