If the roots in general look mushy, then probably it was too much water. If there are white/yellowish roots/new growth at the ends of larger roots, the roots were pretty healthy - not too likely, I admit. If the root-ends are all brown and soft, and if they pull apart easily, then they rotted. The next lot of trees/shrubs you plant, water them according to their needs, not on a schedule. After the first week or so, when you have tapered off from daily to every 3-4 days, stick a finger in the soil next to the root area - under the mulch if you have mulched around the tree(s) - and see if it is dry down about to the second knuckle. You can use a pointed dowel for this, in which case it should be damp down about 2". If it's still moist, wait and test again in a day or two. If it is dry, then you need to water long and slow, so it gets to the bottom of the root ball - only you can decide how long that takes - but more than 10-15 min. usually. I don't know what soil you have, not how hot or windy or rainy the weather has been - all these can affect how quickly the soil dries out and to what degree and thus how quickly you need to water again. If you think that the soil tends to be overly damp much of the time, then planting future trees so that the top couple of inches of the root ball are above the ground line - make up the difference with a "ramp" of dirt and mulch, so it looks like the tree is planted on a mound - will help with keeping the roots properly moist but not drowning them. If you didn't mulch, do so, as widely as possible, no deeper than 4", and put no mulch next to the trunk. Mulch helps moderate moisture and temperature swings, limits weed/grass root competition, and keeps errant lawn mowers and weed-eaters away from the vulnerable trunks. It also improves the soil as it breaks down, so don't use landscape fabric or plastic under it. If there is grass growing where you want to put mulch, either spray it with Round-up or lay down flattened cardboard or 4-6 overlapping sheets of black-ink newspaper under the mulch to smother the grass.

>> I think that there are CFPs out there who charge by the hour to do a plan and make recommendations, and who do not sell investments or insurance of any kind. That is what I would look for. Not to say that there aren't good, ethical brokers out there who will put your interests up there with theirs. I just haven't encountered one myself! There are certainly CFPs who charge by the hour. However, all CFPs have broker licenses. And there is nothing wrong with affiliating oneself with a brokerage, any more than you need be nervous about taking your car to a factory-authorized dealership rather than an independent garage. There are good and bad in both sectors. You need to remember there is a substantial legal difference between "investment advising" and "financial (estate) planning." It sounds like many of you folks posting have used "investment advisors". They have NO fiduciary responsibility to you. None. Nada. Zip. They are NOT legally obligated to put your personal interests FIRST. I cannot emphasize this enough. It is a critical, crucial, legal difference. A CFP must, by law, put your personal interests first. And yes, there is little profit for them in doing so unless you have a portfolio of assets to manage. Do you grudge them a living, any more than your doctor or carpenter or mechanic or gardener? When I worked at the independent CFP's office, there were many people who came for their first introductory no-cost meeting. Most of them were not suitable clients, for varying reasons. It might be something as simple as a personality clash (such as the couple who came in and spent two hours contradicting one another with every answer), or as basic as a differing risk assessment (clients who wanted options, offshore leases, or anything risky were politely declined). But surprisingly often, it was because people couldn't adequately define their goals, yet thought they could still somehow afford everything they wanted without saving sufficiently for it. They got offended when they were told they couldn't retire early, travel around the world, fund four children for college and graduate school, and pay off their mortgage in five years, on their current debt-to-assets ratio. Now, I am certainly not saying anybody involved with this current discussion is like that. What I am trying to explain is that any advisor, whether a CFP or not, cannot make you something out of nothing. What a CFP can do is help you define your goals, and determine if they are achievable. This involves MORE than diversifying your portfolio. A lot goes into your complete financial picture, and everyone's situation is a little bit different, because their goals and risk-taking factors are individual. Life being as changeable as it is, it can be handy to have someone there with the professional knowledge to help you and your family analyze and cope with changes to your financial/legal situation as the years progress. Many couples have differing views about money and any good CFP will tell you they spend a lot of time "counseling" couples so that everybody stays "on the same page" together. You don't have to have a CFP, and many of us can't afford one. But for those who can afford it, a CFP can be an invaluable resource. And I say that, even though I handle all the investments in our family and have done a very good job of it. There is a world of difference between an amateur and a professional - this is even more true of finance and investing than it is of most areas.

Assuming the product used was Satin Impervo (235), then deep brush marks and drips are a sign of poor craftsmanship, not too short a dry time. It's almost impossible not to make SI look fantastic even with a cheap brush. Depending on humidity and temp, 8 hours could have been enough time but best practice it to allow an overnight dry - especially if you want to sand the first coat before applying the second. In the end, this is about being clear on your expectations up front and getting them in writing. If the previous coat had deep brush marks and the painter knew you were expecting a very smooth finish, then sanding and/or priming the old finish with an underbody could have easily mitigated the issue. If you believe you were clear, then do not pay until he gets it right. And no, you cannot wait too long between coats. Certainly there will be better intercoat adhesion if you repaint within a day or two, but a good scuffing (sanding) that I described will ensure the second coat adheres regardless the time between coats. Good luck.

Welcome jaymielo, First, consider the different companies, their reputation, their warranties. No warranty is worth the paper it is written on if the company doesn't stand behind it. Andersen has a vinyl clad wood window. All the other companies that you mentioned have alumunum clad windows. Do you have a preference? Aluminum clad allows a lot more color choices - if that is an issue for you. Glass package - LowE2. No argument, you WANT the LowE2 coating. All of the companies that you mentioned have LowE2. For some of their lines it is standard, for some it is optional. Wind - check the air infiltration numbers on the windows that you are considering. To a lesser extent consider DP ratings. Windows are tested for air infiltration simulating a 25mph wind or a 1.56PSF pressure load - air infiltration is treated separately from both water infiltration and structural and it is independent of the design pressure of the unit. Said again - the air infiltration rate in a window is not based on the design pressure rating of the unit. Air infiltration in a window is measured in CFM for Cubic Feet per Minute. The lower the number, the better the performance - in stopping air infiltration at or below 25mph wind. Both water penetration and structural testing, on the other hand, are based on the window DP rating. Water infiltration is tested at 15% of the design pressure and structural is tested at 150% of DP rating. What this means is that a window with a DP30 is tested for water infiltration at 4.5psf (15% of 30psf) while a window with a DP40 is tested at 6psf (15% of 40). A window with a DP30 is rated to be able to keep out rain when its driven by 42mph winds and a window with a DP40 should be able to keep out rain when driven by 49mph winds...so water infiltration is DP related - and air infiltration is not - the nature of air and water infiltration is different. You want the best U-value that you can find. Ignore R-value if a salesperson tries to take you in that direction. U-values at .35 and lower are acceptable in your climate. Note I said "and lower". R-value increases performance as the number goes higher - U-value increases in performance as the number goes lower. So U-value of .3 is better than a U-value of .35. Again, forget R-value when dealing with windows. I think that should get you started...feel free to ask more questions. And as a final thought, INSTALLATION is huge! The best window installed poorly is next to worthless. Make sure that part is done right!!!!