Toronto Deck Railing Code Requirements
Bart Flegg on February 10, 2013, 2:11 pm

Deck railings in Toronto are governed by the Ontario Building Code and more specifically the Supplementary Standard SB-7 within the Ontario Building Code. This standard defines the building requirements for railing or “guards” including lumber species, post spacing, guard height and many others[...]

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Deck Contractor, Toronto Landscapers, Building Code
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Tips From The Pros

Small Toronto Backyards
Bart Flegg on December 15, 2012, 6:05 pm

Small backyards are typical of downtown Toronto. The limted space sometimes can sometimes be seen as a burden to your landscaping options however by working with your small backyard you can produce extremely functional outdoor rooms. 

When designing a small backyard there has to be some compromises that are made, but what should you lose and what should stay? At Merlin Construction we try to integrate at least two seperate 'rooms' into our designs[...]

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Toronto, Small Backyard, Patio, Space, Outdoor
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Tips From The Pros

Interlock for a Driveway
Bart Flegg on December 29, 2011, 12:24 pm

When comparing interlock driveway prices with asphalt it is plain to see that interlock is the more expensive option. The reason we see interlock driveways then must be that they out perform asphalt. So why are they better? They are better for two reasons, the first being the meticulous base preparation that goes into a driveway by Merlin Construction and the other is the interlock stone[...]

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Interlock, Driveway, Landscaping, Stone, Toronto
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Tips From The Pros

Toronto Walkway Curb Appeal
Bart Flegg on January 10, 2011, 1:20 pm

The really great part about curb appeal in downtown Toronto is that for the most part your front yard is not overly large and keeping it tamed and looking great isn’t a massive task.  Another great addition to curb appeal in Toronto is that the cost to create a great looking front yard is not a huge expense compared to the lasting beauty it gives the front of your home.

The nature of downtown living dictates that for the most part the distance between the sidewalk and the front door is not a lot of distance[...]

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Toronto, Walkways, Flagstone, Stone, Curb Appeal, Front Yard, Landscaping
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Covering Old Steps
Bart Flegg on January 5, 2011, 11:18 am

Driving down the street I often see the classic concrete steps courtesy of the original home builder. When concrete ages it does something called spalling. Spalling is when flakes or chunks of concrete break off from the main body of concrete. In old neighborhoods, houses with concrete steps are often spalling and falling apart. Hiring a landscape contractor and veneering your old or new concrete steps is an easy, somewhat inexpensive way to dramatically enhance the curb appeal of your home[...]

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Toronto, Natural Stone, Landscapers, Landscape Design, Flagstone, Joints, Curb Appeal
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