Rhizzo.. Exactly! That is why I never suggested that anyone should do this practice..It was just facts that I stated that happened and that I saw myself. It is another option that one can try if one is desperate or brave enough to alliviate pest issues and provide more room. Before I posted this back then, I was contantly visiting this greenhouse and making sure they did ok..And as the pictures prove, it worked..I tried this on one of my pondersosa lemon trees, and it came back with no problems after 3 months of plucking last winter. I also had a lemon myer that defoliate on it's own for the whole winter, and came back strong once the days staring getting longer in my cool room..... Purposely defoliating trees is not something I suggest to do, just what I saw with my own eyes.. I posted this to show that these trees can be quite resilient if one happens to do so, or just very lucky.. You know the tree that completely defoliated I posted on thread that I forgot to water? It is coming back with growth in places I never saw, very close to the trunk, looking like it is going to fill in nice a bushy, something I could not get this plant to do just trimming the ends off.. Quite interesting..Could it be that not all things quite live up to what is written in the books? Who knows..Those plants and the ones at the nursery proved otherwise.. I also stated so that no ones gets me wrong... "This is something that probably most people would only be able to do if they provide the right conditions for their trees, and keep them on the dry side.... If you have a greenhouse on your side and this older thread can be very encouraging for you:" I personally make it a habit to trim mine up in the growing season because of reason you described and so had Al.. I definatly side with you also with not trying this practice with in home ones..Just my feelings and that of many experienced people suggesting not to like you..If I had a greehouse where my trees flourish, I would try it for an experiment at least..Just me.. I also stated that, it is recommended that one holds off till spring to cut back their plants, but I do not wait if it is needed, and still never have a problem.. Ever since I saw the local nursery continually pluck EVERY leaf off all their citrus, all winter to avoid pest's, just to see them keep pushing growth, made me think.. "I usually prefer to trim in the growing season as suggested, usually about June, but if I have too, I do anyway with no worries..If I do not have too, I will pluck the TIPS off to to keep it bushy if new growth occurs and suggested by a very good friend who knows pruning very well.. " While what you say is absoulutely correct, no denying that, I question too why their trees come back stronger than ever after an all winter defoliation? If anyone thinks I am encouraging or suggesting plucking all your leaves off, I am not, and I thank Rhizzo for clarifying that and the possible consequences.. Rhizzo is much more experienced at growing healthy trees and full of great advice, and if she suggests not too, then I would take her words strongly seriously It is just an option one can choose to decide for them selves based on the pictures and what I saw.. Mike :-))))

Thanks, Rose. To achieve this resuscitation, we had to: * have new cypress clapboards specially milled to match the original so that the patches would not be obvious; * inside, take down the damaged original plasterboard and insulate the exterior walls before putting new drywall on; * restore the opening between the LR and the DR to its original width (at some point, the house had been used as a church); * replace all the windows with woodframe double-paned replicas of the originals; * heavy up the electricity; * install SpacePak flexible duct AC; * jack up the porch roof (it is clear from a heavy beam running front to back in the basement that the entire house had had to be jacked up a bit at one time, which is why there are no level horizontal surfaces in the house); and * replicate some of the roof corbels and other bits of trim that had gone missing over the past nine decades. I finally found on craigslist a door that is close to the original. Of course, by the time it was installed, the paint on the porch was already needing attention again. The bottom line is that we spent too much money (for the neighborhood, not for the house) to give this old sweetie another 90 years with no vinyl siding. [On this street so close to where box cars would have delivered the kits, there are two other Americus examples; they look ok from a distance, but the siding is not cypress.] It was a harrowing project that could not have been undertaken without a GC who has an affinity for old houses. I made some not great decisions along the way (i.e., the tile in the master bath looks closer to avocado than stone green). It is the most gratifying project I have ever completed. I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I had the money. And you need to keep up your good work so that other people will become as besotted as I am. Thanks again. hbk

I'm going to make your floor choice harder: We went with site finished white oak and I love it. It was 4 days of amazing fumes (oil finish) but I love the result. We had 4 coats of oil based poly and it just makes me happy to slide across them in my sock feet. However ... Our GC is redoing his house and he went with prefinished wood floors. I didn't ask why (my mind was locked in on the oak floors we wanted) but I have to say that if he chose them, they must be pretty darn great because if they aren't, he has to redo them and so he has a lot of skin in the game (meaning its his nights and weekends at stake, not just a few bucks to pay someone, you know?). I'd go with whatever you like best :)

I hope you'll post pics on this thread when you're finished with your room so we can see how your magic worked on your husband! I LOVE that room you posted and the look of the barn doors there. But, in reality, if that were my room and home, I would never close them because the view is so gorgeous and it looks like privacy isn't an issue. I guess if someone needed to sleep in total darkness, it would be effective. I would feel claustrophobic to have solid walls when they are closed, but that's just me (no window coverings at all for me). Also, how could you peek out the window if you felt the need? Then I think of just how would you close the ones behind the bed? The end tables seem to be in the way of pulling them from the sides. Would you stand on the bed and move them? I would think you could have a wall panel behind them to be the "headboard" when they are over the windows, if you wanted. I think I've seen barn door style glass shower doors :-)