Planning to remove my front sidewalk (the portion leading from the house to the public sidewalk). The sidewalk is at grade level up near the house. However, it descends down to approximately 8 inches below grade where it meets the public sidewalk (~25 feet out). There is a small retaining wall on either side that gradually increases in height from the house outwards.
My plan is to remove the sidewalk and retaining walls and fill in the area with soil. Then lay down patio stones or slate stepping stones with grass growing in between each stone. Essentially, I'll be elevating the walking path so the front lawn is completing flat from one side to the other.
The initial plan was to use a jackhammer to break up the whole sidewalk, then use the pieces elsewhere or unload them. However, it was recommended to me to only break up the portion of the sidewalk that is higher up in elevation. It was suggested that I simply fill in over the deeper portion of the sidewalk, then install the stones, lawn, etc. over this. I'm concerned that this may not be very sound, particularly in periods of heavy rain. Being in NJ, we do get a decent amount of rain in the Spring and Fall. Am I overthinking this? Will the grass and soil remaing in place or wash out?
I would be happy to clarify if the above explanation is unclear.
Thanks
My plan is to remove the sidewalk and retaining walls and fill in the area with soil. Then lay down patio stones or slate stepping stones with grass growing in between each stone. Essentially, I'll be elevating the walking path so the front lawn is completing flat from one side to the other.
The initial plan was to use a jackhammer to break up the whole sidewalk, then use the pieces elsewhere or unload them. However, it was recommended to me to only break up the portion of the sidewalk that is higher up in elevation. It was suggested that I simply fill in over the deeper portion of the sidewalk, then install the stones, lawn, etc. over this. I'm concerned that this may not be very sound, particularly in periods of heavy rain. Being in NJ, we do get a decent amount of rain in the Spring and Fall. Am I overthinking this? Will the grass and soil remaing in place or wash out?
I would be happy to clarify if the above explanation is unclear.
Thanks