The concept of a roller is good - it will flatten things out - but the practice could very well create additional problems. Weight will cause soil compaction and weight on saturated soils can irretrievably damage soil structure. Soils under lawns tend to be compacted anyway, due to the amount of foot traffic they get as well as the routine use of equipment like lawn mowers, etc. And a heavily compacted soil prevents water from penetrating deeply, causes the roots of lawn grasses to stay very close to the soil surface and contributes to issues like thatch build-up, soil infertility and diseases. Aerating the lawn (later in the season, after the soil has dried sufficiently) to alleviate compaction and then adding soil (or better yet, a fine, screened compost if you have it) to even out the low spots may be the most practical and economical approach. You could overseed at the same time if you have large areas involved or very deep depressions but the existing grass should grow through a reasonable thickness of soil or compost. And you wouldn't even have to till!

The problem is with a repair done in the past month. The step nearest the walkway is not level and slopes towards the house. Also, the middle stone in the front of the step is lower than the others (not in a straight line). The walkway in front of the steps also slopes towards the house. This walkway is in two parts: repair and original. Concrete was laid and allowed to set. Then the stones laid in mortar. The mortar color is also wrong. Will removing the offending stones and resetting in fresh mortar be OK? Will it stick to the new-but-not-removed mortar? If not, how to fix? Thanks for any help. Cross-posted in Home Repair & Porches and decks

I don't want to add to your trouble but that will quickly rot the facia,soffit and rafter tails leaving you with an expensive repair. That is one of the most common errors made by inexperienced remodel contractors. The usual remedy include's removing the cover to start over. The main problem is that cover can't be sloped enough so that water run's off without backing uphill and leaking between facia and cover. My solution for 90% of these is A, Remove cover while attempting to save as much material as possible. B. Add a gutter to house. C. Raise cover ABOVE roof on house or move cover away from roof of house. Leave room to replace shingles when time come's. If the mist coming between roof and cover when it rains bother's you, have a roofer install an apron in the gap.

Hi all, Thank you all who answered this post. I wanted to give you an update since things got real crazy for quite a while. I know when I read posts, I always want to find out the resolution. This situation is that we were buying a home from a production builder. After carefully re-reading the fine print in the contract, we realized that we didn't really have much power to force them to upholding our selections and options. We were in contract with them as a buyer and seller, not as a buyer and a builder. Any customizations and selections were totally within their legal right to follow through with or not as they chose. We could have cancelled the contract but then would have been without a home for our in laws. There was not another lot left to swap to for a do-over. We decided to forge on ahead, and actually banded together with some other neighbors on the court to keep each other on our toes in regard to preventing more major mistakes happening. We know this was the best option for us and the parents. They do not have many years(if any) left and they want to spend it living in the same neighborhood as grandkids, not waiting around for perfection. Also, since we started the process pre-covid, we would have ended up spending loads more to get less of a home further away. We did have them build three shallow steps into the house from the garage and if we need a ramp in the future, they will convert it for us. They moved in May, and their home is in the perfect spot for them at the end of the cul-de-sac. They see all the neighbors and dogs walking around the loop and there is a trail that adjoins the older and newer section of the neighborhood that comes out right past their home. Due to the trails, hills, and trees, the backyard has 180 degrees of lovely trees with no other homes in sight. This was absolutely the right move for them, it just was a LOT of headache for us. We tried to not stress them about it too much because we wanted them to actually enjoy living in the home and not have a distaste for it because of all the problems. And yes, we did have a few more minor issues. The main take-away is to carefully read the contract and then determine what is worth cancelling it over. I was not familiar with a builder selling as a seller, not as a contractor, but I realize they do this to keep things rolling and to protect their bottom line. I am sure many people would not choose this set up for themselves, but for our family this has been the right choice. Overall, the quality of the build is very good so we are not concerned about things falling apart on us. Oh wait, but there's more...DH, myself, and our 15yo son have moved in with them! We decided to relocate across the country so DH can spend time with his parents while they are still with us. They are doing great and are very active and DH golfs weekly with his dad. We have made the bonus room over the garage our little apartment and son is in one of the 2 bedrooms downstairs. The other br is a guest room/office for DH to work from home. It is tight for sure, and we have two enormous storage units with all our stuff. We are in the middle of designing our forever home and we have taken GREAT care to vet the buider for our future home so we don't run into this type of struggle again. Thanks again! Juls