Hi, The established tree picture is not Sumac or ailanthus but most likely a Black Walnut which has similar leave patterns. Sumac can be left alone as they are indigenous to the US and are non-invasive, while Ailanthus are from China, and are Veeeeerrrry invasive!! Be very careful when doing anything to an ailanthus to observe the following, or it will send out a self-preservation signal throughout the root system and hundreds of saplings will appear in a week or less!! If you can't get a hold of Garlon 1A, mix a heavy salt/water solution, and within 15 minutes of cutting down an ailanthus, coat the entire cut stump with this. This will effectively stop any further problem with that particular tree! You can also use a hatchet, cut at a 45 degree angle into the trunk at 2 inch intervals, and pour the solution into each cut. Best done when the trees are sucking the sap back into the root system in the Fall. Be very careful if any trees you DO want to save are within a few yards of the culprit, that treating the TOH may cause it to release a poison to the other good tree, I've had this happen, but only while treating, never after cutting one down. I've had great success with the above on my property and no recurring problems where I used this method. FYI each female will produce 300, 000 seed pods, of which at least 70,000 are guaranteed to produce!! I just hope soon the States will start to actively eliminate this threat, as with the reproductive rate, and typical growth rate of 9 meters a season, it won't take long until they take over!! Best regards, Mike

lkzia... unique name by the way took me 6 times to spell it right LOL :) I think you might have answered your own question.. You said "They really aren't around this area" "Only the toughest trees survive here" Your right they cant survive where they ain't even growing or EVEN AT for that matter LOL... think about it. And as far as being tough enough, well there isn't another tree on the planet that can survice a atomic bomb blast within 5 meters of where the bomb landed like this one did in Japan.... ITS TRUE go to DAVE'S GARDEN and type in tree of heaven and there is a link that documents It. Now tell me how many tress would survive that? LOL Im looking for some seeds of this tree, if ya got any and want to part with em let me know. I know how to make the tree very resistnat to round up.. simply apply it till it ALMOST dies then stops each time it should get stronger. LOL well at least Im thinking.

Thanks everyone, for the responses. I have been off the forum for a couple of days because we set the tub and repaired the hole yesterday, and last night I was exhausted. So I am just seeing some of these responses today. I am happy to announce that at Bill and Mongo's strong suggestion, and my own gut feelings and common sense, I had decided by yesterday morning to definitely go with the concrete. It just seemed to me that if concrete was there originally, it should go back in. The plumber's viewpoint was once the slab had been broken into, its former strength could not be restored by using concrete. Another guy said that mortar would 'adhere' better to the old concrete and was more supple... so if there was any 'movement' under the slab, the mortar would have more 'give' and be less likely to crack. The plumber seemed convinced of his viewpoint, but he was flexible. I told the plumber that I preferred concrete. He said OK. He got the concrete to set up quickly by 'layerin' it. It worked very well. I hope that's a good thing. Ventupete, the 'rebar' idea is brilliant, and you're right, he would have thought it was overkill. The plumber thought it was overkill to have my exterminator over there to treat the soil in the open hole. You asked about the hole? It was kind of centered under the tub, with part of it extending out past the surround, in order to rework the plumbing. So the greater part of the tub was always resting on existing slab. BTW, does everyone know that exterminators recommend treating ANY infraction in a slab? They say that termite (subterranean insects that they are) will come up through even the tiniest hole in a slab and will be 'pigging out' on the studs in your home...you won't know a thing! If you are adding on to your home, treat the soil in the piers of your addition, BEFORE it is poured. True story. It happened to friends with their add-on. Thanks again for the input. We successfully have a tub in place. I would call that a small miracle. :)

two things... we both live in extreme climates. 1)we don't put ducts in exterior walls because of heat gain, you for cold gain. 2)we install ductwork on interior walls and blow the air to the exterior walls. old school (25+ years ago) locating supplies in ceilings next to windows was standard. the grills would blow the air to the window. nowdays we have more knowledge..if we take advanatge of educating ourselves..and understand that blowing warm air on a cold window leads to condensation. with better supply grills we can put the air exactly where we want it to go. gotta love 4 way supply grills! putting ductwork inside conditioned space in false boxing over cabinets..or building boxing (fur downs) might work in your application. it mostly depends upon the layout. if the closet you plan to use is centrally located, the the bottom of the closet is return, the middle is equipment, and the top supply plenum & ducts. with this configuration you need to determine if there is a pathway to serve all rooms. having that simple drawing of the layout would be helpful. if you can't post it, email it to me & I'll post it for you. would a mitisibushi mini split heat pump meet your requirements? "an after thought if I can find the highest blower I can get maximum cfm could I get away with all ceiling registers?" how? build fur downs at ceilings for ducts? not quite clear on this after thought! how's the temps there today??..we are in mid 60's.. a little cool spell after high 70's last week. best of luck.