for real. legitimately the biggest pain in the ass is hauling away the unusable, but it looks like it was incredibly halfassed originally/last time and just looking will twist an ankle.

i've done some hardscaping (screeding aggregate, pavers + polymeric, dry laid stone masonry, etc) with/for friends and even had formal training the theory of how to get it right on different soil types. but a fuckload can be gleaned from youtube vids where they show all the steps and prep. i think it's one of the most rewarding types of labor once it's all done and usable, but it's no joke effort moving blocks around haha. and getting that first stone laid exactly true takes forever.

i've never done it "professionally" (for pay), but everybody always said you can charge out the ass for your time. once i get my own forever place with an outside area, i'm gonna do like one hardscape project every summer until the place is a goddamn palace.