What is this blog
Bart Flegg on December 11, 2009, 1:11 pm

So why does a landscaping company have blog, and why is there a category called The Tech Bench? Well first off we have a blog at Merlin because in order to be competitive in the current market we must have an online presence. We also figure that a blog is an easy way to let you guys know what is going on inside our heads and maybe get to know us a little better[...]

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Custom Blog, Website, Design, Landscapers, PHP
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The Tech Bench

In the shadow of recycling
Bart Flegg on December 9, 2009, 9:15 pm

Everybody knows recycling is great. I mean why wouldn't you recycle, it's one of the most simple ways to look our for the world around you. It's not hard to put that your plastic bottle in the round hole instead of the square one after all, just look for the recycling symbol[...]

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Recycling, Sustainable, Reuse, Reduce,
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Outdoor Living

New Work Horse!
Bart Flegg on December 7, 2009, 10:21 am

In order for us to operate we need trucks. Now I'll be the first to admit it, trucks and Merlin have a love hate relationship. While we love the fact that they carry us to and from job sites and that they haul equipment and supplies they also are an expense and have heavy exhaust emissions. Well on that note, we just got a new truck and have big plans for this employee of ours[...]

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Emissions, Project Truck, New Member, Landscape Truck
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Back In The Office

Designing Functional Space
Bart Flegg on December 7, 2009, 9:50 am

Backyards are meant to be used, if they weren't people wouldn't pay for the extra space! If you aren't using your backyard you are wasting your investment but worst of all you are missing out on warm days and evenings outdoors. So what is a functional space? Well it's simply a space that gets used, one that works together so that when you use it you feel at home like it was another room in your house[...]

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Design, Backyard, Functional Space, Tips and Tricks
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Tips From The Pros

Cutting Pavers 101
Bart Flegg on November 4, 2009, 2:30 pm

Creating your own patio is a rewarding experience however a challenging one as well. One point that many people find challenging is using the power equipment required for cutting pavers. There are many ways of cutting pavers, a paver splitter, tub saw, cutoff saw and angle grinder. For this tutorial we will share the trick to cutting pavers like a professional with a cutoff saw[...]

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Cutting Pavers, Landscaping Tricks, Patio Construction
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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

Leveling a patio - Screeding
Bart Flegg on January 11, 2010, 12:05 pm

When it comes to building patios one thing is for sure, you want them to be level.  A patio with dips and hills is not only unsightly but is a cause for a number of other concerns. These include trip hazards, the pooling of water, leaky basements and many other dilemmas. The evenness of a patio starts with the base. It stands to reason t hat if the base is not level there is no chance of the patio being level either[...]

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Screeding, Patio, Base, Leveling Patio
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Tips From The Pros

Researching Stone Landscaping
Bart Flegg on January 18, 2010, 1:43 pm

People can’t help but love the look of stone in their landscape.  It seems that over the past couple of years stone had emerged as the landscape material of choice. We are seeing large boulders more and more and an increasing amount of thin stone veneers. As well as natural stone the market has been flooded with ‘fake’ stone or cast concrete.  We will discuss further the different type of stone currently popular in the landscape market.

Thin stone veneer is stone cut to approximately 1” thick for the purpose of veneering masonry walls[...]

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Stone, Landscaping, Rocks, Landscape Design, Etobioke, Contractor, Toronto
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Tips From The Pros

Primus ClassicTrail™ Review
Bart Flegg on January 20, 2010, 1:03 pm

I recently recieved the Primus ClassicTrail camp stove for christmas from my sister. This stove sure beats the old propane stove I used to use. The stove runs on iso/butane and can boil water in just under 3 minutes. The stove looks as if it could be dropkicked off a cliff and would still work. It is built to take abuse. I like the wide burner as it avoids burning the centre of the pot. The 4 supports are strong and act as a kind of wind break that helps get the stove started[...]

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Primus ClassicTrail, Review, Camp Stove, Iso/But, MEC, Primus
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Outdoor Living

Interlocking Paver Guidelines
Bart Flegg on January 24, 2010, 8:59 pm

Interlock
The theory behind interlock has been around for thousands of years, we just haven’t been building beautiful backyards out of it for that long. Interlock is characterized by stones set on an aggregate (gravel) base and jointed with sand. Let’s examine the interlock system starting with the bottom up

Base
Proper base preparation is one of the most important elements to a high quality long lasting installation[...]

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Interlock, Pavers, Paving Guidelines, Contractor Quality Control
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Back In The Office

Toronto Stone Patio Information
Bart Flegg on March 24, 2010, 8:00 pm

So we have taken some time here at Merlin Landscaping to type up a little introduction to stone patio construction. We hope to answer some of the preliminary design and build questions with our new guide. Our goal is to help you get some ideas flowing when planning a new patio project.Check out:

 

Stone Patio Construction Documentation, Toronto

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Stone, Landscaping, Patio, Interlocking, Toronto, Etobicoke
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Tips From The Pros

Landscaping With Stone
Bart Flegg on January 3, 2011, 5:29 pm

When I tell people we are a landscaping company their first question is normally about the brown spot on their grass or the endless weeds in their gardens.  Landscaping can be much more than that. A well designed backyard retreat consists of gardens framed by intelligently chosen hardscaping elements.

Some hardscaping projects are made out of natural stone. Whether it is Indian Sandstone, Wiarton square cut, random flagstone or limestone it will be set in a bed of mortar and jointed on a concrete pad for a lasting demonstration of the stones beauty[...]

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Toronto, Stone, Driveways, Retaining Walls, Landscaping, Interlock
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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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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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