Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
Hi all,
Sorry I haven't been around lately. I moved to my current house just a year ago but all has gone fairly well until recently. It's 30+ years old. I had it inspected of course. Over the past couple of months the roof has decided to leak in several places. It is obvious it's had a checkered past, but the writing is now on the wall (er roof). It needs to be replaced. First 2 estimates were about $11,000. Gag! The first potential contractor to walk it found one probable reason for past troubles. Apparently the previous family that owned and built it managed to install all the metal panels upside down, which predisposed it to ice dams, leaks, and premature wear of all the fasteners. Long story short, a mess. Their attempts to solve the problems consisted of lots and lots of tar.
Now for the tragically funny part. When I went online to educate myself about the local contractors and roofing materials, I stumbled on a company name/address/driving directions that seemed eerily close to where I live. Hmm, after tracing the driving directions they seemed to be right in the neighborhood. I hadn't seen a sign anywhere. Umm, that road was MY road! Then there was that odd feeling about the road number...nagged at me until Hello! It dawned on me that it was MY house! So, the brain trusts who managed to install their own roof incorrectly had the sand to advertise themselves as roofers! Well, they moved to Montana so I never met them in person. Good thing. I wouldn't hire them to put a roof on a pre-fab garden shed.
My previous house farther south has been on the market since I moved last May. Tiny remote town, so being listed for a year happens a lot. I knew it would sell eventually, as it's a decent house in good shape compared to most of the handiman specials around it. But continuing to pay the mortgage, upkeep, and insurance (it usually costs 3-4 times as much to insure a vacant house compared to an inhabited one) was getting old. Just TODAY it went under contract! All fingers and toes crossed for a dull and boring escrow. Funny that I watched the buyers grow up for decades in the neighborhood. Now they are big adults with kids of their own. Sad thing is I know they plan to cut all the remaining spruce woods down around it. Don't want to even try to imagine that. There are several massive old trees that should be left alone.
Hopefully I'll be around more often once I re-learn to trust the building I live in and no longer dread the next weather forecast. It is no fun to wake up at 2 am hearing wind and horizontal rain battering a sulking roof yet again.
OTOH, it's spring and the sandhill cranes are back. I have enticed a pair (scattering a lot of cracked corn) to spend lots of their time on my property in view of the front windows. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to see them with their colt if they successful hatch one. These 4' tall birds can stalk right up to the living room windows and glare indignantly into the room. My dog has learned to keep her distance...they are high anxiety grumpy territorial birds to say the least. They have these brilliantly marigold yellow eyes that give them even more of a maniacal attitude. Many years ago I had to trap them and put legbands on them. Not for the faint of heart. They tend to attack you if you lose your grip on them for a split second.
Sorry I haven't been around lately. I moved to my current house just a year ago but all has gone fairly well until recently. It's 30+ years old. I had it inspected of course. Over the past couple of months the roof has decided to leak in several places. It is obvious it's had a checkered past, but the writing is now on the wall (er roof). It needs to be replaced. First 2 estimates were about $11,000. Gag! The first potential contractor to walk it found one probable reason for past troubles. Apparently the previous family that owned and built it managed to install all the metal panels upside down, which predisposed it to ice dams, leaks, and premature wear of all the fasteners. Long story short, a mess. Their attempts to solve the problems consisted of lots and lots of tar.
Now for the tragically funny part. When I went online to educate myself about the local contractors and roofing materials, I stumbled on a company name/address/driving directions that seemed eerily close to where I live. Hmm, after tracing the driving directions they seemed to be right in the neighborhood. I hadn't seen a sign anywhere. Umm, that road was MY road! Then there was that odd feeling about the road number...nagged at me until Hello! It dawned on me that it was MY house! So, the brain trusts who managed to install their own roof incorrectly had the sand to advertise themselves as roofers! Well, they moved to Montana so I never met them in person. Good thing. I wouldn't hire them to put a roof on a pre-fab garden shed.
My previous house farther south has been on the market since I moved last May. Tiny remote town, so being listed for a year happens a lot. I knew it would sell eventually, as it's a decent house in good shape compared to most of the handiman specials around it. But continuing to pay the mortgage, upkeep, and insurance (it usually costs 3-4 times as much to insure a vacant house compared to an inhabited one) was getting old. Just TODAY it went under contract! All fingers and toes crossed for a dull and boring escrow. Funny that I watched the buyers grow up for decades in the neighborhood. Now they are big adults with kids of their own. Sad thing is I know they plan to cut all the remaining spruce woods down around it. Don't want to even try to imagine that. There are several massive old trees that should be left alone.
Hopefully I'll be around more often once I re-learn to trust the building I live in and no longer dread the next weather forecast. It is no fun to wake up at 2 am hearing wind and horizontal rain battering a sulking roof yet again.
OTOH, it's spring and the sandhill cranes are back. I have enticed a pair (scattering a lot of cracked corn) to spend lots of their time on my property in view of the front windows. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to see them with their colt if they successful hatch one. These 4' tall birds can stalk right up to the living room windows and glare indignantly into the room. My dog has learned to keep her distance...they are high anxiety grumpy territorial birds to say the least. They have these brilliantly marigold yellow eyes that give them even more of a maniacal attitude. Many years ago I had to trap them and put legbands on them. Not for the faint of heart. They tend to attack you if you lose your grip on them for a split second.
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