The steps in creating authentic Victorian Paths in West London.

Explore with us the steps of designing and installing a Victorian path.

You’ve decided you want a Victorian path for the front of your home. Why? It looks good! It’s in keeping with the street! Number 28 have just had theirs done! I’ve always wanted one! Ours is the only one on the street that doesn’t have one! All good reasons. It will also most likely add some value to your house and as estates agents say add some ‘kerb appeal’.

There is no right or wrong answer and you can have what you want. As with most decisions it might come down to cost. Over the next few minutes of your reading time we are highlighting the work that goes into creating a Victorian path and what you need to know before you press the button and say yes please!

Step 1 – Site visit – Can I have a Victorian path?

Our initial site visit will determine whether a path can go at the entrance to your home. There are a few limiting factors when deciding whether you can have one. One of these will be if you have enough of a path to have one? With experience having at least 1.5mtrs in length up to the front door will mean you can have one. Also how steep are the level changes from the pavement to your door? Too many steps and level changes and the path might not look that great and an alternative might be best.

Step 2 – Design – What patterns can I have from my Victorian path?

There are a number of colours, patterns, designs and edgings available to smarten your front path. We take a quick audit of the streets character and style and note if it is in keeping with the street, the period of the property or simply what you would like to have. You can take the advice and do something completely different. Why not!? You’re paying for it after all. We present these options to you via the tile suppliers brochure and once decided we will mock up in 3d exactly what the pattern will look like outside your front door. From this we can accurately calculate the correct amount of tiles + 10% for installation.

Step 3 – Installation – What work is involved in laying a Victorian path?

There is quite a lot of manual work involved in installing and laying a Victorian path! The single most important stage in laying a Victorian path is the sub base, concrete pad, foundations, whatever you refer to it as. If this step is not done correctly then it will be an expensive mistake and redo. Here are the steps we follow to have a Victorian path you can be proud of.

• Site inspection – It is very rare that we will be able to lay tiles on an existing concrete foundation. We can not guarantee previous work. Some existing paths have cracks in them due to age and building practices of years gone by. This is due to movement in the ground below and not having reinforced steel as part of the concrete pour which we include as standard and will not compromise on. This is the only way we can guarantee that you will not have any problems with the path.
• Break out – In most cases a lot of earth and previous concrete has to be removed and taken away to make way for the new base and foundations. The
• Foundations – Once we have completed the groundworks of getting to the required level we need to add the foundations and in same cases relocate services such as CAT5 cables, drains (recessed) and electricity. Most of which we do without calling out an engineer. Once these have been moved we then need to create a wooden frame in which to add a sub base of type 1 MOT (crushed limestone) which will need to be compressed with a whacker plate and then add re-enforced mesh. This will allow for below the surface movement and keep the concrete slab together and prevent it from cracking. Once these are in place a ballast mix with cement will be poured over the top and levelled out by hand to an extremely fine and smooth surface. It is this surface that the tiles will be bonded to with adhesive.
• Curing – The concrete pad needs time to cure and go “off” this stage can not be rushed. There is often other things to do on site in the meantime such as getting rid of the waste and improving other areas as part of the path.
• Laying the tiles – This is the most time consuming part of the install as each tiles is laid individually and backed with adhesive and laid in the pattern of your choosing. As you can imagine the more intricate the pattern the more time it will take to lay.
• Grouting – Once laid the entire path is grouted with a grout colour recommended to go with the tile or of your choosing.
• Rope edging and planting – Paths usually lead up from the pavement to the house to allow for water to run away from the house. Rope edgings frame the the path nicely and deal with the change in height from the pavement to the front step.
• Front step – (Optional) – As with most improvement projects once you have one thing done it makes other parts look tired. Now is a good time to overhaul the rest of the entrance including perhaps and new step and threshold to the doo and potentially brick repair and painting around the entrance to your home. Then you’ve guessed it…the door looks tired…that’s then an entirely different job and trade!

How much do Victorian paths cost?

As you can see from the above there are many variables in determining how much a Victorian path costs. To recap these variables for the price are; size of the path, design of the path, the foundations needed based on the size of the path, services that need to be relocated for the path, cost of the tiles, cost of our skilled tiler to install the path which depends on the size and tiles. Hopefully the above has given you an insight in the need for at the very least a site visit and/or photos and dimensions sent to us via our Business whattsapp or email address in our contact details. We can then arrange to get you a quote over to you within 24hrs free of charge. When you’re ready to start your new Victorian path get in touch. We look forward to working with you.

email: hello@chestnutgardens.co.uk

Phone/WhatsApp: 07930232080