Walkways and Granite Steps in Dover, NH
Paver and natural stone walks, granite entry steps, and old brick walkways rebuilt, for Dover homes. Built by the Up North Scapes crew based in Newmarket, a short drive south.
Derek and his men removed an older curved brick front steps and the failing brick walkway. Totally re-did everything.
The Ground Under a Dover Walk Moves
A walkway does not settle because of the pavers. It settles because of what is under them, and because water had nowhere to go.
Around Dover that is worth knowing before anyone quotes you a price. We wrote up what is in the ground here on our Dover retaining wall page, and the same ground sits under your front walk.
What changes on a walkway is the fix. Not drainage behind a wall, but depth, compaction and edge restraint under the surface you walk on.
What Freeze and Thaw Does to a Walkway
Water expands when it freezes. Under a walk, it lifts. You rarely notice the first winter. It shows up later as a high edge at the door, a paver that rocks underfoot, a step that no longer sits level, and joints that open up and take on weeds.
Shoveling and plowing do not cause that. A properly installed walkway handles normal snow removal fine, because edge restraints and polymeric sand keep everything locked in place.
A Walkway Is Won or Lost Below the Surface
A walk built right and a walk built cheap look identical the day the crew drives away. The difference is underneath, and it shows up a few winters later.
Our walkways and granite steps page covers what we put under one, step by step. When you compare quotes in Dover, ask each contractor the same question: what goes in underneath.
Old Brick Walks and Steps Come Out
On this project we rebuilt a cracked, settled brick path as a granite edged paver walkway on a proper base, in the same footprint. New granite steps and edging replaced the old worn brick.
Same footprint, completely different entry.
Walks and Steps for Dover Properties
Paver Walkways
Set on an excavated, compacted gravel base, with edge restraints and polymeric sand so the surface stays tight.
Natural Stone Paths
Bluestone and natural stone for garden paths and entries, laid with even footing and clean edges.
Granite Steps and Landings
Set level on a compacted base, with a consistent rise and run, where the grade changes between the drive and the door.
Brick Walkway Rebuilds
Cracked, settled brick taken out and rebuilt on a proper base, usually in the same footprint.
Granite Steps for a Dover Entry
Where the grade changes between the drive and the door, the walk needs steps, and on Dover's older lots it usually does.
We set them in granite, level, on a compacted base, with a consistent rise and run. Why granite instead of concrete is on our walkways and granite steps page and in the blog comparison.
Walkways in Dover, Answered
Why do walkways settle in Dover?
Water and a shallow base. There is clay under a lot of Dover, and water does not go through clay, so it sits in whatever is above it. Freeze it and it lifts. A walk built on proper depth, compacted gravel, with pitch and edge restraints, stays where it was set.
Can you replace an old brick walkway and steps?
Yes. We have rebuilt cracked, settled brick walkways as granite edged paver walkways on a proper base, in the same footprint, with new granite steps in place of the worn brick.
Granite or concrete steps for a Dover entry?
Concrete costs less up front and is porous, so freeze and thaw wears it down over a few winters. Granite costs more and holds up with no resurfacing or patching. For a home you plan to stay in, granite is the better long term choice.
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My front steps were a crumbling mess and they transformed them to granite perfection. I am so in love with the results.