The danger of a gas appliance vented into a habitable room is not from lack of oxygen but the build-up of carbon monoxide from incomplete combustion of the gas. It is an odorless colorless painless quiet killer. Such equipment has a carbon monoxide detector that is intended to shut off the gas but I would recommend also installing an independent one with battery backup and keeping fresh flowers in the house. Obviously, they should never be placed in a bedroom or a small or poorly ventilated space. One of my clients had headaches and felt dizzy and finally noticed that the flowers delivered for a party had wilted overnight. She called her husband at work who told her to get out of the house and called an ambulance. A flue for a gas pool heater in the basement had been accidentally blocked during renovation of the house. I had designed the renovation and now I not only insist on gas flues, I personally verify that they work. In matters of life safety, I strongly recommend paying for the most fail-safe systems available.

I love this forum and the fact there are so many very intelligent members sharing opinions, facts, life experiences. Thank you, Florantha, for taking the time to share with us. I hope you will forward this to the highest levels at HD. AND share their response with us. HD had my respect years ago. I shopped at what I think was their second store in 1981 and in the following years. Continued for many years until I came to my senses. No more on that - not the right place. My hat's off to you! Rosie, in Sugar Hill, GA

I appreciate everyone's input -- pro and con. That's why I asked. Part of the reason we are considering the pool is because there isn't a neighborhood pool nearby and we aren't really the country club type. We are members of a health club with pools (indoor and outdoor) but that means packing up and heading over there which can be a real hassle and that would be true with a neighborhood pool or country clue. Right now I work full time but when my daughter starts school next year I am contemplating switching to teaching ( I work for a community college) so I don't have to hassle with finding care for her during the summer. A pool would be a great way to get her outside and have fun. It would also make it easier to be the house where she and her friends want to hang out as she gets older. I would much rather have her at our house with her friends so I can be the one keeping an eye on things. That being said -- I know its a lot of money to spend and I do agree that it doesn't mean we will never take another vacation elsewhere. I do think it will cut out the mini-vacations to Texas beaches -- an easy thing to give up for me. I also am not counting on big bucks on resale -- that's why I think it is important that we don't plan on moving unless there is some unexpected career change. Another plus for us regarding resale is that we have a big enough lot that the pool won't be the entire backyard. That was one reason we didn't buy a house with a beautiful pool that we looked at -- you walked out the backdoor and were practically in the pool. We have almost 1 1/2 acres so we can have a pool and still have a yard. Maybe that only makes a difference to me but I have to think that factors into the purchasing decision for others as well. I also think it helps a bit from a safety standpoint. We will be able to fence a pool separately from the "play" area of the yard if we want to and not have it look strange. And no neighbors that can check us out from their backyards or the second story of their house. Finally -- I am married to a 50 year old kid so he will probably be the number one pool user -- whether our daughter is around or not! =) He is a SoCal native and misses the water. Of course he is no help with this -- he told me if I wanted a pool to get it -- he doesn't worry about the finances. He knows that I will spend all this time figuring things out and researching before I do anything. I guess opposites do attract. =) Keep the opinions coming. I really appreciate the input. I probably will post on one of the other boards as well. THANKS!

If you aren't planning to cut them all at once, prune lower branches off gradually (or if they're dead, all at once). Thin them out if they're crowded and let some of them get really big for harvesting later. It makes a nice look in the woods too, you can see and walk under them. I'm making a deck (under an overhanging roof) from cedar. It's lightweight but we can cut it any thickness we want on our own sawmill. :-] I run the small branches through the chipper for nice mulch and burn anything over an inch in diameter in the woodstove or firepit. It burns hot and fast and I would not recommend using it exclusively for firewood due to possible creosote buildup from the oils. But it's great for fire starting to get those heavy oak logs going.