Pros of bricks used for garden paving:

• They’re green! Bricks are made with renewable resources. Bricks last a LONG time and you can even use salvaged bricks from old building which has the added benefit of looking amazingly antique.
• If you used salvaged bricks they won’t cost you much. In fact sometimes folks give them away free on Craigslist.
• Bricks can fit the mood of many home styles from contemporary to classic and come in plenty of colors.
• You can salt bricks in the winter IF you get the right kind of bricks. Some bricks can crack with salt, so check with the maker before purchasing.
• Bricks are unaffected by oil or gas spills.

Cons of bricks used for garden paving:

• They can get mossy, which some people think looks good, but in the fall and winter this will make your path super slick. You need to stay on top of cleaning moss off your bricks.
• Bricks can get very hot in the summer if you walk around barefoot.
• The irregular surface makes brick paving harden to sweep and shovel.
• If something happens (like a large crack) brick paving is hard to repair.
• You have to either honestly learn how to install the brick yourself well or hire an experienced brick layer. Using an incorrect amount of or type of base can ruin a brick paving job. While bricks themselves can be cheap, laying them is time intensive and expensive if you’re paying someone.
• If you’re using salvaged bricks they might not hold up well in a garden that experiences temperature extremes like freezing then thawing over and over. I recently read that you should check to make sure your older bricks were fired correctly before using them in a garden application, to be sure they can withstand the elements.

More tips:

Learn about DIY brick paving.

A HUGE full on brick guide.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Pros and cons of brick garden paving

What’s the homebuilding item you need, but never knew you needed?

Gameboy bricks:

How cool would my son think I was if I did build a house out of these? Pretty darn cool. Check them out as a ground cover:

Yes you can buy them, or so the creator says.

Am I slightly concerned that some college kids, after a few too many will come along, and take me up on the dare – actually yes, I am a little. Luckily, although believe me, I knew plenty of friends when I was younger, who would have tried to take the dare, they never would have been able to pull together so much money. If you do happen to try building a Gameboy house though, I will be sorely upset if you forget to send me pictures.

See Gieskes.nl /Souvenirs for more info.

Post from: Blisstree

I double dare someone to build an entire house out of these…

This home recently featured in North Shore Magazine, is owned by John and Lynn McKinven and has been dubbed the “Lego House” by neighborhood kids. I think the name fits. Don’t you? Even the little bushes around the home are pointed much like a Lego tree.

Now this structure, well technically, this church is as Paticus guessed made entirely out of Lego’s. if you look closely you can see the tiny bricks. This is the coolest thing ever. Take a look at these pictures:

In this one you can clearly see the bricks.

And an indoor view…

Amy Hughes, the woman who built this Lego church titled it the Abston Church of Christ and dedicated it to her cat (who died the same day she finished building) so the whole thing is a little quirky — but there’s no doubt that she is amazingly talented. The website she has for this is the most fun ever. You have to check it out. She has the most amusing Q&A I’ve ever seen with questions related to why she named the little people in the church and if the Lego people talk to her (they don’t, whew).

Can you believe the detail? Simply amazing.

Visit Hughes website for more information and many more pictures (including a whole pictorial of the cat inside the church)… Just don’t get too sucked in. I found myself thinking what other neat Lego structures might be out there after visiting her site. So I went to a few sites for ‘adult Lego builders’ and there is this whole crazy Lego adult world that I never knew existed. I knew there were cool Lego structures because I just recently took my son to Brickfest 2007 (I think it was called) in Portland, Oregon — and it was amazing.

But I never knew that there were whole websites devoted to finding that one special blue #43 piece to complete a design. I could feel the Lego world sucking me in because really wouldn’t it be fun to build something this intricate. But my plate is full so I clicked out. I think I’ll stick to building tiny castles with my six year old and leave stuff like this to the pros.

What about you? Ever built something amazing with Lego blocks?

[Pictures via: Amy Hughes site, and North Shore Magazine]

Post from: Blisstree

And We Have A Winner!