A sudden wind gust on a smokey day breaks away part of the top of a large conifer next to my building.
On the way down it hits the roof and chimney of my condo unit. My first clue was the sound and tremor passing through the building.
The next clue was my cat wide-eyed and terrified fleeing from my office where he witnessed the event.
Running to the office window I saw a large portion of tree lying between my building and the one nearby.
The tree was irretrievably damaged and a few days later a crew arrives to remove the tree.
This photo shows just how close to my building the tree was. Note the fellow on top that has sawed off the first section that is seen lying on the ground. While the tree was being cut down I watched from outside in case the felling went awry and a section was dropped on my home. Happily all went as planned and sections were cut and felled as the crew planned.
From my bedroom window (same side of the condo as my office), I watched as the crew began the trunk removal aspect of their work. In the upper left hand corner there's a chipper on a trailer that spews the chopped limbs into the back of a large truck.
Piles of sawdust indicate where the crew has sawed the tree trunk into huge, but manageable sections.
In the upper left corner of the photo a "fire sun" shows through the smoke of last autumn's wildfires. Notice the claw on the front of the piece of machinery (lower right) which was used to hoist the heavy trunk sections over to a large trailer for hauling away.
All in all, no damage was done to my rooftop, but damage to the chimney top was $1200.00 and the cost of removing the tree came to just over $1200.00.
A couple weeks after tree removal, a few more guys showed up to rebuild the upper portion of the chimney top. Vast sheets of metal were cut to size and hauled up for the repair.
One of the advantages to condo living is that neither I nor my insurance paid any part of the repair or removal. Funds from the Home Owners' Association and their insurance covered all the costs. Phew!
I will miss the tree. It harbored life in the form of the variety of birds that came to roost, nest, and eat. Tree-clinging birds used to hop all along the sides of the trunk looking for tiny insects. I'll miss this. So will my cat who loves sitting on the arm of the comfy chair near the bedroom window watching the birds that once visited the tree.
On the up side, I'll no longer worry about this tree squashing my building!
Note: The cause of the smokey smudge on the side of my chimney was repaired last year. My fireplace pan was cracked and a particle of some type had lodged in the pilot light's orifice causing soot buildup inside the fireplace, on the chimney, and in my living room! This repair I paid for as condo living is "studs inward is my responsibility, studs outward is the HOA's".
When the building is painted the smudge will be removed.
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