Hi. I've recently bought a house, and have a number of issues which I would like to address, but don't know where to start. I thought someone around here might be able to help, or at least point me in the right direction. The issues are as follows: 1. There are a number of repairs/upgrades which I wish to make to my house, which I am stupid enough to want to do by myself. I need someone to tell me what I can do without violating the law (at least too blatantly) and I also need to determine whether these fixes are not horribly bad ideas from an engineering standpoint. Naturally, I had a full inspection done before hand and I still have the report, so that might save time. The inspection cause $900, but I'd be looking for more informal advice, and would prefer to pay someone in the range of $300. The preferable person would be someone with some experience (perhaps as an assistant) in home inspecton. 2. I have 2 fully grown healthy trees which I would like to remove. One is a loquat which seems to be about 35 feet tall ( they are only supposed to grow to 25-30!) and it leans right against the foundation of my garage apartment so I would also like advice on how that will affect the foundation. It will probably be a bit tricky as it hands over my apartment, and over my fence with the neighbors, who have a nearby garage apartment of their own. The second is a tall, narrow tree. It is something like a birch or something that should be reasonably easy to whack. There's also a stump from another loquat that I'd like assistance in killing. In any case, I have no idea about how much this sort of service runs, so would be willing to pay whatever the going rate is. I don't however, need one of the 24 hour emergincy services, so would prefer not to pay the attendant service markup. If this fits anybody's bill, or if anybody has had a good experience with someone who does what I'm looking for, I'd appreciate any referals. Thanks, Ottomaton email @ kblodgett@hotmail.com if you can help thanks again.
I get alot of advice and tips from the Tom Tinan (sp?) show which airs Sat and Sunday morning on 610am. The guy knows his shizznit and its easy to get through and talk to him, he also has a magazine complete with credible contractors for anything you cannot handle....I believe the magazine is called "Right Angle". Give him a call and he can help with any home repair or project
I paid close to $1000 to have a huge pine tree removed and the stump ground out. This tree was a monster and it took the crew most of the day. Shop around the rates vary.
Trees next to slabs can and do cause cracking from the lift as the roots grow. they can also take moisture out of the soil that makes Houston's clay soil contract. This is probably more true for garage slabs (especially on older homes) because they have less reinforcing than house slabs. If you have big limbs or can't fall the tree to cut it up your better off with a tree service. They can tie off the big limbs so they don't cause damage falling. There is a small machine called a stump grinder that has a rotating disc that takes the stump down to ground level. Many trees, like loquats, will try to grow up from the roots. It can be a recurring problem in a flower bed. I think there is a canned powder you can get that will kill off the root but I haven't personally done that. Foster's tree service has been around Houston forever and I believe they will give you a free estimate.
