fortunately, unfortunately

[boxofdelights]

+ When I bought this house it came with a very big, very old apple tree.
- Which suddenly started to lean.
+ It didn't fall over and hurt anyone.
- Because it was leaning on the shed, which also began to lean: http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/boxofdelights/833604/58217/58217_900.jpg
+ I found a very competent, honest, and kind tree guy who took the tree the rest of the way down without damaging anything else except an old birdhouse where yellowjackets had been nesting.
- He discovered that the tree had not been taken out by old age. It had been killed by carpenter ants or termites. I thought termites didn't live around here, because the winters are too cold and dry, but I believe tree guy would know.

- Tree guy says that I should call an exterminator to treat the house,
- but I'm thinking that the insects would be even more likely to have infested the shed;
- but I can't ask an exterminator to look into the shed until I make it safe, so I don't know where to start.
- Also I am feeling guilty about not having realized that I needed to do something earlier.

Comments

[heliopausa]

Well, that's bad luck! :( It was a great-looking tree, too, and it's a good-looking shed - I hope you can get the shed strengthened without too much difficulty and expense.

[boxofdelights]

Thank you.

[loligo]

Also I am feeling guilty about not having realized that I needed to do something earlier.

For me, that is the story of home ownership in a nutshell. I am really looking forward to renting again when I'm a little old lady.

[boxofdelights]

Yes! That is also pretty much how I feel about having a body; I wish I could turn over the responsibility of monitoring that to someone else.

[twistedchick]

Termites live underground and come up during the day. Look for areas where wood touches dirt.

[boxofdelights]

Thank you. I think the chances of termites are very small, since we had a structural engineer inspect the foundation (for other reasons) a couple months ago. Now I'm researching carpenter ants, and breathing a sigh of relief.