Timber!

We are back from our vacation to Ireland. Wow! I hope to share some of our favorite photos in a future post, but for now it is business as usual. Wednesday, we arrived home to a power outage due to a major tree fall at our neighbor’s house. Fortunately, their home was not damaged, and no one was hurt. We were so relieved because the scenario could have been quite different. The county remained under a wind advisory into the night with gusts reaching up to 55 mph.

After about eight hours, our street had power again. Thursday, it took a crew several hours to clean up the tree, and the phone company was able to put our phone line back up on the pole to restore the internet. There is never a dull moment at BHH, and we are consistently reminded that nature is in charge here in the Northeast.

I actually wrote today’s post before we left for vacation. What a coincidence that it is about trees.

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When we had BHH inspected, prior to buying, it was recommended to us that the trees be sheered on one side to prevent the limbs from hanging on the roof or that the trees be removed altogether.


The four pine trees had been planted very close to the house. Three of them towered less than two feet from the porch roof.

Andy and I went around and around about what to do. Sometimes we were in favor of keeping the trees. The Lorax is permanently etched into our brains after reading it to the kids so many times over the years. The trees did provide great shade in the warmer months. Since BHH does not have air conditioning, we appreciated the fact that the trees helped keep the upstairs cooler in the summer.

The kids were firmly in favor of keeping the trees. They loved to climb them. In fact, one of the kids even threatened to pull a Julia Butterfly Hill. Save the trees! I felt that emotional tug too, but I knew neither he nor I would last an hour in the treetops after the first snowflake. Actually, who are we kidding? I need a ready supply of coffee, and he tries to avoid going outside most of the time. No tree activism was going to take place in our yard. But…What if these ended up being the last four pine trees on the Earth? OK, that was definitely unlikely.

Despite appreciating the sheltering coolness of the pine trees, It was not always a good thing, and we felt ourselves being swayed towards having the trees cut down. In this part of the country, shade = moss and mildew. The side of the house was was a mess of mildew. It was unsightly, and it contributed to dry rot and decay.


Pine trees also have a shallow root system. Wind storms, which are a nuisance in our location, occur several times per year. It is not uncommon for properties to lose enormous branches or entire trees during a wind storm. (10/30/15: Foreshadowing or am I now a fortune teller?) During such a storm, I would listen to the branches of our pines scrape the roof, and I would cross my fingers that the trees would stay upright and nature would not be the winner.

Another reason to take them out, was their sheer bulk. Their crowns were pretty much fused into one tree. At around 70-80 feet tall, they completely obscured the front of the house.

After considering all the pros and cons, Andy and I finally agreed that the best option was to remove them altogether. What finally tipped the scales was getting the new roof, having the trim painted, and getting on the schedule for more painting next spring. After making such a huge financial investment, we did not want to lose all of that to the mold, mildew and dampness.

Once the decision was made, the entire family felt more peaceful about the situation. The kids were still a little sad, but being older, they are able to listen to reason and flow with tough decisions even when they do not turn out in their favor.

I received a couple of bids on the project, but I ended up hiring the same service that helped us out last winter. Three of the fastest working people I have ever met, showed up to do the job. Within minutes, the lawn was protected, a bucket truck was in the air, and a Texas chainsaw massacre was happening in the treetops.

In less than two hours, all four trees were gone. The wood had gone through the chipper, and the yard looked clean and tidy.

Chainsaw and chipper noise no longer filled the air. The frenetic energy of the men dissipated. It was quiet. With a bit of apprehension, I went out to take a look.

Whoa! What a makeover:

We love it. It looks like a new house. It feels like we moved again.

Oddly, BHH also looks smaller.

Now that the trees are gone, so much light pours into the upstairs, and it improves the living room darkness as well.

Next summer, we will have the stumps removed when we work on the landscaping.

One of our neighbors stopped by and said, “In its day, this house was magnificent, and it will be magnificent again.” It made me feel so proud to hear that. The master plan for restoring this beautiful home is starting to come together.

If you are local, and you need a tree service, please contact me. We are very satisfied with the company we used, and we would love to pass their information along to new customers. We are not affiliated with their company in any way. We are just happy with their work.