Most of us would be aware that a very tall tree growing close to a house is not a good thing.  There’s the potential damage to the foundations of houses to consider and the danger of trees dropping large limbs into yards and onto houses posing a danger to people and property, not to mention the risk of the trees being blown over in bad storms – particularly if they’re older trees or trees with rot or weaknesses in the structure.  Some people might be relaxed about leaves in the gutters, but if leaves are allowed to build up in gutters, gutters fill and overflow in downpours, potentially causing damage to ceilings and interior walls.  And of course dampness leads to attractive conditions for termites and then there’s a termite risk... oh the joys of being a home owner! 
I was researching businesses to fell and lop large trees and clear overgrown residential blocks recently and came across this video.  It has to be seen to be believed!  Do play it with the sound ‘on’ for added effect – although not too loudly if the children are asleep! 
http://youtu.be/MdyfJpTif5w
Can you see the tree wobble as he drops the heavy limbs to the ground?  Shudder!  I’ll keep my feet firmly on the ground thank you very much!

To watch this Video on YouTube, click here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8FDqAdb4Os 

 
This video shows you why the RenoSave Card is the most important item you can have in your toolkit.  This unique discount card is jam packed  full of bargains that will revolutionise the way you do your home maintenance, home improvements , DIY projects and renovations. If you live in a house, a flat, a unit or an apartment (and  doesn’t that cover most of us?), you will make your renovation dollars go further with the RenoSave Card.  By watching this short video you’ll know how to save buckets of money on everyday stuff for home maintenance & renovations.

The RenoSave Card Saves You Money
Need to paint something? Get a genuine trade discount with Wattyl Paint.
Need a new kitchen?  Get 25% off top quality kitchens with the latest international innovations in kitchen design & fast turnaround.
Got leaves clogging up your gutters?  Making them overflow & rust & your ceilings leak? Get 20% off Guttershield products.
Need electrical goods? Get ‘lowest price guarantee’ with Clive Peeters , nationally!

Having a RenoSave Card leaves More Money in Your Pocket
More money in your pocket allows you to spend the money you’ve saved on life’s little luxuries. There are heaps and heaps of these fabulous deals and they are only available with the RenoSave Card.   We’ve done all of the leg work and haggling for you – all you have to do is get on with your project.  We save you valuable time and reduce the stress of home renovation projects for the whole family.  And what’s more…

We Guarantee It
That’s Right.  RenoSave offers a 100% money back guarantee.  If you don’t save the purchase price of your RenoSave Card during your 12 months of membership, we give you your money back.  You can’t get better than that.  So you have nothing to lose, and much to gain.  It’s a win-win for you!

So start work on your home maintenance and renovation projects.  Pay less for your maintenance and renovation materials with your RenoSave Card, and you will more than likely increase the value of your home.

Go to www.renosave.com.au and get down to the nuts ‘n’ bolts, click to purchase a RenoSave Card now and start saving right away!

Apparently residential renovations accounted for around $31billion worth of building industry work last year, according to the HIA (Housing Industry of Australia) National Outlook.  At $31billion that is the highest level of expenditure on renovation in four years and predictions are that this figure will continue to increase over the next two years. In a couple of years time the figure is expected to be more like $35billion expenditure - making it close to a record high according to HIA Chief Economist, Dr Harley Dale.  That’s a mighty lot of renovating!  He said the renovation side of the residential building industry looks in ‘relatively healthy shape”.  That’s for sure!  And this is while residential construction of new homes appears to be waning.  Whilst renovating sure is the ‘in-thing’ right now, it’s still important not to do just ‘any old’ renovation.  Renovations should be sympathetic with the style of the house, preferably of a style that won’t ‘date’ dramatically as fashions change, sensibly not over-capitalized for the value of the house they’re applied to (unless money is no object), and should be carried out to any applicable building or construction or other codes.  Check out more about the HIA report : http://www.bpn.com.au/article/Renovations-soar-while-new-home-builds-dip/528807.aspx

Look out – they’ll eat your house.  And no, I’m not talking about termites.  Well, yes, termites will eat your house, but everyone knows about them – don’t they?  I’m talking about birds.  Evidently in some areas of Australia, sulphur crested cockatoos think that timber houses provide a great beak sharpener and decend on them in great flocks, doing enormous damage to the homes.  Apparently people feeding flocks of these birds in residential areas attract more birds into the area than would perhaps normally hang around, and easy to access household scraps provide a ready food source for them as well.  This problem is particularly well known in some Sydney areas – is it a problem elsewhere in Australia as well?  What a value destroyer THAT would be.  Not only the damage the birds have done to the house/s, but the public knowledge that ‘that area of town’ has ‘that ‘ problem.  A bit of a disaster if the value of your home is of importance to you (and isn’t it to everyone?)  Look out for those house-eating birds...and the people feeding them!  Check out the full story here :

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/animals/there-goes-the-neighbourhood-as-tearaways-move-in-20110324-1c8lv.html

Interestingly, our landlord when we lived in the United States advised us to look out for the squirrels – don’t feed them on the deck, he said  – ‘they’ll eat the house’.  Well, we didn’t see any evidence of the squirrels eating the house (they were too stuffed from all the food we fed them), but a great spotted woodpecker pecked a huge hole in the chimney to make a nest.  He had no trouble getting through the vinyl siding and continued to try to perforate the metal chimney tube . . . fortunately he gave up after a while.  What a racket - right next to the sleeping quarters!  Dong, dong, dong, dong, dong....