Question
I would like to add a path to my yard that has a look of flagstone but is extremely budget friendly.  What would you suggest?  I am landscaping an acre around my home in south Louisiana so heat and humidity are factors in my choices. I am on a very strict budget but I am willing to work hard.   Thank you.

Answer
I would do irregular shaped real stone.  You can buy a full ton of stone (2000lbs) for around $100-130 here in GA. It's not likely you'll find concrete steeping stones any cheaper to cover the same area. Cut "flag stone" (rectangular stones shaped like flags)is very expensive because it is cut and relatively uniform in sized and thickness and typically needs to be set on a slab of concrete. Most good installations of this start at $15/sf and go up from there depending on the stone and design pattern. Poured and stamped concrete is a good cheap alternative at about 1/4 to 1/2 the cost. Starting around $6 a sf and going to $12/sf for a really high quality job with multiple colors and an intricate pattern.

Best of Luck.

Sean J Murphy, LA, ISA, LEED AP
www.seanjmurphy.com
www.seengineering.com