We have a rotting back deck that is about 10' x 10'. The door is 5' off the ground with all exposed block foundation wall below it. House is 30 years old, so active settling is hopefully not a problem. One of the big issues we've always had is that there is a great fig tree right by the deck. It doesn't block the door, but encroaches on the deck. The deck has always been a bit of an eyesore, too. We have great old landscaping that is all low to the ground and this big wooden box that juts off the house. So we were thinking that maybe a paver patio on the ground an a set of stairs up to the door would be better. Give the tree more room and bring us down to the landscaping level. The problem is the elevation difference. Everywhere I look for stone steps shows 3 or 4 max, plus I know I need a landing up top about 3' deep to let the storm door open. would this be a paver block wall against the house with a ton of gravel fill at each level? Or concrete block mortared on a poured slab? Or should I just build another deck :( ? I don't mind putting the labor in, I just want to make sure I'm doing it right. Any advice or pointing me to good references would be appreciated. Thanks, Anthony

Hi I am new to masonary. Basically my issue is that i bought an old house 1600 made of Limestone and it seems the walls are deteriorating at a fast pace. To give you an idea in a year i lost almost an inch of stone. What I realised is that the stone is very humid. I found out that the issue is probanly due to linseed oil they put on wall which is stopping air and bad mix for pointing mortar. What should be the right mix ? and is linseed oil really an issue?