It was a lot of pavement for that setting, I can understand the undesirable effects, especially if tree roots lifted some of the pavers. Except for nutritional analysis, your soil testing will be a snap: 1. For pH, check with the local office of your State Cooperative Extension; they usually do a pH test while you wait, free of charge ... and will tell you what and how much to add to adjust if necessary. Soil for turfgrasses should be in the 6.0 (preferably 6.5) to 7.0 range. 2. For soil composition, use the jar test. If you have children, they'd love to help and watch the results. Take a clean, straight-sided jar (mayonnaise, Mason, etc.) and fill about halfway with your soil. Fill almost to the top with water. Add a drop or two of dish washing liquid. Screw on the top securely. Shake to mix thoroughly, then set it down. You will see the sand begin to settle out immediately. Silt will settle next, and may take an hour or so to settle out. Clay will take the longest to settle out, several hours possibly. Organic matter will float or settle out last. You will clearly see the proportions of each component of your soil. 3. As for nutrient analysis, the test kits available in garden centers will give reasonably good results if used correctly. Sending a soil sample off to your extension service soil lab would give you more accurate results, but that can take several weeks for results and probably not necessary in this case. Clay has minerals, but tends to compact, resulting in poor drainage. Sand makes for good drainage, sometimes too good, taking any fertilizer with it, resulting in a nutrient-poor, dry soil. Turfgrasses are not happy in either situation. Organic matter will lighten clay soil to help with drainage and aeration (plants get oxygen through their roots), and will improve the water and nutrient holding capacity of a sandy soil. Turfgrasses need a minimum of 4" good topsoil, preferably more. 8" would be better. The deeper the topsoil, the deeper the roots can grow and the more resilient your grass plants will be. Check to see if the soil in this area is like the soil in the rest of your yard. It is common practice when laying a walk or patio to dig out some soil and replace with gravel and then sand for a good base. If there is a hardpan of compacted clay beneath the sand and gravel, you could have drainage issues. I have no idea what the dilute clear shampoo solution is supposed to do - would love to know if you ever find out. It looks like you are already well into gardening, so probably know the importance of good soil and a healthy, diverse population of soil organisms. Doing the prep correctly now will save time and effort in the long run.

LOL Ya'll are funny. I got so many comments on my bad photo taking I took it off to retake them. So I'll post pics here: I suppose I should have typed between pics....what you're seeing is the master bath :P I took a close up of the glass to show how cool it is :) We had it made for us so no one has glass like it. It's super thick and while in the big pics you see inside the cabs due to use of flash, you really can't see into it (as you see in the glass only pic). It's really just another texture. The room inspiration was my collection of medievil manuscript pages. The "art" is dated between 1350 and 1700. The majority is mid 1400. I love the soft coffe stained tones you get with antique papers. The cabs might appear black, but they're actually a rich chocolate cherry, just like the croc tile. The cabinets are Omega custom. Since they do whatever you ask for, the design was whatever I wanted LOL I went with 27" deep lowers and then it has the little jut out. The cabs have pull out drawers inside for my daily routine. I also have the little pullouts for toothpaste, soap etc., as well as toe kick drawers, tip outs, blah blah...every inch of space is used LOL People always ask about the tub...you can easily get into it by stepping up on the step, sitting down backwards (bumm on deck) and swinging your legs over to drop down into the seat that is inside. We did plan on a bigger step (one that flipped out) and we planned on using grab bars, but really they're not necessary. Frankly the tub (while it calls out for nekkid adults and good wine) is most often occupied by our 3 year old. He loves having water to his neck (he's not left alone in there obviously) and the bubbles that the air jets make. Not to mention that the water is recirculated into a warmer so it never gets cold...again not that I'd know...but given his two hour splash session...I'm guessing it works for him :) Oh and it's NOT dark in the room. The shower has it's own light inside. The room is quite well lit and gets so much sunshine that I took the pictures late at night to get them without too much shine (which made people think the room is dark). We sit on the edge of a lake and have huge windows everywhere so the room is constantly light and bright. Our wall finish was done by an artist to mimic the travertine feel, but not be specific.

Someone please help....I built my shutters I think using 1x4 wood with the cross bar appro. 12 inches from the top and bottom...I made sure that I primed and painted both sides of all the wood that I used...some of my windows are rather tall and the ones exposed to the weather want to worp and curl some I used pressure treaded wood....the really looked nice, I cut a 30 degree angle the length of all the boards and it gave them a very nice look....until the worping started....Someone HELP...fyi I am a 71 year old female and the house I am living in was built by my Grandparents...I was completed in Dec. of 1911, the year my Father was born Dec. 12, 1911 in this house....so the house will be 100 yrs. old Dec. of this year....I am planning to host an open house to celebrate... Patty

I think the only code issue that applies here is the riser height which yes, RG, is 7 3/4" so even if the other riser is off, it still complies with code because these are not considered stairs which my understanding is any set of steps that are at least 3 in succession are considered stairs and must comply with applicable codes (like a hand rail and riser height conformity). But regardless of code, the riser heights are just too far off for any reputable contractor to think they did a decent job. Codes for steps and stairs are for safety concerns, and everybody knows riser heights with different heights in succession cause the brain to get confused. Especially for the elderly. I suggest you put aesthetics aside and focus on safety, workmanship and the integrity of your contractor to do the right thing.