Question on selection of concrete pavers verses concrete slab?

I am trying to determine which is the better option to go with. I have a patio area for my above ground pool. The surface is already 2″ of sand. What I need to know is this! Which is best…1 1/2″ thick pavers or a concrete slab? The pool willbe setting on this material and the balance of the area willbe for entertainment. This patio is built along side the deck and is about 20′ X 26′ with a canopy cover. I figured the pavers to be 300 needed and for the concrete at 5 yards. I dont want to have the pool settle or slope from weight or worry about shifting of pavers from any rain! Any suggestions?
Oh, there’s no concern as to long term, as we will always use the area for something…….

How can I enclose and cover my deck?

We have a small deck, about 7 1/2 X 11 ft and wanted to cover it and screen it affordably. I had wanted to buy a screen tent/canopy, but none I found has been small enough to fit the 7 1/2 side. My husband asked a handyman who suggested a screen enclosure, patio mate, which would have been perfect but it was 4 inches too big – so close! I had a baby very recently and would love to be outside with him, and he is as fair skinned as I am, so we wanted to find a way to cover it and screen it for under $1000 (the patio mate at bj’s was about $650). The 7 1/2 side is making it tough to find anything. I started looking online at DIY patio covers, and thought I would ask here. Pergolas are beautiful to cover (as a deck roof that I would then hope to use some kind of screening) but costly, is there anything anyone would suggest? I haven’t seen any screen tents or patio covers to fit the dimensions. Are there any kits maybe to create a patio cover or some kind of roof that we could then enclose, or any other suggestions? Thank you!

How to make a tent/canopy outdoors for sweet sixteen?

My sweet sixteen is in a month and I’m having a party of about 45 people outside. I have a huge patio but i want it to be covered and walled off, with lights and stuff inside. I looked into renting a party tent for 20×30, but I don’t have $300 to spend alone on the tent. How could I make one? Using clothesline? fabric? poles? I have no idea how to do it.

So, 20×30 with a roof/cover and walls. I only really need three walls.

Any suggestions?

A dilemma involving giant eucalyptus trees…?

There three giant eucalyptus trees growing on the property behind my home, right up against my fence. They provide alot of shade, privacy, and I love that my patio is under a canopy of green. However, about a year after I moved in, I noticed that no one was keeping up the property and the trees were overgrown and becoming a fire hazard. Eucalyptus trees are known as “dirty” trees because they shed their bark as well as their leaves, so my back patio is always covered with debris. After some investigation, I found out the property belongs to Southern California Edison. When I spoke to them, they said that the trees were not planted by them, but probably by a neighbor who thought it was an empty lot. Regardless, she said she could put in an order to remove them, but not trim them. She said they don’t plant trees on SCE property cuz they don’t have the $$ to do the upkeep. I asked her to ignore my call.

So my choices are:
a) Leave the trees alone and pray for the best despite the fire hazard.
b) Have SCE remove the 100 year old beautiful trees and live with the knowledge that I had them killed, besides having my back patio lose it’s beautiful green canopy.

I can’t afford tree trimmers, otherwise I’d hire them myself. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

environmental science questions…TEST WHAT YOU KNOW?

1. Bacteria and fungi are important in the environment because
A. some convert nitrogen to a form used by plants.
B. some return nutrients from the remains of organisms to the soil.
C. some break down the remains of organisms.
D. all of the above

2. The main layers of a tropical rain forest are
A. top trees, middle canopy, epiphytes, and lower canopy.
B. emergent trees, upper canopy, lower canopy, and understory.
C. high canopy, emergent trees, middle canopy, and understory.
D. upper level, middle level, lower level, and bottom level.

3. Humans affect the carbon cycle by
A. burning fossil fuels.
B. burning wood.
C. driving vehicles.
D. all of the above

4. Consumers are dependent on producers because
A. producers are easy to catch.
B. producers put fiber in their diet.
C. consumers get their energy from eating producers and other consumers.
D. consumers make their own food.

5. An ecological succession is a
A. surface where an ecosystem has previously existed.
B. linear diagram of all the species located in a particular community.
C. gradual process of change and replacement of the types of species in a community.
D. surface where no ecosystem existed before.

6. Which of the following terms is used to describe a linear sequence in which energy is transferred from one organism to the next as each organism eats another organism?
A. trophic level
B. food web
C. energy pyramid
D. food chain

7. Which of the following describes factors that determine where an organism lives in an aquatic ecosystem?
A. available food, carbon dioxide, plankton, benthos
B. temperature, nutrients, sunlight, oxygen
C. plants, carbon dioxide, other organisms present, nutrients
D. zone, eutrophication, nekton, oxygen

8. Carbon enters a ____________ cycle in the ecosystem when producers such as plants convert carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into carbohydrates during photosynthesis.
A. long-term
B. fast
C. short-term
D. none of the above

9. Which of the following is an example of ecological succession?
A. a planted shrub growing on a patio
B. mosses covering the floor of an old building
C. a tomato plant planted in a garden
D. none of the above

10. Why are biomes named for the plants found in them?
A. a biome consists of only one ecosystem
B. the plants that grow within an area determine the other organisms that can live there
C. it is easier for scientists to categorize them
D. the plants found in them are specific only to that area

11. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a tropical rain forest?
A. nutrient-poor soil
B. humid and warm temperatures
C. lower number of species and plants than other biomes
D. receives about 200 to 450 cm of rain per year

12. Which of the following does NOT represent two functions of freshwater wetlands?
A. serve as a location for collection of sea shells; are a habitat for salt water inhabitants
B. provide spawning grounds for fish; provide recreational areas for people
C. trap and filter pollutants; absorb excess water
D. buffer shorelines against erosion; are a habitat for endangered plants and animals

13. A ______________ is located in tropical and subtropical areas near the equator, and receives hardly any rainfall.
A. chaparral
B. temperate grassland
C. savanna
D. desert

14. Which of the following is an abiotic factor in an ecosystem?
A. plants
B. bacteria
C. fungi
D. water

15. A group of species that live in the same place and interact with each other is called a
A. species.
B. community.
C. colony.
D. habitat.

16. Consumers are organisms that
A. get food by eating others.
B. get solar or other energy indirectly.
C. are also known as self-feeders.
D. occupy an ecosystem’s lowest energy level.

17. A biome where the winters are very long and the summers are short is called a
A. grassland.
B. chaparral.
C. tundra.
D. none of the above

18. All of the following are characteristics of coral reefs EXCEPT that they
A. are made from limestone ridges built by coral polyps.
B. have rocky and sandy shores.
C. are home to thousands of species of plants and animals.
D. have tentacles that emerge to capture food.

19. All of the following are characteristics of oceans EXCEPT that
A. the open ocean is one of the most productive ecosystems.
B. ocean water absorbs light down to 100 m.
C. the open ocean is one of the least productive ecosyst
i am 26, i am a teacher. i have nothing to cheat on. this is a text i wrote for my students. i always post them on here to see if they are okay tests and if people can understand them and get the answers correct, thankyou very much.