Good idea. I put a cedar next to the one year-old garden. The peony roots are in that bed and I think it will be as good as can be, conditions considered, in there. The newer bed is thinner in width and the soil is all purchased topsoil, garden soil and compost. It looks pretty happy so far. It's not nearly as bad there, windwise, as I thought. The winds have been upwards of 40 MPH the past two days and it's been fine (it's only a foot tall now though...) Thanks madspinner! I guess I'll find out if the difference between our zones is severe. This whole area is very new to me.

I don't know the answer, but I notice that sound with our Majestic B-vent fireplace as well. Rain noise seems to be really magnified near the fireplace as well. Ours is in the family room at least so it's not bothersone at night.

this may not sound true but it is. I work in a restaurant and one day I had to mae a phone call and I went out into the coffee shop to make it. I came back into the kitchen making this eeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww sound and the other 2 girls wondered what was wrong with me. I pointed to the coffee shop and they went out there and they saw it. It was a salamander that was about 10 to 15 inches long and about 5 inches high. It was just walking along the wall. One of the other girls went out to her car to get a pair of gloves. While she did that he came around the corner and my boss opened the door for him and we let him outside. I have never seen a salamander that big and I grew up on a farm and after it rained they were all over. We dont know where it came from or how it got in there but it is an old building and we know there are holes in the floor like under the stove and other equipment. Theere is a slough nearby and we figure it came from there. If anyone watches the syfy channel a few years ago there was a show on called Nimh and that is what it reminded me of.

Vycor V40 is just Ice & Water Shield without the non-slip surface (so it can't be used on a roof). The thinner versions are intended for wall and deck flashing and are called Vycor Plus and Deck Protector (same but with non-slip surface). they will will work fine and are available in narrower rolls. I would not use another brand or butyl based flashing. The plywood should be clean and free of contaminants like the preservative suggested by the inspector. For greater adherence brush on WR Grace's WB Primer (water based) and let it get tacky before applying the Vycor and rolling it with a small metal roller (very important step). The flashing will adhere so well that the poly surface will separate from the bitumen if you try to remove it. There is a solvent based primer available if you want to get crazy about this. There is also a vapor permeable liquid flashing called Perm-A-Barrier VP (unless they've changed the name again). The shape of the metal counter-flashing is not important since all it can do is protect the Vycor from UV exposure (and possibly trap water behind it if the bottom is bent inward or sealed). There is no reason to carry any of this additional waterproofing much above the bottom of the stucco but the Vycor could be carried below grade if the primer is used. Of course any of it that is exposed should be covered with something. Any metal counter flashing will eventually corrode and have to be replaced if it is not stainless steel or copper. If the stucco is too close to the ground you should be thinking about how to protect it as well. I would say that the inspector's detail is so expensive and poorly conceived that unless you are allowed to modify it as described above, your only reasonable choice is to lower the grade. Here is a link that might be useful: liquid air/water barrier