any recommendations? need work done upstate.

what general area are you in ... know a bunch of people in the vicinity of chatham....also highly recommend Haupt Tree Service out of Great Barrington, Ma. They will seem expensive but if you're talking about a tree near your house....they took a birch down about 10 feet from our house (was very sorry to see it go but it split) with no problem whatsover. http://haupttree.com/

p.s. went the hot tub rather than pool route...all in, I think we get a lot more use with a lot less hassle...used to have a pool in previous house...nice when kids were younger but very, very short season even heating it. nothing like the hot tub in the snow.

we're in nassau, twenty minutes north of Chatham, or twenty five, maybe depending on how you drive :), but i'd heard recently that contractors were mobile within at least an hour of work.

cc, i'm going to be a spoiled bitch up here. will have the hot tub, most likely, right outside the family room on the deck. and will have a pool and a pool house for the kid as she gets older. but have heard great things about solar heating of the pool, and ours will be situated i think for optimal heating.

Thanks for the tree referral, we have two mulberry trees that are both probably well over 100 years old (although one is still bearing fruit). Majestic and beautiful creatures, both damaged but not destroyed by this year's ice storm. I'd pay a pretty penny to keep these alive and well. I thought i didn't have any chance, but they've bounced back and up SOOO beautifully.

another reason not to own :)

yo CC and AR... you knew that was coming :)

haupt will try to keep your trees happy before removal. they kept our birch alive for 4 yrs before it was struck by lightning...at our previous house in dutchess county, we kept alive an elm for years....give eric haupt a call and see if they will come up to you and what they would charge for fertilization, etc.

as i mentioned we used to have a pool...used a salt water chlorine system which i would highly recommend...no chlorine smell or feel and very, very slight salt water sense. we used an electric heat pump with a solar blanket to keep it warm. most economical but got real old screwing around with the cover and the reel.

cc, i'll definitely give haupt a call. they'll love our trees, they're so lovely they couldn't help but do so and i'm fairly certain they'll be OK. the twelve we lost in the back during this year's ice storm? not so much.

w67th, so true. a pain in my ass and a (sometime) joy in my soul. you're always welcome, my friend, you and yours.