I'm not sure why you think you require wall block (BTW is that concrete block?) Perhaps you mean some type of lawn edging?

No one is going to walk there. I would just dump and level the stone and be done with it.

You're right, @BeverlyFLADeziner. I'm unsure that wall block is needed except to hold the stone in place. I do walk in this particular area, though though. Thank you for the color guidance. i dont know why choosing color can be difficult.

Rocks hold water, so make sure that they are not near the siding. I would have the area regraded,

@D M PNW and @houssaon, the old siding goes below grade farther than could be dug by hand. The house must've been graded after the original siding was installed 40+ years ago. it's not unusual in this area.

The eaves are deep and this area remains dry. What other material would work?

@D M PNW and @houssaon I shouldve asked - why should there be no dirt or stone against the siding?

Moisture held against the siding will cause it to rot. Did you have an inspection when you bought the house? Our inspector wanted dirt 6" from siding to dirt.

Nothing should be above the foundation where the siding or brick begins because it will allow water to flood into your house during a rain. Our neighbors learning this the hard way when they had piled mulch there with some edging for a planting bed. All it took was a little spring shower and that cute new flower bed caused a flooded bedroom So whether you use grey pebbles, crushed granite or cedar mulch keep an inch or so of the foundation showing.

Also you will probably only need a depth of 3-4 inches of pebbles to keep weeds out.

Having siding presumably means it is covering a wood framed structure. If you just had the house resided, that means you shoveled the dirt back against the house.

Grade and decorative cover should always be below the top of your concrete foundation walls minimum of 4". BTW code specifically requires it to be 4" below brick and 6" below all else. The reasons are:

1. Water seeks level - it moves from high to low areas. If it encounters something blocking the path, it will take the easiest route, which may mean through your structure finding any and all gaps and cracks:

- on top of grade, termed "sheetflow"

- within and below grade "subsurface," not necessarily the water table, but water being absorbed from the surface and working its way down and sideways.

2. Soil holds moisture. The siding, sheathing, bottom plate, and bottom portion of wall studs can not breathe and will prematurely rot (if termites don't get them first).

3. Bugs and pests. Soil against wood framed walls acts as a direct transfer for them into all those nooks and crannies, eventually exploring the rest of your house.

Okay. i see. Thank you for the explanation @3onthetree.. This is a mid '70's split level house. The lower level and crawl space are the cement block foundation. The photo above is the rear walk out from the lower level. Soil at the highrst pont is still 3- 4 ft from the wood framing. Everything looked really good as the old siding came off.