Last spring, we decided to remove a concrete walkway (and much of the soil underneath it) behind our house and replace it with either a pea gravel or decomposed granite patio with boxwoods and a fire pit. Removing the concrete and soil was fun, hard work.
Now, we need to decide how we're going to support the existing concrete steps. As you can see from the images below, we left a mound of soil next to the steps for the time being, for support. We're not sure what to do next.
We have a few questions:
What should we use to hold up the concrete steps? We're hoping it could be something that would be flush with the steps and not have to stick out too much into the patio.
What can we use to remove the excess concrete on the foundation wall so that it's all even (no lip)?
What can we use to make an extra step on the bottom of the concrete stairs all the way to the left in the panoramic picture? Right now, we have a mound of dirt left over from when I dug out the patio area. We'd be happy with a wood step, if we could find one that would look nice.
Any advice/pointers for this project are greatly appreciated!
Thank you!