I think it was Ironbelly Mays over in the Landscape Design forum who once said that the proper answer to any horticulture question should begin with, "It depends". I'd like to try to make two relevant and related points in this post. First, I fully agree that tree ball wrapping should be removed. All of it, when possible. Certainly the nylon string. Certainly the wire. And, depending - the burlap. Anything that can possibly compromise the future health and growth of a new tree should be addressed at the time of planting. Shoot, when else are you going to do it? The original poster is in a position where they are considering digging up a newly planted, heavy, wet, mucky tree. Yikes! That's work! What I don't agree with is the flat out assertions that failure to do all of the above is a certain death warrant. Folks, I re-ball a couple hundred trees every spring in my nursery, and believe me, the burlap rots. Even treated burlap rots. And in my nursery, the roots are pushing through one, two or three feet beyond the original rootball. In one growing season. How does this happen? Well, they are in ideal growing conditions. Nestled in well aerated mulch beds, kept moist, they grow like mad. Some species are more vigorous than others. Some individual trees don't grow as much, or not at all, and I either rogue those out, or set them aside for another season to see what they do. Been doing this for decades now, and I tell you, in northeast Kansas, burlap rots... So why are people digging up burlap years later? I can think of a couple of possibilities. If you are up north, with a shorter warm season, and colder soils in general, I can understand less burlap decay. Or lets say you're on the Colorado front range - much colder, much dryer soils, less decay. Or let's say you're a typical homeowner who likes a nice green lawn - you run your sprinklers quite frequently, you got a lot of moisture in the soil, your tree hole is a clay bucket full of water, it's anaerobic in the root ball zone, and not only does the burlap not rot, but your tree is dead too. So can we accept the fact that, sometimes burlap rots, and sometimes it doesn't? And that there are a variety of reasons for that fact? Now, the wire. Yeah, wire's not good, and you ought to take it off. But if it doesn't come off, does it mean certain decline and death? Sorry, but I think it depends...I have surely seen miles of Kansas hedgerow trees with the bob wire grown into the trunks. I've seen plenty of roots grown around wire and other foreign objects. I think trees are a lot tougher than we perhaps give them credit for. But yes, you have my vote here, the wire ought to come off. But I'm not convinced that you have to dig up a tree to remove it. My second point is to assure people that we in the nursery industry are not unaware of the problems we have in our growing practices and in our level of professionalism and industry education. These problems are being addressed at many levels - state forestry and extension offices, arborist associations, state nursery associations and so forth. Most state nursery associations, for example, have fairly rigorous certification programs for their members. Joint education programs between industry people and municipal entities (city foresters) and private contractors are quite common. Folks, we are not a bunch of crooks, nor are we ignoramuses. We have a vested interest in providing healthy, vigorous plants for the homeowner's landscape. I am proud of the contributions I have made over the years to the beauty of my community. Most responsible nursery people feel the same, I'm sure. brian

No, by far the most common "steel" roofing material for home use in years past is terne-coated steel. Copper was used only on high-end homes, and normally only for accent areas (such as the "roofs" on oriel windows) or valleys on slate roofs. Terne is an alloy of about 80% lead and 20% tin. The iron/steel sheeting was hot dipped into the mixture. Advantages of it were that it was durable and a LOT cheaper than zinc galvanizing. Over the years the terne coating will wear off, especially if the roof is not kept adequately painted. That's why you're seeing surface rusting. Repainting the roofs is not hard, but it is rather exacting. You need to wash the roof thoroughly. I used a bucket, a hose, and a very stiff scrub brush on a pole. Using an abrasive nylon or even brass scrubber pad will not only remove adhered dirt, it will remove some loose paint, surface rust, and will rough up the surface so that the new coat of paint adheres well. For soap I used liquid dish detergent. You want something that will clean well but which won't leave a residue. A lot of people use Spic N Span or something with a lot of TSP, but I know more than one person who stained the living hell out of the sides of their house that way... A power washer would be a good way to go these days, but you still want to brush the roof to get any adhering dirt loose and flushed away. If there is any loose paint, scrape it off, but be gentle. You can punch a hole in a metal roof fairly easily. Paint can remain, but it has to be tightly adhered. For rusty areas, you can use a brass brush to knock the rust down and then hit it with a rust converting primer. Then you need to inspect the valleys, flashing, seams, and nails and repair any popped nails or bent seams. Be very careful what kind of roofing cements you use. Not all are suitable for use on metal roofs and they can actually interfere with the paint layer. Once everything dries well, you need to consider paint... I'll say this right up front. Good roof primer and paint is NOT cheap. Expect to pay in the vicinity of $40 to $80 a gallon, possibly more. I used Calbar (http://www.calbarinc.com/index.html) to paint the roof on my parent's house some years ago. That was one nasty job. It was a full three story house with 10-foot ceilings, so the peak was close to 50 feet off the ground, and it was HUGE. But, I took my time on prep and application, and it was holding up well nearly 10 years later when my parents sold the house.

Use pressure treated wood for the facia and then cover it with whatever trim material you choose for your soffits. Metal or vinyl are two popular choices, and both are fairly easy to DIY if you have a couple of ladders or scaffolding. We chose to use metal from the same manufacturer that made our metal roof and it's a system where it all works to lock together.

I love chair rails, but it looks like yours were put up too high. Many people put them up wrong. They are supposed to occupy the lower 1/3 of a room, not break the room in half! For eight foot ceilings, a chair rail at 30" off of the floor looks great. If they are not your style, don't feel badly about removing them, since even if you liked them they are at the wrong height. Realistically you can either paint the oak white (or a trim colour of your choosing) or sand off the golden stain and apply a darker more modern stain if you want to go for a rustic look. Painting will be much less work (but make sure you use a good primer for adhesion), but if you love the rustic wood look you could consider the sanding/ re-staining option. I would leave the hardwood floors completely alone since they will blend into the decor once you cover them with area rugs, plus light oak hides dirt and wears really well! I would also leave the staircase alone if it were my house, since it matches the floors and you will have plenty of other more pressing projects to occupy yourself with. Lighting is easy to change and makes a huge difference!