As long as we are brainstorming--part of the problem is finding a way to transfer solar heat deeper into the ground faster and storing it during the cold night period- using the ground as storage to try to get a sort of thermal flywheel effect going to get through the cold night. My idea âÂÂonly half hatchedâ is this 1. Hammer sections of copper, aluminum, steel or whatever conductive pipe you have into the ground-exposed part painted black. 2. cover with a thick layer of your favorite mulch. 3. install a clear plastic cover over the pipes you drove into the ground----Variables to be considered are many--- a few are a) the spacing of pipes. b) the ratio of buried to above-ground c) what thickness of mulch is the most beneficial d) would 2 layers of plastic with an airspace between work better e) instead of pipes how about a L shaped piece of metal like an unassembled length of ductwork 8"x12" purchased from Menards or Lowes. They come in 2 L shaped pieces. Bury the long 12" side. Paint the exposed part black and bend it to an angle it to face the sun, f) would insulation buried alongside your test planting area improve heat retention. g) bury 8â side and angle 12â side to sun. The duct comes in many sizes 12âÂÂx 12â ��"4âÂÂx 16â etc. Benefits: cheap-easy to build and store -----towards spring and planting season, the benefits of the warmer ground and more direct sunlight might combine with this system to gain us a week or two. Any other insights as to other variables and/or âÂÂconsiderationsâ before I give this a try in the spring would be appreciated.

Sandy ... sorry to be so long in getting back with the results of my project of making indoor butterfly rearing cages. I ended up buying netting at Hancock's. It was on sale at $1.39 a yd and it is 50 inches wide so plenty of netting for not much money. The smallest tomato cage my Wal-Marts is carrying this year is about 13" diameter at the big end, too large to fit in the throw away Pizza pans I purchased. Today I discovered smaller tomato cages at my local nursery and they are the correct circumference at 12 inches. In the photo below, the cage on the right is one I put together using the smaller tomato cage and it turned out quite well. I set the tomato cage upside down in the middle of a piece of netting, pulled up the netting and secured at the top. Then I ran a bead of Gorilla glue around the wire at the bottom, making sure to press the netting against the wire. When dry, I took scissors and trimmed out the center netting to create the opening at the bottom. The one on the left I created by using netting to form a tube with a french side seam, then hand sewed the netting to the base. It required a bit less netting. I don't have a sewing machine so had to do the seam by hand. I think using a sewing machine, it wouldn't take but a few minutes to create the tube and to run a small casing on the bottom of the tube, insert a bit of elastic in the casing and pull it tight enough to fit under the bottom wire. This way, the netting could be gently washed and disinfected, and used over and over. I still might be able to disinfect these in their present configuration but sitting them out on the deck and spraying with a light bleach mix, rinsing well and allowed to air dry in the sunshine. I didn't think I'd have the hand strength to cut the wires so I just bent them back inside the 'top' of the cage. If anyone ever locates the large 5 gal paint strainer that will work with the small tomato cages, please come here and let us know the maker and model #. I've been unable to locate strainers large enough to fit on the tomato cages. After using more than a few types of rearing apparatus, this style provides two important benefits for me. Easy to clean by lifting the cover to clean pan and replace fresh 'diaper' material :-) and for ease of replacing fresh food. The cats will enjoy excellent, healthy air movement plus enjoy being able to climb when they're ready to create their chrysalis. I expect the netting will provide the rough surface they favor when looking for just that right spot to form their J. I'll have to get the baby cats into their 2nd instar before putting them in the big cages but that is something I've always done anyway. I will report back after I've raised a group of little cats and give a summery of how they worked for me. Mary photos of my homemade rearing cages: Here is a link that might be useful: a source for very fine mesh fabric for outdoor use

Hi Barb and Racket In a perfect world we would start all over again but the price is outrageous and I just can't justify paying so much for someone else's mistake. Barb you are right; we are now battling a mold problem. We spent a few hours at the pool yesterday a.m. scraping, chloroxing, rinsing and vacuuming the mold buildup that has been taking over since the building has been closed. Way too much moisture as we have yet to purchase any heat source for the air. All we've used so far is the heat of the water once we take the solar cover off to warm up the air. It's nice except the moisture runs down the walls and back into the pool. What doesn't make it to the pool sits in low spots on the deck and grows mold. Yuck! We've tried squeegee-ing the water out but it just flows right back in under the rails as we are pitched in from outside a bit as well as inside... At least if we had a drain we could squeegee to it plus pour chlorox in every now and again to kill anything in the standing water. On a different note we met another gas guy who took the time to research our heater's capabilities plus called Jandy to verify that we DON'T need a rear vent kit but can use the existing vent situation on top of the unit and elbow out the wall. We save a bit by not needing the rear kit and just using an elbow and short piping and collar at the wall. Guy seems sharper than our original contact and has been out 3X so far to check the situation out. He should be able to do the job by the end of next week. His charge is $100 while the original guy wanted $300 plus parts. I hope we catch a break finally as we sure could use one!! I must say, though, we had great luck w/ both our fence guy and our landscaper. Anyone in CT looking for fencing check out Sunset Associates and for landscaping try 3B Lawncare. Top notch, professional and worked together in a timely fashion to be sure both jobs were done right. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Joanne

A photo of your situation would certainly be more helpful, but please reference @gardengal's comment, "The majority of the feel of an outdoor living room will come from how it is furnished and decorated." That in a nutshell says it all. The photo you provided is Spartan and underdone and not in a minimalist kind of way. It's simply not a complete design thought. The photo above in @gardengal's post is a complete design thought. So are the photos below. This one is a Ramada as an extension of the home with no fireplace. The one below is a detached pavilion with a fireplace. This one has an extended roofline over a small sitting area but most of the living space is in the open. Again, it's about completing the design thought. The photo you posted is simply an undernourished space. Find photos that you do like and work toward completing the space to create a mood and environment that personalizes it for you. When I have dialogue with potential clients that are unsure about what they want me to do I always ask them to write down the three most important things, which gives me a better framework to start with. I make sure, above all else, that I meet those three priorities. Ask yourself the same question and it will provide you a better starting point and a higher likelihood that you and the designer or contractor will be successful.