This kind of paths fit in big and well looking garden. They are not that suitable for a country-style backyard. You will need a professional to install it, and of course it's going to cost a lot.

However, once installed you can almost forget about your paved path. It may even outlive your house. If a slab is broken, it's not hard to replace it.

While it's a type of paving, I think cobblestone deserves attention on its own. It's super long lasting and durable and will make your property look like a castle. Laying cobblestone is an art so I don't think this goes into the DIY category. But if you are big enthusiast you can try it.

The only big downside of a cobblestone path is its price. And not just the price of material but also the labor whose costs can exceed 50% of the entire sum.

Of course not every house and garden will look good with cobblestone paths. Which is a good excuse to spare the expenses ;)

Gravel pathways are easy to lay yourself and pretty cheap. They provide good drainage and don't let weeds grow through. There are many types of gravel so you can choose between different color and sizes of the rocks. Finally, you can relatively easy remove a gravel path if you no longer want it where it was.

One of the few cons: the rocks can wedge into shoes or just be thrown away from the pathway when walking on it. To avoid this it's better to use gravel with larger rocks although they aren't as soft for walking on as the small rocks (like pea gravel).

Brick paths are DIY alternative of paved slab pathways. While they aren't simple to make, the skills required aren't as high as of arranging pave slabs. See how to do it. And usually bricks are all of the same size and arranged in rows, unless you want to make some impressive arrangement.

On the other hand bricks are less durable and easier to break than concrete slabs. Consider this as both advantage and disadvantage - you may need to replace some bricks over time but removing the path is also a bit easier. If you ever decide to do it of course.

By saying "high maintenance" here I mean you will need to add bark chipping every year because they quickly decompost. This is valid for most walkways made of organic materials. They may also, sometimes, attract termites or other wood-eating insects.

But! Such walkway looks, feels and smells exceptionally well. It's entirely organic so if you ever decide to remove it, the soil under can be recovered for gardening, and even become quite fertile.

You can also use any other kind of mulch, like for example pine bark, to make a similar path.

Grass pathways are among the most affordable and the best looking ones. Green, soft, natural, clean - what else you can ask for? You only have to buy grass mix from time to time and take care to keep the grass healthy and strong. The latter may be quite labor consuming task if your grass walkways are exposed to heavy traffic.

There come the artificial grass solutions. While more expensive and not natural they have a couple of very big advantages: there virtually is no maintenance required and the artificial grass remains green and strong even during the winter (provided you keep it clean of snow).

It's always valid with concrete: ten times think, one time pour it. Once you lay out a concrete path in the garden it's really hard to remove it. While most people don't change their walkways often it's still something to have in mind.

You can lay your concrete path yourself but it requires a bit more skills than other path types. Learn how to do it from this quite. A simpler way to lay a concrete path is to use precast slabs.

The one really big advantage is that once laid you simply use and forget it. Concrete paths almost never need any maintenance.

Using boards is the most popular option when building walkways from wood. You can varnish and paint them, you can attach them to path borders, you may prepare gravel foundation under them, or you can simply lay the boards on the ground and use them as is until they rot.

Wooden board walks are great for properties with lots of trees and plants. They may become a bit slippery when wet so make sure there are no big slopes.

While the typical stone or paved paths require masonry work, skills, and lots of time, there is a way to still use stones but make your path easy and for cheap. Instead of trying to build well-arranged and straight pathway, simply put some flat stones each feet or so right in the ground. That's ALL that has do be done - set and forget.

Or almost. If weeds grow between the stones you may need to cut them. Sometimes stones will need to be cleaned from mud or dust. But that's really it. See more info here.

The same conception can be applied to using paving slabs for example.