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Some patios will cause your property taxes to increase, while others will not. A good rule of thumb is that if your patio requires a permit, your taxes will increase. That’s because permits are necessary for “permanent” land improvements, and your taxes are based partially on improvements. Something like a concrete patio that’s considered permanent will bump up your property taxes, while a “temporary” paver patio or flagstone patio will not negatively affect your taxes. Keep in mind that this can vary, so always contact your building department to see if your patio project will affect your taxes.

Stone steps are often more expensive than concrete steps as they are specially cut and installed, on top of the material costs. Concrete is more readily available as many steps are precast, although custom-poured concrete steps are an option more similar in price to stone steps.

Alternative landscaping materials similar to pea gravel include wood chips, decomposed granite, crushed stone, and pebbles. You can also invest in specialty landscape rocks such as quartz, river rock, lava rock, and Mexican beach pebble. While many of these stones will cost more than pea gravel, some are more ideal for designing an attractive garden bed or managing drainage.

About 6 inches between the edges of each stone in the sequence is common. Rather than sticking to 6 inches, some people measure the length of the entire path and adjust the space between stepping stones a couple of inches wider or narrower than 6 inches to make sure the entire path fits the length perfectly without having to cut a paver at either end. Other people prefer a design with a 24-inch distance from the center of one stone to the center of the next stone, which matches the stride of an average-sized person.