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New homeowner here!

My neighbor's lawn is shown here on the right. Their lawn stops at the triangular concrete slab at the bottom-right of the first image.

The semi-broken concrete barrier (retaining wall? I'm still learning terminology) and the very broken concrete steps leading up the side of my house are in need of replacement.

My neighbor and my survey have confirmed it's all on my property so I'm free to handle (i.e. contract out) the replacement work.

I'm thinking of reaching out quite broadly to some landscaping companies operating in my area, but before I do, I'm curious to get some input from this community.

For example, would it make sense to replace the barrier and the steps at the same time?

Sometimes I simple wooden barriers, sometimes concrete, sometimes stone. I assume price increases for each.

First time questioner here, so thanks for your input!

concrete barrier 1 concrete barrier 2 concrete steps

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    That wall appears to be just pavers set at an angle, not anything like a "real" retaining wall, and you could easily (and inexpensively) replace the one or two broken ones with unbroken ones of the same size, if that "wall" is doing the job adequately. Removing the ones that stick out long enough to scrape the soil back a bit so they all line up nicely when you put them back would also not take long.
    – Ecnerwal
    Jul 20 at 1:47
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    Could even just replace the paver "wall" with a block retaining wall. A "wall" that short ("not tall") might not even need a footing.
    – Huesmann
    Jul 20 at 12:41
  • Much appreciated!
    – gleepglop
    Jul 21 at 0:33

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Landscapers usually don't do concrete work and concrete people don't do landscaping.

The steps need to be torn out and new concrete steps need to be formed and poured. That's for the concrete contractors.

The wall is your choice. The concrete guys can form a wall, but it will need a foundation. That can get pricey. An alternative may be something to discuss with landscapers about a stacked stone wall or possibly some wood, (rot can be a factor to think about.)

At any rate you need the steps done first then the wall.

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  • Thanks very much!
    – gleepglop
    Jul 20 at 1:41
  • And be sure to socialize the issue and your proposed solution with your new neighbor. They may, for better or worse, have come to think of that bit of grass as 'theirs'. Plus the noise and commotion while things are being worked on. A plate of fresh baked cookies might go a long way to starting things off well...
    – Jon Custer
    Jul 20 at 13:09
  • Thank you Jon!!
    – gleepglop
    Jul 21 at 0:33

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