Thank you for the reply Manda. I got proactive yesterday after hitting rock bottom. I was able to reach over the hog wire since its so thin and I pulled up every stick, log and branch. It felt good. Really Good. He "caught" me in the act and I confronted him, mentioning codes, branches from a 2 year old ice storm, not mowing, rats and other rodents and that this fence solution would not fly and he had to do something because I am going to call the city. We had already politely suggested people who worked cheap and ideas on four occasions so I feel he has had every chance. It will take me probably 3 city pickups to get rid of what I pulled out yesterday but it was a great way to work out my anger. I found out the fine for the stagnant pond is $1000. The cut branches were listed as a violation but I don't think they fine you for that. Stagnant water--serious business. They make 3 visits, a warning, a second to see if it in compliance and then a third to clean it up and bill the person. Each visit is charged $200 unless you do something. I feel better. One way or another the party is over. No more molly coddleing.

Our company has been in the insulation business for 36 years in the north east region of the country. There are several pros and cons about spray foam. here are a few. PROS: 1)excellent air infiltration blocker 2) High r value per inch for CLOSED CELL only. 3) good vapor retarder for CLOSED CELL only. 4)..ummm thats it!!!!! CONS: 1) expensive (about 6-7 times more expensive than fiberglass or cellulose) 2)not tested long term for future problems 3)shrinkage. 4) vapor barrier on wrong surface..typically vapor barriers go against warmest surface not exterior cold surfaces. in stick built construction spray foam will only be a nominal fill with closed cell which is definitely the foam you should use..OPEN CELL manufacturers are getting hit with law suits for their open cell product due to its non ability to stop moisture permeance. when 2 part foams came back around open cell was being widely used with no vapor barrier, hence moisture issues and mold.. now they said it must be covered with a retarder ex poly.. Paint DOES NOT WORK!!! Air can still get into wall sytems near floor and outlets. closed cell is a nominal fill 2" may be 2.5" so there is 1" of space behind drywall. Well foam shrinks a little over the years about 2-3% and lumber shrinks 3-4%, well gaps open even tiny tiny gaps, cold air meets warm air in the space behind drywall and guess what happens.. water water everywhere. 5) spray a roof deck and let me know when you need a roof tare off in 10 years because decks will not stay cool and wood sheathing like OSB will get damaged, and oh yeah guess whats attached to the sheathing..foam, so reinsulating will be necessary, glad i spent $5000 to spray roof 6)just added another 5000+ cubic feet of heating space in the attic. 7)if sprayed on roof deck they dont cover rafters with the proper depth so as the heat in the houses rises into attic and all vents are blocked the heat transfers to roof and melts snow causing ice dams if you live in a snow climate. 8) did you have plans for an air to air exchanger? add another $3k to $5k. if you dont make up air will be a problem and you be living in your own atmospheric waste climate.. and also may have drafting and spillage problems with gas appliances. And if a barametric damper is recommended to open to allow make up air in the dead of winter then what the hell did you spend all that money for for spray foam? 8)must be covered with ignition barriers.. OK you see some of the cons??? ive seen these issues first hand!!! It may seem like I dont like foam but I Really DO!!! But like everything in construction each material has a purpose and should be installed in a manner to offer the most comfortability, protection, efficiency, and cost effectiveness!! This is how you do that!! 1) Foam Seal all windows and doors with a window/door foam 2) use one part closed cell foam (about 100$ for a 16lb canister)and apply a bead of foam down all studs at exterior sheathing and all horizontal sheathing joints. this will make cavities air tight, You cant blow through ply wood. do the same for the ringjoist and basment bandjoist. 3) caulk all wall plates to floor and all stud jacks and gaps around headers and any place that foam cannot be used because of drywall interference 4) insulate with high density fiberglass r-15 or r-21..do the math these R values = closed cell r values..keep in mind they will only do nominal fills. if they do complete cavity fills with closed cell get your bank routing number ready!!! .90 per inch per sq ft. as average installed for closed cell. so $3.15 for 2 x 4 and $4.95 for 2 x 6 plus extra for shaving. 5) install a vapor barrier - 2 or 4 mil poly (against code for closed cell) 6) eave block, install bubble wrap at flat ceiling eaves to force ventillation past the ceiling insulation without windwashing. 7) increase ceiling r value to r-49 or whatever your heart desires because r-100(unnecessary) is going to be pocket change compared to foam. 8) foam all penetrations from basement to living space and to attic (light fixtures etc..) This method will perform the same as spray foam for 20% of the cost, and protect the structure the way it should with vapor barriers and so on.. (Thats from Blower Door Tests) dont forget about make up air.. but you just saved enough $ to get a free air exchanger!! and a new 65" plasma tv and a surround sound system and a fireplace and maybe new appliances!!! DONT BE TRICKED BY WHAT YOU SEE ON TV OR WHAT PEOPLE SAY... R VALUE = R VALUE IT DOESNT MATTER WHAT MATERIAL YOU USE JUST STOP AIR INFILTRATION AND YOUR SET!!! AND IF YOU STIL LIKE FOAM THAT MUCH PUT IT ON THE OUTSIDE OF HOUSE TO CREATE A THERMAL BREAK(1/2" DOW BLUE BOARD NO TYVEK NEEDED) OR ON INTERIOR CEILINGS (1/2" DOW TUFF R BOARD) BEFORE DRYWALL FOR THE SAME AFFECT. and its still cheaper than spray foam!!

we've had problems w/ our other email/website server and all of us at work who use email to communicate just got work gmail to overcome our email problems. well yesterday some did have gmail sending issues but today we are up and running fine. ~ liz

Yes, I am. In theory there is no difference ( in terms of looks between the two ), in practice there are many. An integral bead will always be in plane ( its position will always be perfect ). The highest point of the arc of the bead is typically set .03" from the face of the face frame. This way the frame can be sanded without flattening the top of the bead. When you apply a loose bead by hand it is difficult to line up the bead accurately every time. So inevitably some beads will sit proud and be flattened and other times it sits too low, so it can look "wavy". Also, when you make beading, you are s4s ing stock and routing/shaping both sides of a stick and then ripping a 5/16" width off either edge. This leaves two long bowed beads. When you rip stock on a saw you release stresses in the wood. You never get perfectly parallel sides. You might get consistency from the first rip but you wont from the second. What this means is that you end up putting an imperfect bead on a face frame. What this means is that the step that is part of the profile will be irregular , the gap between the bead and the edge of the face frame will differ along its length. Also, most guys I know attach applied beads with pins and glue. The reason for the gap that might exist between the bead and the face frame is the lack of consistent clamping force. The pins will only hold the bead to the face frame in the immediate area where they are shot. Then all the holes have to filled. The filler must not shrink also. I would say that the average person would not mind all of these things but a cabinetmaker definitely would and you would never get away with an applied bead on an architectural job. If you are picky then I would go for the integral. Steve