How to Build a Garden Path on a Slope

Preparation

• 1

  Outline the desired shape of your path, including its length and width, on the ground with spray paint. Plant a stake at each end of the path and tautly tie a level line between the stakes about midway up each one. Secure a string level in the middle of the line. Measure the length of the string to find the total run of your path. At the point of the hanging string level, measure from the level to the ground to determine the total rise of the path.

• 2

  Divide the total rise by 6 for a gentle slope or 8 for a shallow slope. Round the resulting number up to determine the number of step risers you'll need. Subtract 1 from the number of risers to determine the number of treads, or actual step surfaces, you'll need. Divide the total run by the number of treads to find the necessary depth of the treads. Once you've got the depth, sketch out the treads on your path with spray paint. For instance, if you've determined you'll need six 12-inch-deep treads, make horizontal lines across the path 12 inches apart from each other indicating six steps.

• 3

  Bring your measurements -- including the width and length of your path, the number and depth of treads you'll need and the number of risers you'll need -- to a local stone supplier. Acquire flat flagstones to use as treads. Use narrower treads with higher, 8-inch risers for steep slopes and broad treads with lower, 6-inch risers for gentles slopes.

Construction

• 4

  Dig a shallow trench shaped to the first riser at the beginning of the path, the low end of the slope. Cut landscape fabric to size with hardware scissors and line each trench to prevent weeds. Fit the first riser into the trench, making its top surface flush with the ground in front of it, which should be on a higher slope. Place a carpenter's level atop the stone; add gravel and sand under the stone as needed until is level. Repeat the process at the beginning of each sketched-out step.

• 5

  Place the flagstones on the surfaces between each set of risers. Enlist a partner and use a dolly to transport large stones. Allow large treads to hang over risers about 2 inches. Level each tread with the carpenter's level, adding gravel or soil underneath until the flagstone rests flat. Chip excess pieces of each flagstone with a heavy maul to fit them into the sketched-out path.

• 6

  Fill any gaps in the stones or along the edges of the path with a tightly packed mixture of soil and compost.