Paving the way to curb appeal

The owners of this home wanted to add curb appeal to their White Bear Lake, MN, residence. The home's backyard already had plenty of appeal with a deck facing picturesque Birch Lake, one of Minnesota's 10,000-plus lakes.

Villa Landscapes created a plan to design and build a fresh look for the home's front entryway.

The first step was to remove the old sidewalk and excavate to widen the space.

The first step was to remove the old sidewalk and widen the space.

Then, the old concrete front stoop was covered easily with Willow Creek paving stones. This solution updates a drab concrete stoop with a fresh, contemporary appearance.

Then, the old concrete front stoop was clad in Willow Creek paving stones.

Precision cuts were made in the pavers to accommodate the stair railings.

Pavers were cut precisely to accommodate the stair railings.

The trench for the sidewalk was lined with landscape fabric. Then 6 inches of base material was placed on it, topped with an inch of sand, to create a level base on which to lay the pavers.