Just an update - the tree is officially dead. Every leaf is brown to orange. The arborist told me it wasn't necessarily my fault the tree died, because it would take more than a dog pen over its roots to kill it. He suspects that it was stressed previously by construction that took place around its base prior to me buying the property. I think he was trying to make me feel better about the situation. I've gotten a good quote for removal, $1700 to take down and leave wood on premises, $2000 to take down and remove + $125 to grind out the stump. He is willing to take $900 to get rid of the tree, letting me make a payments on the balance up to 6 months. I haven't had tree work of this size done before, but I think this is a decent price. I'm looking for a replacement tree that I can put in the bare spot. Something that will be big enough to provide shade in about 5 years. I appreciate any suggestions.

After having been an apartment maintenance supervisor for more than 20 years i never thought i would ever offer this advice to a tenant, but here goes. Believe it or not, one of the biggest gripes amongst landlords is the fact that the courts usually favor the tenants. The reason most tenants have a hard time is because they don't know their legal rights. Once you have entered into a lease, both parties, landlord and tenant are bound to the provisions of that lease. In effect, you are required to pay your rent on time and live within certain limitations concerning noise, pets, number of people in the dwelling, no alterations to the structure, etc, etc. In turn, the landlord is obligated by law to keep the dwelling up to all applicable building and health code standards and to maintain the dwelling in the condition it was in at the time the lease was instituted. By example, in many cases the need to supply air conditioning is legally determined by the climatic zone where you live. In some northern states AC is an option, whereas on the Gulf Coast it is considered essential. However, even if it is an option in your climatic region, if it was there, and if it was working when you signed the lease, the landlord is legally obligated to maintain it. The question now becomes, how do you bring pressure to bear upon a landlord to fulfill his end of the lease? God knows, the landlord will use all the legal powers at his command to get his money and insure you live up to the lease, now it is your turn, but be real careful here. Legally there is a right and a wrong way to go. We all know that if you withhold the rent he will have an eviction notice on your door in three for four days, right? WRONG. there is a legal way to withhold rent until the services are rendered. Begin by serving the landlord a written work order for the repairs that need to be made, and allow them a reasonable period of time to effect repairs. This is a touchy point, what is reasonable? The court will determine that it is reasonable to expect the landlord to at least contact you and inspect the damage with 3 days. And the landlord should be able to give you an approximate date as to when to expect the work to be done. Usually not more than 7 days. I would make a point of serving the work order request to the landlord by letter, keeping a copy of the letter for your records and also have a witness to confirm you gave the landlord the letter, or better yet, mail it to the landlord by certified mail, return receipt. That would establish in court that your made the request. If the work is not performed by the next time your rent is due, go to your local housing court, file a complaint, and pay your rent to the court. The court will hold the money in escrow and serve the landlord a notice to appear in court. You must also send a note to the landlord stating that the service has not been performed in a timely manner, therefor your have posted your rent on deposit with the court. You may rest assured that you now have the landlords full attention because the last thing most landlords want it to face a judge and explain why they dont do their job. The courts know only too well that landlords dont hesitate to use the powers of the court when it suits them, and it is so seldom that a tenant actually goes through the proper channels the courts generally feel it is payback time. It is within the juridiction of the court to have the dwelling inspected ( something most landlords do not want) and if the inspector were to determine the dwelling untenable, the court can actually direct the tenant into a motel at the landlords expense until the repairs are made. Many tenants are afraid to take these steps for fear that the landlord would take the corrective action, then immediately find other grounds for evicition, but the laws are specific. If it could be shown that the landlord sought eviction in retaliation, the landlord could be held legally responsible for all relocation costs, and if you were to move and had to pay a higher rent, the court could direct you pay the amount on your lease for the remaining portion of the lease period with the first landlord, and the landlord would have to pay the balance each month.

One of the quotes I received was for a Trane Heat Pump. That proposal included locating the HP under the deck. The particular Trane model had a solid surface on top with the air seemingly coming out at like 45 degrees from vertical. The Trane estimator was the only one of four that seemed accepting of the idea of locating the HP under the deck. I hope you don't feel I was chiding you fro not seaching - just wanted to help you by proving a link to some answers provided to me.

I will try to answer questions. I don't know our GC's rationale and that's a good point that I should just ask him to explain his thinking. I doubt he is thinking resale as we have very clear with him that we intend to live in this house for the long term. (And the neighborhood defintiely does not call for huge "professional" gas ranges.) The capture point is a good one. The counter is that it's a small old kitchen. A big hood would dominate unreasonably, IMO. And I'm tall enough to bump my head on it too. So I think the slide out is a decent compromise. We have a gas furnace that is located in the attic. I doubt it has it's own mua, though the attic is also leaky. We have a gas tankless water heater located on the exterior of the house. And we do have a wood burning fireplace--currently never used, but with very long range tentative plans to convert it to gas and use it. The kitchen will have multiple operable windows (one of my main goals for this remodel is windows I can open in the kitchen). Thanks everyone!