Dwarf Conifer in Pot Help

Finally threw out a conifer which had gone 2/3 brown & its faded old terracotta pot that had been near our front door since we moved in over 2 years ago & was clearly never gonna recover. I have a new tall pot ready and just need to find a dwarf conifer to put in it. The old pot was insanely heavy to move, then I realised there were 3 full size bricks in the bottom of it, along with a load of broken brick pieces too. I set aside the compost that was in the top half of the pot as I wasn't sure if I should re-use it, though I guess probably not.

I've never potted anything like this myself. So what is the best way to go about filling the pot when I get a plant for it? As I said, it's by the front door so I figured I should give it the best possible start and do my best to keep it looking nice. I'm kind of ashamed it's taken so long, just never got round to it! I am guessing that piling bricks into the pot is not the best idea, obviously I have no idea why the previous owners did that, unless it was to add weight & make it hard for anyone to take off with, or they just wanted to dump the bricks somewhere out of sight!

So is it crock over the drainage holes, maybe some small stones in the bottom, then topsoil, then compost nearer the top (or all compost)? Am I right in thinking not to reuse the old compost, or would it be ok further down the pot at least? Thanks.