Real Or Fake: What Type Of Christmas Tree Is Right For You?

Shreveport Times

With Thanksgiving Day just around the corner, we all know that Christmas will be here almost before we can turn around twice. And in a majority of the homes across our country preparations for the Christmas holidays are already underway. This generally means that shoppers will be out in force looking for the perfect Christmas tree. Now comes the time for decisions. What kind of tree will be the best choice? Will it be some species of evergreen or should an artificial tree be considered? What size best suits your needs — one that stretches from floor to ceiling or one that will fit nicely on a table?

First, let's think about the advantages and disadvantages of artificial versus natural. Artificial trees are usually almost perfect in shape while natural trees may be close to perfect, but typically show a small flaw somewhere in the canopy. These small flaws are rarely a problem as the flaw can be positioned so that it is not noticeable.

Size is limited with artificial trees, while natural trees can be so large that they will not fit into a house. But, after all, how many people can actually use a giant tree from the forest?

Artificial trees more and more are sold with a set of lights already in place, which simply means that decorating is made somewhat easier. You can, of course, still buy artificial trees without lights at a lower price and simply use a Christmas light storage bag to make life easier for yourself. Natural trees, on the other hand, are not equipped with lights in place. Mother Nature is good and resourceful, but she hasn't figured out yet how to install lights before the trees are harvested.

Storage is still another aspect of artificial compared to natural. Between Christmases, artificial trees must be stored somewhere. Even though many are made to fold to some degree, larger ones consume a good bit of space. With all of the storage facilities you see around the area you get the idea that all too many homes have insufficient storage space and have to rent extra space from the storage businesses. Do you have storage capacity for a large tree when the Christmas holidays are over? There are many varieties of Christmas tree storage bags which will compress the tree for saving precious space.

Natural Christmas trees are "short termers." Once harvested from the farm or forest their life span diminishes by the day until in the post-Christmas period they are only of value as compost material, erosion control, temporary bird cover and fish habitats. There is one exception: live trees that are purchased for a brief stint inside the house preparatory to being planted in the landscape can enjoy a long term, beneficial life. Species for this purpose must be carefully chosen, however, as a majority of the natural trees offered for sale in our area are northern species that will not survive in our climate.

That brings us to the price of artificial trees and natural trees. Both are expensive for the time that we use them. Since artificial trees, if properly cared for and stored, can last for several years, the per year cost drops the longer the tree is kept and used. Thus, a tree that costs $300 initially and is used for 10 years costs only $30 each year. When used for 20 years, the annual cost is only $15. Obviously, you would need to add in the cost of an artificial Christmas tree stand with wheels, but you're going to need a stand with any type of tree.With natural trees being good only for a single season (with the exception noted above), the purchase price is the total cost for one year. Nostalgia, however, supersedes dollars and cents with many of our senior citizens and they are willing to pay for a natural tree that has the fragrance and look of the trees they have enjoyed for a lifetime. You no doubt will be seeing a lot of good advice relative to buying a natural Christmas tree in the following weeks. I would like to offer the following tips:

Check both price and quality at several places before making a purchase.

Buy a tree of correct size for the place it will be used. Remember that tree stands add to the height of a tree.

Look for freshness. Fresh trees have needles that don't shed easily when you move them, are still sticky at the base of the trunk and usually have a nice smell — a forest fragrance if you will.

Check for branch structure. Strong branches having angles of 45 to 90 degrees with the trunk give better support for heavy decorations.

Observe density of the canopy. Species with more open canopies allow ornaments to be hung deep within the tree while those with dense canopies limit ornament placement to the branch tips.

Know your species. Firs and Leyland cypress tend to stay attractive after being cut for longer periods of time than spruces, pines and cedars.

Cut an inch off the base of the trunk and stand the tree in a tub of water outdoors as soon as you get the tree home. Let it absorb moisture for 12 to 24 hours before moving it into the house. This extends the attractive life considerably. Another way to extend tree life is to spray it with an antidessicant, such as Wilt-Pruf or Cloud-Cover.

Use water stands for longer tree life and reduced fire hazard. Keep stand filled with water.

Tannenboing Christmas Tree Hits Market In Time For Holidays

from Trak

Seattle-based tannenboing™ launches a new product, a modern sustainable Christmas tree as an alternative to PVC artificial Christmas trees

Michele Weingeist, a Seattle resident, has created a modern, spiral Christmas tree for the holiday season. Made from recycled and recyclable aluminum, tannenboing is Weingeist’s solution for a fresh, hip take on an old tradition.

“Like many people, artificial Christmas trees, made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and shipped over from China, don’t appeal to my aesthetic or my ethics. I wanted a modern, sustainable alternative and I couldn’t find what I was looking for on the market. So I set about creating a modern, spiral tree for myself. As I started work on the aluminum tree, people loved it and it grew from being just a spiral Christmas tree for myself, to tannenboing for the public.” said Weingeist. “tannenboing trees are made in Seattle, WA. They are sculptural, contemporary and reusable.”

With room for over 200 ornaments or display items, tannenboing makes a statement in the home, office, or store window. When expanded, the aluminum spiral tree is over 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide at the base, and weighs 20 pounds. tannenboing packs flat in a reusable box making for easy, space-efficient storage when not in use. Made in the USA, tannenboing’s beautiful, sleek lines are crafted from recycled and recyclable aluminum. Each aluminum tree is hand finished by a skilled blacksmith, and is a true work of art.
This year, tannenboing will offer 100 signed and number “first edition” aluminum, spiral Christmas trees for a retail price of $795. tannenboing can be purchased in Seattle, WA at Square Room in Capital Hill, One Earth One Design in North Seattle or online at www.tannenboing.com.

tannenboing’s inception:
For years, Weingeist searched for an elegant, modern Christmas tree with no luck. Finally, she set out to make her own, encouraged along the way by people’s enthusiasm for the aluminum Christmas tree, she turned her idea into a business. It was important to her that the work be done in the USA in order to keep jobs here and to reduce the carbon footprint of the tree. She is thrilled that almost all of the work has taken place within a 30-mile radius of her office. Now, after working for nearly two years with an industrial designer, a mechanical engineer, several blacksmiths and metal fabricators - the modern, spiral Christmas tree, tannenboing, has sprung to life.

For increased sustainability, we recommend Christmas tree storage bags for artificial trees to lengthen the life of your tree.

Home Inspections Save Money

Daily Herald-Tribune

The curb appeal and the excitement of owning his first home led Dave Galway to buy a former army barrack house in the Swanavon neighbourhood. He said he didn't look at the home too closely, inspecting it himself as he had experience in the construction industry. The surprises he encountered led him to become a home inspector.

"When we finally got into the house, the first winter we almost froze because the furnace was so old and so inefficient and the gas prices were killing us," he said. "When we tear out the cupboards underneath the sink, the wall was rotten in behind. The floor had seem to be rotten so we lifted the floor. All the floor framing joists … were rotten so we had to open up the whole kitchen … and repair that."

Not to mention the shingles he had to replace, the water in the basement and discovering that the foundation was a combination of bricks and wooden posts.

"That house really inspired me to start in the home inspection industry because I knew construction. I thought I knew quite a bit about a house but after that, I realized I didn't know much about a house," he said.

The inspection usually entails a visual examination of a property, first from the exterior. Galway said he walks around the building checking the yard's slope to ensure the water drains away from the building. He then checks the portion of the foundation wall above ground for shifting and cracking. He said he also goes up on the roof, seeking signs of shingles and flashing deterioration.

"We go through the house and we check for major deficiencies – things that are not right, things that if maintenance is not done, it could become a problem in the future," he said.

Going inside, Galway said he checks and determines the age of the furnace and heating system to ensure it heats the building properly and all registers are working. He said anything older than 20 years is past its prime. He said he turns on all the tubs, toilets and sinks to check the main sewer line going out through the street. He added he also looks for items like missing handrails and electrical safety issues such as wiring for kitchen appliances.

"Our Number 1 concern is safety for the buyer, our client. Are they going to be safe in the house that we have just inspected," he said.

Galway said he takes about three hours to do average home inspection at a cost of $400. He added he usually does two a day but this summer has been the worst he's seen because of the economy. Homebuyers account for most of his clients but sometimes investors, looking at hotels, motels and apartment buildings, request such an inspection.

Galway, who now works for Critical Path in Grade Prairie, said he has 35 years experience in construction, including 15 years working as a home inspector. But the tribulations with his first home led him to take a two-year course in the United States.

"I've seen a need because I bought my house as a first-time homebuyer. Even though I was a carpenter-contractor, I didn't really know what to look for and then when we got in there, it was oh my God, all these problems," he said. "So that really inspired me to start a business. Just what I had to deal with in my old home was from the 1950s and the problems that I encountered trying to fix it and renovate it. It turns into a never do this again sort of thing."

The older the home, the more owners, the more additions and home remodeling it had usually means more problems, he said.

The main issue he sees in the resale home market is water around foundations or gutters knocked off, followed by heat issues.

"The back slope grading and drainage away from the foundation is one of the things I see quite often," he said. "The next one would be older furnaces that are over 20-years-old and electrical problems, a lot of electrical problems where maybe the homeowner has wired the basement."

University Takes Action To Prevent e-Waste

from Daily Illini

Willie Cade, founder of PC Rebuilders and Recyclers, spoke at the I Hotel and Conference Center on Wednesday to inform people about e-waste and what can be done to collect and reuse it.

Cade emphasized the importance of reusing e–waste, or discarded programmable electric devices, to get their full potential. He compared a horseless carriage to a Ferrari to create a visual image for the group of about 200 attendants.

“Today we are in the horseless carriage age in terms of e–waste,” Cade said. “Currently 80 percent of a computer’s life is spent in manufacturing. We need to maximize its energy use.”

This was the first lecture sponsored by the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability to inform people about e–waste and conserving the unused energy of electronics, said Bill Shilts, executive director of the institute.

“Our understanding has grown very much in this field,” Shilts said. “Our vision is to transform the e–waste field.”

Cade said most people stop using electronic devices before they have achieved their maximum energy output. But he explained the he has only seen one integrated circuit – a miniature electronic circuit found in almost all electronic devices– that was broken from overuse.

Cade said 81 percent of electronics thrown away go to landfills. When people dispose of items such as integrated circuits, they introduce hazardous material to the environment.

Cade said he founded his company in 2000 with hopes of assisting inner – city students to meet their potential with technology. Since then, the company has delivered 40,000 refurbished computers to schools and nonprofit organizations.

Cade said his company collects about 20,000 computers and redistributes about 5,000 annually.

“This year there have been 90 million PCs sold in the U.S., 250 million sold worldwide, and there are one billion in use worldwide,” Cade said. “It is necessary for us to collect and refurbish a billion pounds of electronics a year because currently only one percent become refurbished computers.”

Cade has worked with the University in the past to host e-waste collection drives and hold a seminar about the topic. He said he is excited that people at the University are taking action on this issue.

The University will offer a course in the spring that teaches students how to transform e–waste.

Students will hold another e–waste drive during the spring semester for people to bring in electronic devices they no longer use.

Using the recycled electronics, the students will participate in an international competition in which the recycled goods are used to produce a new product.

Professor William Bullock, the instructor of the class, was in attendance at the lecture. He said he thinks Cade’s lecture and involvement on campus is positive.

“Willie being here is wonderful,” Bullock said. “To have someone like him from the industry coming here to tell us how to conserve things. He is just another part of the solution to conserve e–waste.”

Go to the web for more information about:

Refurbished Desktops

Used Computers

Used Notebooks

Home Inspection -- Not A DIY Project

from Deseret News

Question: When purchasing a home, what are some of the most common problems you find? I really would like to have the home I'm buying inspected, but money is the biggest problem right now, and we can't afford to pay an inspector. If we do the inspection ourselves, what should we be looking for?

Answer: As a Certified Master Inspector and a member of the American Society of Home Inspectors, my answer is that you cannot afford to simply pass on the home inspection. If you decide to do it yourself, you may not find major defects that would be obvious to an experienced home inspector. Depending on where you live, a home inspection should cost around $300, but the savings reaped from the inspection report is often in the thousands of dollars.

I personally have performed over 10,000 home inspections and know of inspectors who have inspected more than double that number. All those I've talked to agree that the home inspection is the purchaser's last chance to ask the seller to correct the major defects listed in the report. After taking possession of the home, the seller is out of the picture, even if you later discover you need a new furnace ($2,000 plus) or an upgrade of the electrical system ($1,200 plus). Over the years, I can recall only two occasions where the inspection report listed defects with the repairs costing less than $100.

Invest the $300. Sounds like a good investment to me. You might also consider that a DIY inspection may not be accepted by the seller as an accurate description of what needs to be done. Hiring a professional home inspector, who can explain what the defects are and how they should be repaired, leaves little room for disagreement. You should also consider that a professional home inspector is unbiased and is disconnected from the emotional issues associated with purchasing the home. The home inspector gets paid for his services whether or not you follow through with the purchase and repairs of the home. If you are determined to do the inspection yourself, here are several things to look for:

1. Grading and drainage. Make sure the home's foundation sits high and dry. The yard and rain gutters should drain away from the foundation for a least 10 feet.

2. Any and all electrical wiring should be either out of reach (6 feet 6 inches above the floor) or the wiring should be in a protective conduit.

3. Metal flue pipes must have a 1-inch clearance to combustibles. There should be a clearance where the pipe passes through the drywall ceiling or through the wood-roof sheathing. The flue pipes must also have a continuous rise from the appliance to the main chimney connection. Rusted or damaged flues need to be replaced.

4. Loose toilet bowls and stopped up sink drains. Operate all plumbing fixtures for 10 to 20 minutes to make sure all drain lines are working, and at the same time check for leaks under the fixture's cabinets and in the basement or crawl space.

5. Purchase an outlet circuit tester and check each and every outlet you can reach. You will be checking for "open grounds and reversed polarity" at the outlets. Test and reset every GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) in the home.

6. Operate all home and kitchen appliances (furnace, dishwasher, range, etc. Do not operate an air conditioner when the outside temperature is below 60 F).

7. Operate the garage-door opener and check the auto reverse features and the photo cells to make sure the door automatically opens if there is an obstruction in its path.

8. Natural gas and LP gas pipes require a sediment trap, also known as a dirt trap or a drip leg, on each gas pipe just before the pipe connects to the gas appliance's main gas valve. Replace any and all copper gas pipe.

9.Stairways and handrails. Make sure all stair risers are the same height (seven to eight inches) and that stair treads are at least 9 to 10 inches deep. Where there are three or more steps, a handrail is required for safety. Longer handrails and guardrails also require baluster posts set at a minimum of four to six inches apart to keep children from slipping through the railings.

10. Tempered safety glass. Windows over bathtubs, shower enclosures, patio and French doors and larger windows that are easily accessible should be tempered or protected against accidental human impact. The glass should be marked "tempered" in one corner of each piece of glass.

While these are just a portion of the components of the home, a professional home inspector will check many more details too numerous to list and has a trained eye to spot problems the DIY'er may not be able to identify.