How To Build Raised Walkways and Boardwalks with Ground Screw

Most people look at building a raised walkway and think, “This is going to be complicated and expensive.”

With ground screws, it doesn’t have to be. Ground screws can be installed at precise points to support the structure, providing a level platform without the need for excavation or concrete. That makes them well-suited to walkways across soft or wet ground, routes through uneven terrain, or access paths that need to connect different levels of a site.

There are still best practices to follow – from selecting the correct screw size and depth to levelling. 

This guide takes you through those steps to create a raised walkway that is strong, durable, and compliant.

Why Raised Walkways Are Harder to Build Than They Look

A raised walkway is a continuous path built above ground level, designed to carry people safely over waterlogged ground, tree roots, uneven slopes, or places where access needs to be maintained without disturbing what lies beneath. 

You’ll see them in gardens linking different levels, in woodlands protecting root systems, in wetlands forming boardwalks, and in commercial sites where safe access routes are required.

On paper, the concept is simple, involving a series of supports, a subframe, and a walking surface. In practice, building one is rarely straightforward. Each support must be stable, aligned, and capable of resisting both foot traffic and weather over time. Achieving that with traditional methods quickly escalates into a major exercise:

• Extensive site preparation: Clearing vegetation, levelling uneven ground, and stabilising soft patches before any supports can be placed.
• Excavation for footings: Digging deep holes at every support point, often dozens across a single walkway, which is disruptive near trees, difficult on slopes, and almost impossible in wetlands.
• Concrete delivery and placement: Getting heavy materials or mixers to every footing location, sometimes along long, narrow, or inaccessible routes.
• Curing time and weather risks: Concrete requires days to set, leaving schedules vulnerable to rain, frost, or cold conditions.
• Environmental disturbance: Excavation alters drainage, compacts soil, and can damage tree roots or habitats – issues that trigger planning restrictions in sensitive areas.
• Multiple contractor phases: Excavation crews, concrete teams, and then the builders themselves – a sequence that stretches what should be a simple build into weeks of stop-start work.

So while a raised walkway may look like a modest project, the groundworks alone can make it slow, disruptive, and expensive. The more complex the terrain – steep slopes, root zones, or wetlands – the more the challenges stack up. 

Understanding Standard Foundations for Walkways

Walkways are conventionally built using posts fixed into concrete pads. Sounds straightforward enough, but anyone who’s actually tried this knows it creates more problems than it solves.

Here’s what makes conventional foundations such a pain:

• Moving concrete to site is rarely simple: Walkways are often positioned in woodlands, wetlands – natural areas where concrete can’t travel. Moving multiple small batches to the site via wheelbarrow means a lot of heavy lifting.
• Excavation damages the site: Digging foundation holes changes how water drains and can damage tree roots. Heavy equipment churns up ground well beyond where you’re actually building.
• Precision becomes a constant battle: Every post needs to be at exactly the right height, which is tricky on uneven ground. One skew foundation throws off the entire walkway alignment.
• Weather controls your schedule: Concrete needs time to cure properly, and rain or cold can delay the project or even compromise foundations before they’re finished.

Even simple boardwalk projects are vulnerable to issues that make you wonder why concrete seemed like a good idea in the first place!

How Ground Screws Offer A Path Forward

Ground screws replace pads with individual steel piles that are driven until they reach stable, load-bearing soil. 

Installation is clean and easy, and levelling is much, much more straightforward. Here are the benefits of using ground screws for walkways:

1. Minimal Ground Disturbance

Screws displace soil rather than removing it, so it doesn’t introduce holes or trenches that can fill with water. 

Drainage patterns and soil structure remain largely intact, which matters in gardens, woodland edges, and wet ground where disturbance quickly becomes a problem for both performance and permissions.

2. Ready to Build the Same Day

Ground screws can carry loads immediately. Your walkway joists can be fixed as soon as installation checks are complete – no weather windows for pours, no return visit after a cure period, no temporary bracing just to hold lines while concrete sets.

3. Suitable Near Trees and Other Sensitive Areas

Excavation around roots compacts soil and severs fine root networks. Ground screws can be positioned between major roots with very limited disturbance, meeting expectations under Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) and avoiding the kind of groundworks that invite refusals.

4. Accurate Levels Over Uneven Terrain

Walkways rarely track flat ground. Each screw is set to its own depth, so the heads align – the frame above runs level while the terrain below rises and falls. 

On steeper sections, you can install different-length ground screws to track the slope, while brackets ensure a fine-tuned fit. Read more about installing ground screws on sloping terrain here.

5. Logistics That Fit Awkward Sites

You can install ground screws with driving tools that can be carried to and from the site by hand. This minimises damage to the area and is much cheaper and easier than negotiating heavy equipment over challenging ground. 

Bracket Systems Make a Real Difference

The bracket you choose between your ground screw and walkway structure determines how much control you have over the final installation. While you can achieve excellent results with standard brackets, adjustable systems unlock additional possibilities that can transform challenging projects.

Adjustable brackets provide several key benefits:

• Precise height control during installation
• Post-installation adjustment for any minor settlement issues 
• Enhanced levelling for walkways crossing uneven terrain

In sum, adjustable brackets let you fine-tune each section to create smooth transitions and proper gradients without breaking your back to get every ground screw at exactly the right depth.

DIY Installation vs Professional Services

DIY installation suits many residential garden walkway projects on reasonably level ground. 

Our 68mm self-install range handles most residential applications effectively. Professional installation with heavier-duty screws offers more when things get more complicated:

• Commercial projects that need certified procedures and proper documentation
• Challenging terrain with steep slopes or restricted access
• Load-critical applications where precise engineering calculations matter
• Tight deadlines where you need guaranteed rapid completion

Our installation teams can perform load testing and are prepared for any challenge, with years of experience handling unexpected situations!

Ground Screws Are Ideal for Walkway Projects

Ground screws suit walkways of all kinds, cutting out all the faff with excavation, concrete mixing, and waiting around for things to cure whilst getting your foundation work done in hours. They’re particularly useful when:

• You’re working with uneven terrain and waterlogged ground
• Heavy machinery can’t access the site easily
• You need minimal disturbance to existing landscape
• Projects require quick turnaround times

Thinking about starting your walkway project? Use our ground screw calculator to work out what you’ll need, have a look through our full range of screws and brackets, or contact our team for advice on your specific job.