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Why Choose Ted Lare for Pathways in Des Moines

With decades in the business, Ted Lare Design Build has become one of the leading hardscaping companies in Des Moines and all of Iowa. We pride ourselves on using premium materials, utilizing modern techniques that last, and having a keen eye for detail and outdoor creativity that reflects luxurious, comfortable living.

40+ Years of Experience

Ted Lare himself founded our hardscaping company in 1982 and we’ve built countless paver landscaping pathways over the last 40 years. This is the reason why we understand the ins and outs of hardscaping for Iowa better than anyone.

Custom Paver Pathways for Your Outdoor Landscape

Patio paver pathways can transform your backyard from a shapeless space into an activity hub for your family and loved ones. Custom paver pathways can improve the flow, connect living spaces, enhance the transition, and improve the overall appearance of your outdoors in an educational and intentional way.

At Ted Lare Design Build, we’ve created custom paver pathways for countless property owners in Iowa. Contact us today to schedule a Design Consultation and get a no-obligation in-house assessment from one of our expert designers.

Benefits of Installing Custom Paver Pathways

Installing patio-to-garden paver pathways in your outdoors brings many benefits, including:

  • Better flow and connectivity 
  • Durable construction with low maintenance
  • Enhanced appeal and a more modern look
  • Safer surfaces that are slip-resistant
A front entryway featuring a tight-laid flagstone pathway leads to Unilock stone walls, offering a timeless and elegant look with cube accent pieces. Surrounding perennial plantings add vibrant color and texture, creating a welcoming and polished design by Ted Lare Design Build
Unilock Paver Patio and Pathway Design - Outdoor Living with Ted Lare Landscaping in Des Moines

Paver & Material Options for Your Landscape Pathways

We can build paver pathways using a wide range of beautiful and durable materials that add a stylish and practical touch to your outdoor spaces.

  • Brick Paver Walkways
  • Concrete Paver Pathways
  • Natural Stone Paver Paths
  • Permeable Paver Pathways
  • Consultation and lifestyle planning
  • Custom design and material selection
  • Professional construction and installation

Our Paver Pathways Design & Installation Process

When you work with our expert paver walkway contractors, you’re putting your project in great hands. Here’s how our process works.

Initial Consultation & Site Planning

Our paver walkway contractors begin with a detailed site evaluation, assessing slope, drainage, layout, and daily use. This ensures your pathway functions properly while fitting naturally within your outdoor environment.

Custom Pathway Design

We create custom paver pathways with thoughtful planning that takes patterns, curves, borders, width, and safety into consideration. Every detail is planned to enhance the flow, comfort, and visual appeal of your outdoors through an educational process.

Professional Installation for Long-Term Strength

Our paver walkway installation process focuses on proper base preparation, compaction, sand setting, and drainage management. These proven paver walkway solutions ensure lasting strength and performance in Iowa conditions.

Pathway Applications for Every Outdoor Space

Let’s take a look at some of the outdoor areas that benefit the most from custom paver pathways.

An outdoor tight-laid paver patio with a stone pillar pergola, designed by Ted Lare Design & Build, offers a sophisticated and functional space for relaxation and entertaining. The patio is crafted with tightly laid pavers, providing a smooth, durable surface, while the stone pillar pergola creates a shaded area, perfect for lounging or dining. Unilock stone steppers lead through the surrounding garden, adding a natural flow to the design, and stone edging defines the space while enhancing the landscape’s structure. Perennial plantings, such as lavender, coneflowers, and ornamental grasses, provide vibrant color and texture, attracting pollinators and adding seasonal interest throughout the year.

Patio-to-Garden Connections

Patio-to-garden paver pathways create smooth transitions between outdoor living spaces and landscaping. They improve flow, protect turf, and make gardens more accessible while enhancing the overall structure of your backyard.

A front entryway featuring a tight-laid flagstone pathway leads to Unilock stone walls, offering a timeless and elegant look. Surrounding perennial plantings add vibrant color and texture, creating a welcoming and polished design by Ted Lare Design Build

Front Entry Walkways

Front entry walkways improve curb appeal while providing safe, welcoming access to your home. Well-designed paver paths frame entrances beautifully and stand up to heavy foot traffic year after year.

A beautiful backyard landscape design with flagstone pathways creates a natural and inviting atmosphere. Large boulder wall fountains and a meandering stream add soothing water elements, while strategically placed evergreen trees provide year-round structure and greenery. Surrounding the space, perennial plantings offer vibrant seasonal blooms and texture, enhancing the overall aesthetic with pops of color and movement. This design creates a tranquil outdoor retreat that blends natural materials with lush greenery, perfect for relaxing or entertaining by Ted Lare Design Build in Des Moines

Side-Yard Pathways

Side-yard paver pathways add practicality to often-overlooked spaces. They create clean, durable access between front and backyard areas while preventing mud, erosion, and worn-down grass.

A wooden patio with river rock and mulch, designed by Ted Lare Design & Build, creates a serene and natural outdoor living space. The patio features a rustic wooden deck, offering a comfortable seating area, surrounded by a mix of river rock and mulch to define the garden beds. The river rock adds a touch of texture, complementing the natural surroundings, while the mulch helps retain moisture and reduce weeds. Thoughtfully selected plantings, such as ornamental grasses, shrubs, and colorful perennials, soften the hardscape and bring the space to life with seasonal blooms and vibrant greenery. This landscape design balances functionality with beauty, creating an inviting and low-maintenance outdoor retreat.

Garden trails made with outdoor paver walkways guide movement through planted areas without disturbing soil or roots. They add charm, structure, and functionality to both formal and natural garden designs.

ted lare paver pool deck

Poolside paver paths offer slip-resistant surfaces and clean transitions around water features. Designed for safety and comfort, they withstand moisture while maintaining a polished, resort-style appearance.

Fire pit access pathways provide safe, convenient routes to gathering spaces. Durable pavers handle heat, foot traffic, and weather while enhancing nighttime feel and overall backyard usability.

Ready to Enhance Your Landscape With Custom Pathways? Let’s Talk!

Thinking about adding a pathway to your property? We design and build custom walkways and pathways that improve flow, safety, and visual appeal throughout your outdoor space. Whether you want to connect key areas of your yard, create a welcoming garden path, or install a durable paver walkway for everyday use, our team delivers solutions tailored to your home and lifestyle.

Let’s bring function, beauty, and seamless movement to your landscape. Contact us today to start planning your custom pathway.

An outdoor cut patio pathway with accent cubes and boulders, complemented by a custom iron pergola structure and color-popping plantings, creates a striking and vibrant outdoor space in Des Moines, blending natural elements with bold design features for a dynamic atmosphere.

High-Quality Craftsmanship

High-quality craftsmanship has been a cornerstone of Ted Lare Build Design since our establishment. Today, we maintain our commitment to superb quality, delivering the best materials, creating a custom design, and craftsmanship for luxury outdoor spaces.

Iowa has humid and rainy summers as well as dry, sub-zero winters, and these yearly freeze-thaw cycles are a common cause for paver damage. The good news is that our team understands these cycles and how they affect your hardscaping, so we help you choose the most durable materials and designs that withstand the test of time.

No outdoor space and paver custom design is the same, so we create a custom design built specifically for your backyard. Instead of taking a cookie-cutter approach and treating every project the same, our designers meet with you in your home to physically evaluate all the details that will impact the cost, installation time, and other variables in your project.

Everyone loves beautifully-designed spaces that are also practical, so our goal is to transform your outdoor area into appealing hubs of activity that you can build memories in. Our outdoor living experts can help ensure that your outdoors have everything you need to make the most out of your family time.

Design Ideas for Modern Paver Pathways

Here are a few pathway styles and ideas that can serve as inspiration for your project.

ted lare paver pathway planting

Curved Pathway Designs

Curved paver pathways create a natural feel in your outdoor spaces as the gentle winds help guide guests and family members through your backyard.

A Unilock stone pathway winds through a lush garden of colorful shade perennials, adding texture and elegance to the landscape design by Ted Lare Design Build

Straight Modern Layouts

If you are after a clean and uniform look that frames certain elements, then a straight modern layout may be the best alternative. This type of custom design focuses heavily on symmetry and practicality while still adding a classy touch to your outdoors.

Curvilinear Landscape Design with 4 inch Stone Edging and Unilock Paver Patio with Stone Steppers throughout the Planting Bed

Stepping Stone Paver Look

The stepping stone paver look combines casual charm with custom craftsmanship, perfect for Iowa homeowners seeking relaxed yet stylish paver path ideas. Our custom design approach uses individual pavers spaced evenly to create a floating effect across grass, gravel, or ground cover, so they are suitable for patios and gardens alike.

ted lare paver pathway

Mixed Material Borders & Edging

If you want a more style-driven and complex custom designs, mixed materials can help add contrasting textures and support unique structures. Not only this, but you can also increase durability by using premium materials that look great and last for decades with proper maintenance.

Frequently Asked Questions About Paver Pathways

Here are the most common questions and answers about paver pathways in Iowa.

There are many different materials, designs, and colors available for your outdoor patio, so there is no one-size-fits-all solution for this question. However, there is certainly a “best type of paver” for your home and outdoor space, so it’s important to get help from professionals before making your selection. Contact Ted Lare today and our team will go through the pros and cons of each material and help ensure that you make the right choice.

Pavers are relatively easy and straightforward to set up by the experts at Ted Lare, but the installation time can vary based on the size, terrain, and complexity of your custom design. Some projects take 2 to 4 days, while large and complex designs may take up to a week or more. To get the best installation time accurately, get in touch with our team today.

Yes, custom paver pathways are known for resisting freeze-thaw cycles, especially when installed properly. Materials like brick, concrete, and non-porous natural stone are not prone to cracking, plus they can be easily replaced in case of any damage or staining.

Yes! We can seamlessly implement pavers into your existing patio or create new pathways to connect existing outdoor areas. Our designers analyze your current elements in order to tie in and incorporate pavers that match or work well with your current materials and overall custom design.

Pavers are known for their durability and the fact that they require little maintenance. It’s important to:

  • Sweep debris and rinse off dirt/mud
  • Refilling joints when needed
  • Pull out or exterminate weeds growing between your pavers

Permeable pavers are a great option for areas that experience heavy rainfall and flooding. That said, it’s important to ensure proper installation and efficient draining. Our team of paver installation experts can help you determine if permeable pavers are the right option and give you the best quote for your project.

The material, size, preparation and design complexity all influence the final cost of your project. To get an accurate estimate, get in touch with our team of hardscaping designers and schedule a Design Consultation.

Start Your Custom Paver Pathway Project in Des Moines Today

Fully personalized paver pathways are a great way to finish your outdoor space and add a classy touch that will last the test of time. Custom paver pathways and entire patios offer a great combination of price, appearance, durability, and maintenance.

This type of floor looks elegant and offers a wide range of materials as well as colors and patterns to match any type of home. Not only this, patio pavers can last for decades if taken care of properly and require little maintenance. Plus, in the event of damage, it’s easy to repair the individual paver or section by replacing the broken links.

If you are looking for paver pathway installation in Iowa, contact Ted Lare Design Build today and our team of experts will gladly organize a Design Consultation.

Pathways Gallery

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Please complete the following form and we’ll get back to you. If you are interested in meeting with a designer at your home, the consultation fee is $300.