How to Know When Your Tree Needs Removal?

Did you know that there is an average of 200 tree-related fatal injuries every year in the United States? Majority are from forestry and logging services and the rest goes to tree maintenance. Most common causes are having lethal wounds from getting in contact with equipment such as chainsaws and axes, falling from trees, and transportation incidents. Every job has its own hazards and these are what comes with being a tree trimming and removal professional. If you are thinking of doing these works yourself, think again. Even specialists fail sometimes, how much more an amateur like you? The wisest decision for you to do is to call a professional and ask for a quote from a professional such as Brandon Tree Service. Allow these experts to take care of it all for you since they are the most qualified ones to do the job.

It is utterly crucial to take the necessary measures and precautions to protect oneself. Though not all efforts can completely be effective, at least, the severity of possible injuries can be reduced and fatal ones can be avoided. For a safe and efficient tree trimming and removal, here are some safety tips for you to know about. Whether you still insist do all the work yourself or call in for professionals, it always pays off to be informed.

  • Look out for power lines.

If you have to work close to some, contact the utility company first to get a de-energizing and grounding or shielding of power lines. Nonetheless, always assume that power lines are all energized. Maintain the proper and minimum approach distances to avoid any injuries. As you may know, you may get electrocuted if you, your materials, or the tree accidentally get in contact with it. Moreover, do not use any conductive tools and be extra careful with moving ladders and any other equipment around these parts.

  • Check the weather conditions.

Never perform any tree trimming, felling, or removal in dangerous weather conditions. It is best to wait it out and schedule the work some other time when the weather is all good. You can always rely on weather forecasts to decide whether or not to push through. Besides, tress are often prone to being hit by lightning. It is common sense that if you are working under that tree and a lightning strikes, the chances of your survival sure is bleak.

  • Use appropriate safety equipment.

Staying away from power lines and working in a good weather are not enough to keep you safe. Both efforts are useless if you will do the job with zero protective gears. You must use all necessary safety equipment such as helmet/face shield, gloves, goggles/safety glasses, work shoes, and protective clothing, to name a few.

  • Conduct a pre-work assessment.

Doing an initial evaluation of the area and what needs to be done will help you do the necessary preparations to do the job right the first time. Proper planning, just like in any other service, is one of the important factors in safe tree trimming and felling. This way, you are well prepared to handle the work. Moreover, a precise and accurate tree service estimate will be done as well, based on the results of the inspection.

  • Mark your work area.

Of course, it is not only important to keep the worker safe, but also the people around. Mark your area with cones and signs and wear high visibility clothing so that passersby and your co-workers too are given a heads up of what is happening.

How To Prepare Your Home For Colder Temperatures

As the seasons change many people change their wardrobe to prepare for the cold weather. Just as you need to be protected from the winter weather and temperatures, so does your house. There are some things you can do to help protect your home during the winter. Many of these are simple and easy to do tasks that shouldn’t cost too much money. One thing you should do before the weather gets too bad is check your windows and doors. Look for leaks or drafts. If you find a leak or a draft, try weather-stripping or caulk to the problem areas. By fixing these problem areas, there won’t be any heat escaping from the house. If it seems that the problem can’t be solved by caulking or weather-stripping, you may want to consider replacing the door or the window. This can be expensive, but hopefully a quick fix will do the trick.

Make sure that your attic and roof are well insulated. Again, this will help prevent heat from escaping through the roof. You will also want to check the flashing to make sure no water can get into your home. Examine your shingles and gutters as well. If your shingles look to be worn and in bad shape, consider replacing them, you don’t have to replace your whole roof, just the few problem shingles. Clean your gutters so they are leaf free and there is no blockage. If you can, try and look at installing some leaf guard or an extension to the downspouts so you can keep water away from your home. While you are outside, also cover any exposed pipes. Some people choose to do this with old rags, but you can buy pipe and faucet covers that are meant to help protect pipes from a hard freeze. Also cover any plants that are not meant for the cold. You will also want to drip the faucets inside if you know that temperatures will be below freezing. In the case of a hard freeze, some plants will die if they are not covered; a sheet or tarp is enough coverage to help against a hard freeze.

If you live in an area that receives a lot of snow fall, make sure that your equipment is in good working order. This may mean repairing snow blowers, making sure your snow shovel isn’t worn out, sharpening and ice choppers or scrappers, and making sure you have bags of ice-melt or sand. You will also want to take care of any equipment that you are no longer using. Put away any summer or fall tools so they aren’t in the way. Be sure to drain gas from lawn mowers, leaf blowers, or anything that used gas in the summer.

Be prepared for emergencies. If you have a wood burning fire place, make sure you have plenty of wood. Having several days or even weeks’ worth of wood ensures that if the power goes out, you will still have a source of heat. You can buy the fast and long burning logs at the store, just be very careful with them. Remember you never should leave a fire burning unattended. Something I normally like to have around while I use my wood burning fire place is a fire extinguisher. No, you don’t have to get the big heavy duty ones, but they do sell spray cans of fire extinguisher. You can never be too careful. Along with being prepared, you should have several days of food and water, blankets, flashlights, and any medicine or medical information stored in a safe place in case you get snowed in for several days. You can also keep a small emergency kit in your car as well; you never know what will happen. If you have any animals, make sure you have plenty of food, water, collars, leashes, medical information and medicine for them in your kit.

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Bathroom Remodelling Strategies to Stay On Budget

The bathroom area is one of the most important parts of the house, but it is also one of the most ignored. You’d be surprised to see bathroom and washroom areas in so many areas going to waste, misused, or not put to their proper use because of several reasons, whether they are financial or cultural. However, this thought is slowly changing, and many people are now paying attention to the area and going all out on remodelling. If you are planning to remodel your bathroom or washroom, here are some tips that you should consider. Pay attention to what kind of flooring you are planning for the bathroom. Make sure that it is slip proof, as it will always be wet, and a wet floor is an invitation for a slip and fall accident. The traditional tiles may not be as slip proof as you think, and the marble flooring becomes black with a lot of water flow. Ask your interior decorator about any new materials that have come up for bathroom floorings.

If you are planning for bathroom remodelling, see if your plumbing requires work too. If you cannot change the entire plumbing at the moment, you should at least change the pipes that provide the water solution to the taps inside the bathroom, as this will greatly enhance the water flow and connection that you get in the bathroom and washroom area. Make sure that you design the bath area in such a way that you have moving space. This area is one which you would sometimes need to navigate with eyes closed – during those soapy days – so make sure that there are no hard corners that might hurt you. The elbow and knees are two of the most common body parts that might get hurt, and these injuries might be quite serious in the long run. If you are objects like the bathtub, make sure that there is enough moving space between the bathtub and the other taps.

You need to decide how many hooks you would need in the bathroom. If it is a family, you should definitely have a few more, as these hooks can also become impromptu storage space for the clothes that need to be washed, but you haven’t yet gotten to it. Glass is another material that you need to use while remodelling your bathroom, especially if your bath and washroom area is small, and you wish to give it a largish look. Head to toe glasses are available, you just need to ask your interior decorator which type of glass would look good in the bath area that you have. These are some tips that you need to consider while remodelling your bathroom and washroom area. Most professional renovation companies will specialize in this, and would provide you with all the services you would need to remodel the space, visit bathrenovationswinnipeg.com for details. If you are looking for something specific, you could even look for them online, and you will find several designers who have websites, providing all information that you might need.