Front Walkway Landscaping Ideas

Fire-Resistant Walkways

• Regardless of what part of the country you live in, a fire could potentially break out at your home. If that were to happen, it would be to your advantage to have exit walkways from the home made of something fire-resistant. Wood--one of the popular materials for decks, porches and some walkways--and grass are not fire-resistant materials. Choose flagstone, rock or concrete as an option instead.

Colored Walkways

• Walkways are an extension of your home. Tie in your walkway and home by color-coordinating them. If you opt for a concrete walkway, you can stain it the same color group as your home, according to the website "Front Porch Ideas and More". If you use wood in your walkway, that can be color-stained too, to match your home or window shutter color. If you don't like the idea of permanently coloring your walkway material, you could also line the walkway with flowers in the color of your home or its accent colors. Other walkway ornamentation, such as lawn lights, also provides a way to color your walkway.

Handicap Accessible

• You or someone you love may be a wheelchair user temporarily or permanently one day, if not already. Creating a front walkway to accommodate visitors who may use a wheelchair is important. Wheelchairs are generally about 32 inches wide, according to Colorado State University. And some wheelchairs, such as sports wheelchairs, are even wider than that. Therefore, the first thing you have to do in creating a front walkway that is handicap-accessible is to make sure it is wide enough.

  Being able to roll the wheelchair along the walkway smoothly, without the wheelchair tipping over due to uneven surfaces, is also important. In addition, wheels can get caught in some walkway materials used, such as stepping stones, and prevent the person from moving the chair forward altogether. But a walkway doesn't have to be limited to concrete in order to make it a smooth surface. Stone walkways can be filled in and sanded down to look beautiful and still provide an even surface for those in wheelchairs or on walkers or crutches.