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

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

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

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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