A tall fescue lawn in a northern California winter is going to look a bit bedraggled, and hardly grow much. The thinning of the grass is probably due to lack of sufficient irrigation suitable for best growth in the hotter months, in combination with insufficient top soil with organic content added before you sodded it, and not fertilizing often enough to encourage better health and growth of grass. How many inches of topsoil did you add before rototilling, and how often and which months do you fertilize, and what is the N-P-K ratio of the fertilizer you are using? As to whether 20 minutes of spray irrigation is sufficient for a lawn in northern California conditions, especially if applied 4 times a week on a flat site, if anything this is overwatering, even with heavy root competition from the redwoods and oaks across the fence. It looks to me that you need to build up soil fertility in both the lawn, and particularly for the citrus tree, which shows signs of nitrogen deficiency in particular, and is probably also not getting water in summer sufficient to get rooting deeper. Just adding a mulch with chicken manure in it, or mushroom compost or similar as a 4 inch mulch, ought to help the citrus tremendously. I'd also suggest adding some time release fertilizer such as osmocote and work into the soil in March, for longer term/slow release of nutrients, and check with a soil auger how deep your irrigation is penetrating with the irrigation you are giving it. The lawn can also be top dressed with a light screened mulch after having it aerated with a core type aerator, and the top dressing raked in to help fill the holes, but it might be better to simply use a sod cutter to skim it all off, add a healthy 6 inches of organic compost to the lawn area, and resod. Lawns here typically benefit from several fertilizing periods, at least once in mid spring and again in summer and early fall, or refer to the web site referred to previously for recommendations. You might also consider using a mulching lawn mower that chops up the grass blades so that they return to the soil, and preserve the nitrogen that is otherwise thrown away with each clipping. As to Ink's complaint about "cliche" eyebrow plantings around the edge of the lawn, I don't think you are really looking at other solutions if you mean to keep the existing lawn size and layout, but I do second Ink's opinion that the narrowness of the planting areas against the fence is rather dull and static. Planting of vines to cover the fence, and widening the borders to allow at least some layering of shrubs and herbaceous plantings is entirely possible if borders were widened to minimum 4 to 8 feet wide if you can give up some lawn space. The proximity of those large redwoods and oaks across your fence is definitely tapping into the irrigation you are supplying. The vigor of the trees, and even some of the plants in your own backyard indicates to me that yours isn't so much a soil fertility problem, as it is poorly timed fertilizing and no ongoing attempts to increase organic content of your clay soils via mulching with compost, as well as not checking to see if your irrigation schedule is adequately wetting the soil to sufficient depth to encourage better growth and plant health under drought/heat stress of summer. Having dealt with many California gardens under or adjacent to redwoods and live oaks, the soil ph is unlikely to be the problem, as I am willing to bet your soil is only mildly acidic or even close to neutral. We just don't have moist enough conditions year round to create acidic soils from dropped leaves in a suburban garden setting. The problem is the root competition of water, and any plantings you add will greatly benefit from adding tons of organic component, mulching with compost on a yearly basis, selecting plants that tolerate root competition with redwood tree roots, shade and constant debris, and closely monitoring your irrigation cycles to see that the plants are getting what they need. Beyond a soils test and a landscape design, you need some help from a good horticulturist who can advise you what you are doing wrong/right in your particular circumstances. I'd also make darn sure the natives you have on your plans are compatible with redwood tree competition, as well as potential overspray from the lawn irrigation. Fertilizing more frequently for plantings below/adjacent redwoods is extremely helpful, and if you prefer the organic route, stick with a good organic mulch that has some manure in it, and reapply a couple of inches every year.

Rusty, does your distaste for Honda engines stem from a bad experience? No disrespect, but I think your opinion is a little out of the mainstream. Honda definitely has two series of engines -- "homeowner" engines and "heavy duty" engines, but so does everybody. And there are problems throughout the industry with cheap clones that aren't what they first appear to be. Over the course of the last 30 years, I've had two Honda lawnmowers, a Honda tiller and a Honda snowblower. I love them all, especially for the reliable, torquey engines. I've never had a major engine problem. The engine on the first lawnmower smoked pretty badly (after 20 years or so) when the transmission gave out and I had to replace the coil on the tiller. Apart from that, oil changes and filters are all that the engines have ever needed. I've never -- and would never -- bought one of their "big box store" mowers. They use the less durable engines and are generally less well built than their "professional" line. Here again, they are no different from other manufacturers in that regard. As you can tell, I'm pretty much hooked on Honda power equipment based on solid performance over long term usage. IMO, most of it's due to basic quality, but certainly there's also an element of luck. Cheers, Fred

floorguy and glennsfc what would you use. We need l000 square feet of hardwood. Our island will be in a dark stained rift quarter sawn oak. The hardwood will go in the kitchen, eating area, living room (great room for those three rooms), den and one bedroom. We would like to use oak on the floor to match the island, but have it stained in a medium brown color. In the past two hardwood finished on site floors we used glitza water based finish. I don't know if glitza is still allowed because of the ureaformaldyhydes (sp??) but would like a satin finish. Maybe we shouldn't be so close minded about unfinished. Maybe we should buy finished but we have to get longer lengths then are usually offered. In VAncouver, B.C. all we see is 4 to 5' at the longest. Just looks like a quilt. And for a l000 square feet of mostly open area that could be deadly. My mind is open and I look forward to your opinions. I know you know a lot more then I do. Can hardly wait to hear your opinions.

Thanks Karen, that helps a bit. The diagram you found looks like it has a concrete pad on the bottom? I don't think I have that - there is dirt on the bottom of the crawl space. But I think I get the idea. Brickeyee, don't worry - We're not about to make any decisions at the moment. I'm just trying to get a feel for the issue so I can have a more intelligent conversation with whoever we have come and look at the house. That, and I'm trying to prepare my brain for what we might find out. Sort of a "what are the range of possible scenarios" questions that a newbie might have. When you mention whether the foundation might already be cracked - if we have dirt underneath, does that mean there is no "foundation"? Sorry for the silly questions... I just remembered that I have the "Rennovating Old Houses" and "Caring for Your Historic House" books... perhaps I ought to open them tonight and review the foundation sections. Duh! Anyway, I do appreciate everyones advice and whatnot, and am learning a lot here.