Basement Garage Renovation

I recently purchased a row house with a basement and garage. The garage is part of the basement and has a floor about 1 1/2 lower than the rest of the basement. The driveway for the garage slopes down and angles in from the back alley and their are concrete retaining was along each side of the driveway. I would like to replace the garage door with a wall and fill in the driveway to have a small but decent back yard. First question is when I remove the garage door should the wall be brick, cider block, or some other material? Second how should I couple the new wall with the foundation and existing structure? As for filling in the driveway, I am concerned that if I just put dirt over the concrete that I will have draining and flood issues with the new wall but if I do bust up the concrete the retaining walls could collapse and damage the neighbors property. Any advice on things to consider for this project would be greatly appreciated.

 

You need a local architect to tell you 1) if it's against code & 2) answer those other questions.