...because home doesn't happen overnight.
07.13.11 / Inspection Day

Yesterday was inspection day for the home we’re selling in order to downsize to the Underdog.  Of course, a huge storm just had to come through the night before and leave this in its path…

That is, or I guess I should say, that was the pear tree in our front yard.

I think it was the victim of high winds not lightning.  The tree had previously been damaged by a deer rubbing its antlers along the trunk.  We had wrapped the trunk for a year to help it heal but I think it was still weak.  I had heard a cracking noise during the night before but thought it was just the outdoor trash can falling over.

With the impending inspection and Handy Hubby at work, I channeled by inner lumberjack and hacked away at the trunk with an axe to complete the trunk break.  It was my first time using an axe.  Sorry, no pictures of that.  I tried dragging the broken tree head to the backyard by myself but it was no use.  It was just too heavy.  Nope, no pictures of that either. Finally, I rang the neighbor’s doorbell and asked him to kindly help me drag the tree behind the Man Shed.  Then I called our buyers’ realtor to let him know that the tree had fallen so when they showed up for their home inspection they wouldn’t surprised by the missing tree.  Obviously, we’ll be removing the injured tree and having another one replanted in its place before the new owners take possession.

It would have been great if this pear tree could have held out for a few more weeks until closing.  It would have saved us some work and money.  But everything happens for a reason.  Just not sure what the reason could be for a tree falling the day of inspection!  At least, it didn’t hit the house or cause any damage.  And I guess the storm could have been much worse.  So, I’m shaking this minor mishap off and hoping all goes well from here on out.

After all, 10% of life is made up of what happens to you and the other 90% of life is decided by how you react, right?  I need to remember that.

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking 

9 Comments

Aww, sadness. But I’m glad there was no damage to bodies or property… I think pear trees might be prone to stuff like that, I’m no expert but I know my parents’ fell over, and we had 3 flowering pears lining the street at our old house and since we’ve been renting it out two of them have fallen over or broken in the wind. No fun for sure, but I admire your attitude! My mother always told me that ‘real life is what happens while you’re making other plans’ and it’s so very true. :)

13.July.2011

Great attitude, for sure! You never know, the buyers might want either a treeless option or the option to choose something different there. Might be fine! BTW, after we were under contract, someone stole a small japanese maple that had been planted in the front yard. And, since it was a HUD home, we were not able to make any kind of claim or get any kind of replacement. Ah well!

13.July.2011

Unfortunately bradford pears are prone to breaking b/c they are such fast growers and aren’t very sturdy. We had one that was over 20 years old and when we had it removed, the guy said we were lucky it hadn’t already fallen and done damage.

13.July.2011

Wow. I had a similar thing happen to me. I had moved out of my “old” home and was waiting for the closing. A tree close to the house was hit by lightening one night and caused a fire. Luckily the neighbors called the fire department and the house wasn’t damaged. I notified the couple purchasing the house and they were fine with it. The tree was actually too close to the house and should have been removed anyway. They were going to cut the tree up and use it for firewood. A good ending for all – still I was tense about it.

13.July.2011

Yikes :-0. It seems like you handled everything really well though. Go Dana!

13.July.2011

Yikes! Glad there wasn’t any damage. Those dinky Bradford pears builders use because they’re cheap (the trees I mean, although maybe builders too!) are just really too weak to be good landscape trees. Plus they really stink when they bloom, although they are pretty. Please be kind and plant some other kind of ornamental tree. My vote would be a Yoshino cherry!

Isn’t inspection day a nail-biter for everyone involved?! So sorry the storm added to your stress! I hope the inspection goes great!

13.July.2011

Good advice. Sounds like you handled it well. Nerve-wracking waiting on an inspection isn’t it!?!

14.July.2011

Have you thought about asking your buyers if the want the tree replaced? Because they might not, which would save you time and money. Some people rip all that stuff out and choose to have a boring lawn once they move in.