Garden path from the 70s with concrete foundation - usual?

Hello everyone,

I hope I am in the right place with my first question. If not, please feel free to move it to another forum.

We own a semi-detached house built in 1975 and would like to visually improve an approximately 10m long, 1.20m wide, straight garden path through our front garden.

Currently, lovely exposed aggregate concrete slabs are laid loosely without a side curb. On the one hand, the slabs are unsightly, on the other hand, they constantly slip apart due to the lack of side edging.

At first we thought - no problem. Excavate a bit, set curbstones, new base (gravel, grit, etc.) in between, nicer stones on top. After lifting the exposed aggregate slabs, however, a concrete foundation appeared over the entire length of the path, estimated to be at least 15-20 cm thick. See pictures below.

The foundation seems to be installed horizontally. From the house to the garden gate, a slope was applied on the foundation. On the house side, therefore, there is about 12cm of concrete gravel mixture on the foundation (relatively easy to remove, partially crumbly). The exposed aggregate slabs then lie on the slope in about 2cm of coarse grit.

Strangely, the slabs are also slightly offset to one side on the foundation (overhanging on one side, not fully covering the foundation on the other side, see pictures).

Perhaps someone can answer the following questions regarding this:

Was such a construction common in the 70s? That is quite an effort for a garden path that is not drivable. The foundation looks neatly shuttered, tactilely more like reinforced concrete of basement walls, not like the concrete bed for e.g. curbstones.

Could the foundation have a deeper purpose? For example, cable/pipe protection? Is such an effort usual for a single-family house front garden? And at more than 1m width? The water supply and sewage pipes run under the foundation in the basement, but comfortably at 1.5m depth. Electrical and communication lines do not seem to lie under the foundation. Would anything special need to be considered regarding the surface if the foundation were in fact a concrete pipe/cable channel?

Has anyone ever refurbished such a construction? Which paving stones could be installed instead of the 5cm exposed aggregate slabs and what would the substructure look like? Like so far, make a slope + grit? Or better to stick with slabs? Would the concrete need to be treated/sealed somehow? Probably not.

Actually, we wanted to widen the path at the house in the stair area and at the garden fence to the mailbox. How could a good transition be created laterally away from the concrete foundation to lay the surface both over the foundation and the adjacent soil? I would rather avoid further concreting the property... on the other hand, the "soil portion" might sink quickly - or can this be sufficiently prevented, for example, by compacting with a tamper?

Thank you very much in advance for tips and suggestions!

Best regards,
Volker

Could the foundation have a deeper meaning?

Usually not :) The stuff was cheap and sturdy – mix it, pour it, done. Interior tiles were laid on a 5cm thick bed that you can only get off with a rotary hammer and numerous curses; entire courtyards were filled with concrete because it seemed so practical. In our case, in a small bathroom that was retrofitted in the 80s, bricks were stacked in double rows with child’s arm thick joints as a wall (with an extra inserted alternating pattern so that the wooden ceiling could hold up). SEVEN! CUBIC METERS! OF DIRT! Therefore, you won’t avoid cursing, using the rotary hammer – and getting rid of the dirt. But afterwards, it feels good!

I suspect the concrete path was poured massively during the construction of the house or shortly thereafter and was used as a path for years. After damage, it was newly covered with the exposed aggregate concrete slabs. That was my grandfather's logic and also how it was done: paths, garage drives, stairs, shed foundations. When the concrete mixer came, he would board up his projects with planks in case there was some left over. Solutions would be to remove everything and start anew, or leave the concrete path in place and cover it again.

I still know the paths from earlier from my grandparents. Then we had money again and spruced them up with our own efforts.

Yes, the same at my parents' place. Concrete paths everywhere. Just try to lightly break up the whole thing first.

Good morning everyone,

thank you for your quick responses :)

That stuff was cheap and durable - mix, pour, done. Interior floor tiles were laid on a 5cm thick bed, which you can only remove with a rotary hammer and lots of curses, entire courtyards were filled with concrete because it seemed so practical.

I’m getting that impression here with us as well more and more, we had the thick bed and tiles issue in the kitchen...

Solutions would be take everything out, everything new,
or leave the concrete path in and cover it anew

The first option would certainly be the cleaner solution. But with the length and thickness of the path, I’d need very heavy equipment. With the rotary hammer I’d be working for months :). Maybe better to just leave it in. The transitions in the substrate when widening the path are just unfortunate - maybe simply put concrete as a base there as well ... :p

Have a nice day!