Hah! roof leak, most unexpected!
While not as surprising as a roof pig and not entirely unexpected, I found a small leak upstairs when I was examining the attic for the need for additional insulation, and any other problems. It is right beside the chimney, so probably just a flashing problem. The roof is rather old, and over the original set of shingle, so I am probably going to replace the whole thing.
It is killing me that there is a structural problem with the house that I can’t act on immediately I have requested a quote from one Shiner Roofing through their website, and plan on calling a couple of other companies today. After a rough night sleep (partially because of some more rain) I am still anxious over the problem. I don’t know how some of my friends with actually old and historic homes, deal with setbacks and discoveries of this nature .
I love this townhouse, and I love the fact that it is 30+ years old, but with a house of this age there are going to be problems. I knew that the roof would need to replaced within a couple of years of moving in, I knew that the furnace would need to be replaced, and last winter I determined that our brick fence needed the top re-pointed. But it still kills me that I haven’t been able to take care of all of those needs yet.
On the positive side with my step-father’s help, I have replaced the leaking valve in the master bath tub, run two new electrical lines to the work area of the basement, and replaced the failing plumbing fixtures and faucet for the tub sink in the basement (now I even have shut off valves in case it starts leaking). I am also doing a good (if slow) job on the master bedroom. The master bath is done and ready for use, the walls are painted, and the new ceiling fan is going up today. Once we get the trim painted we can move out of the guest bedroom.
October 22nd, 2005 at 9:38 pm
Doh! If it makes you feel better, we have one in the back bathroom. It’s not terribly bad so it’s easy to ignore right now. We also don’t want to deal with it since we really want to just tear out that last 9 feet of the house and rebuild it. We had hoped Katrina would do that tearing out part for us, but no dice.
Anyway, you guys have done a seriously awesome job and in the middle of insane travel and work schedules! We think that a visit to New Orleans would be great for you; you’ll feel so much more accomplished when you see the piles of debris all through the inside and outside of the house that has yet to be dealt with.
October 23rd, 2005 at 4:36 pm
’tis the season to find out your roof leaks, it seems. mine was due to a branch piercing the roof. so much fun.
i was going to say something about the house’s environmental controls, but i don’t want to jinx it. here’s hoping for an uneventful winter!
October 24th, 2005 at 8:27 am
Thanks for the commiseration.
We recently had some moderately heavy rains, and there was no additional leaking! The problem is not as bad as I had thought, but hopefully I will have a new roof and gutter before the first snows of the year.
October 24th, 2005 at 2:34 pm
Another Update:
1 scheduled roofing estimate
1 promise from a roofer for an estimator to call and set a time for an estimate
2 scheduled masonry estimates for fixing the fence.
Now if only I had the money to pay these nice folks.
October 25th, 2005 at 1:49 pm
I say just let it leak.
October 25th, 2005 at 2:02 pm
How ’bout blue tarp? They’re all the rage in NOLA.