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Attended the Open House at Darts Hill Garden Park on the Weekend

April 30, 2012 By Peter Leave a Comment

Picture of Darts Hill Garden Park at the end of April.On the weekend we attended the open house at the Darts Hill Garden Park.

The park is at the corner of 16th Avenue and 170th Street in South Surrey, BC.

It is only open to the public a few times a year and I was lucky to notice their announcement in the local paper.

Usually, I don’t see the notice until it is too late and we miss it. We’ve always wanted to get a look inside the park and see all of the plants and trees and it was well worth the wait. Even though it is early spring there was still a lot of flowers in bloom.

Picture of a few daffodils in bloomHere’s a great photo of a few daffodils. We also noticed a lot of other flowers about to bloom and the park is going to look awesome in a few weeks. The good news is that there is another open house on May 26, 2012.

Here’s a quick history on the park that provides a good background. The park was donated to the citizens of the City of Surrey by Edwin and Francisca Darts. It consists of 7.5 acres of a variety of rare and precious plants, shrubs and trees, having been developed over the past 55 years. For more informationon the park please go to their web site: Darts Hill Garden.

We also enjoyed the plant sale and we purchased a few flowers and ferns for our garden. All of the plants and flowers that are for sale are propagated from the park and the prices are very reasonable. Smaller plants were $2.50 and the larger ones were $5.00. They had a black bamboo that I’ve always wanted, but I wasn’t sure where I would put it.

And to top off our visit, we purchased a membership. Now we get to go back one Sunday every month and we can also help out around the park. So we will get to see all of the flowers that are about to bloom and will be blooming this summer. If you get a chance I recommend you drop in for their next open house in May.

Filed Under: Articles, Blog, Gardening

How To Use A Gas Powered Post Hole Digger (Video)

April 17, 2012 By Peter Leave a Comment

Holding the gas powered post hole digger we rented for the afternoon.

Holding the gas powered post hole digger we rented for the afternoon.

A few years ago we had a big wind storm and it blew done a few panels of our old cedar fence. I purchased new cedar panels and 4×4 fence posts.

I used a clam shell post hole digger to dig the post holes. It worked fine, but I was happy that I only had to dig a few fence post holes.

If you are only digging a few holes, I can recommend using this tool. If you are digging more than that I recommend you get something with a bit of power.

Last summer I helped a friend build his deck and the project called for a lot of posts. I was really happy when he rented the gas powered post hole digger in the picture above. It took two of us to run it and we sweated a bit, but it was a lot quicker than using the clam shell tool. Using this powered version we were able to dig all of the post holes in an afternoon.

Here’s the video I created of how to use a post hole digger.

Here are the two tips in the video that I learned using the post hole digger in the afternoon:

The first thing I learned, is that you want to keep the auger clean of dirt and debris. We found that the best way to do this is to move the post digger up and down as it is running. This pulls the dirt out of the hole and it will automatically spread the dirt at the top of the hole.

The second thing I learned, is that if you are working in an area with large rocks, the auger may not have enough power or the space to remove them. In this case you need to stop the post hole digger, pull it out of the hole and remove rocks by hand or using a shovel.

If you have any questions or informationon digging post holes that you would like to share, please leave a comment below.

Filed Under: Articles, Blog, Decks, How To, Tools, Videos

Patio Heater – Infrared and Gas

March 5, 2012 By Peter Leave a Comment
If you are considering buyer a patio heater, infrared and gas are both good options. However they both have advantages and disadvantages, depending on exactly where they are to be used.

My friend has a small patio, and so the infrared heater she bought a year ago works just fine. But most electric heaters of this type don’t heat more than a radius of about ten feet. Of course you can overcome this problem by installing more than one heater, but who’s really going to want to do this? Most people would rather find a solution that works for the space they need heated.

The Difference between Gas and Infrared Patio Heaters

A typical infrared patio heater, which is of course powered by electricity and defined as a “radiant heater”, will draw about 1500 watts (a watt being a unit of power that measures how quickly energy is transferred and relates either to brightness – for lighting – or heat). They simply plug into a power source, give virtually instant heat, and don’t make any noise while in use. Currently they are still cheaper to operate than LPG (liquid petroleum gas) or propane heaters, although the latter are more portable and considered to be more environmentally friendly.

Propane heaters operate via either refillable gas bottles, or those that are disposable. Obviously the disposable units are more portable than those that link to a gas bottle. By the same token, the smaller units are more expensive to run, because the smaller fuel units cost more; also canisters generally only last for a few hours (two or three). The fact that the canisters are throwaways, also pretty well negates the eco-friendliness of the fuel, although these are the obvious choice if you are a keen camper.

Natural gas heaters are the other gas option, and they are both fuel efficient and not expensive to operate. In fact natural gas is likely to cost as little as a third of much as propane gas. On the down side, they do need to be installed professionally, which can be costly. The heaters themselves are also more expensive and they are not portable.

How Radiant Heating Works

Radiant heaters (which is what an infrared patio heater actually is) generally heat from above,  warming the space underneath the heater using infrared radiation. The heat that is radiated doesn’t warm the air as such, but is absorbed by solid objects including people, without any direct contact. They radiate as much as 86% of their electrical input in the form of radiant energy.

This means that an infrared heater that is going to be used on the patio will be attached to a vertical surface, usually a wall, as mine is. You sit under the heater and simply, get warm.

While many indoor heaters are also the infrared type, it is important to ensure that you use the correct type on the patio. Don’t be tempted to try and use an indoor heater outside. There are so many good quality patio heaters of this type to choose from, you should have any reason to do it any other way.

A quartz infrared heater is a particularly good choice on a patio. Originally designed for lighting applications, quartz delivers a heat which is good enough for industrial use, and is perfect for outdoor heating purposes. A quartz tungsten patio heater infrared type has the ability to reach top temperatures within seconds. You’ll never be cold again with one of these! Better still, quartz infrared heaters deliver efficient heat and sometimes incorporate advanced air purifiers.

If you suffer from allergies, look for models and brands that have been tested in EPA-certified laboratories, preferably those that have been tested to medical standards. If they have ETL approval, it means they meet the ECA energy technology criteria, and if they are CSA approved, you will know that they comply with international standards.
Filed Under: Articles, Blog, Outdoor Heaters

Deck Design Programs for the Ultimate Outdoor Room

February 11, 2012 By Peter Leave a Comment

Having fun designing a new deck using deck design software.

Like patios, decks may be constructed to form an outdoor room, extending the inside of your home into your backyard.

But decks are undoubtedly even more versatile than patios because they can be build in just about any environment however steep or rocky.

Of course a deck is a solid structure, and you’re going to need some sort of plans to work from both for setting out and for the building process.

The good news is that whether you want to build your own deck or call someone in to do it for you, there are plenty of free deck design programs that will help you create exactly what you want. Not only will they give you details of the materials you need to buy, but they will usually give you visuals that show exactly what your new deck will look like when it’s complete.

Software that Allows you to Design Your Own Deck

Look no further than the World Wide Web for a multitude of free design-a-deck software options. Similar, but usually a lot less complicated than the software used by professional landscapers, architects and designers, free deck design software will normally allow you to choose the size, shape and even the color (and sometimes wood or other material) of the deck of your dreams. You can add different levels as well as stairs, railings and other features, until you are happy with what you have created.

Of course you are probably thinking, “Free – nothing comes free nowadays”. But there are various reasons that companies have set up web sites that offer free software for garden and other structures, including the fact that many sell the materials required to build the design you have chosen. Others will provide you with a checklist of what you need, plus a materials list, tips of how to put the deck together, and then suggest several reliable retailers in your area. Most will be working on a commission basis, getting a kickback of some sort from the supplier. This is not a bad thing because it’s also their reputation on the line.

Generally you will be required to register with the web site offering the free software. This means, of course, that you are going to be included in their database and can expect to get news, product information and so on from them in the future. This should be an advantage if you are into home improvement. However you will almost always be given an easy option to stop receiving mail.

There is also software that you can buy, that is not linked specifically to any company. These programs will usually enable you to create both 2D and 3D home deck design plans. I’ve got one of these and it was pretty cheap to buy, and not difficult to learn to use.

If you do decide to buy a program, it’s a good idea to search the Internet for reputable review sites which point out the advantages and any disadvantages of different programs. Alternatively go into a real store where staff members are able to show you how the different types of software work … or otherwise do a short study course before you get started.

Deck Design Programs Used by Designers:

Perhaps the greatest advantage of allowing a professional designer to design a deck for you is that they already have examples of work they have completed using their deck design programs. Most also have the experience to create a virtual image of your backyard using a digital photograph of the property. So instead of looking at a deck in a nebulous location, you are able to visualize exactly what the deck will look like in your own outdoor space.

Filed Under: Articles, Blog, Decks, Design, How To
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