Wants and Needs

It started with a drop of water in the hallway.

We found a small leak in the attic, and the water had made its way between the walls and out of the top of the bathroom door frame. Some seepage, but nothing horrifying.

Then the roofers came out to make estimates. Turns out we have three layers of shingles. This is a gross violation of codes, and would be enough for a roofer to lose his license. But for us, it means roof repair suddenly got more expensive.

They also found some rot, results from long-term minor leaks. More expense.

So we finally decided on a roofer from the neighborhood with an excellent reputation and a reasonable estimate — about $7500 for tear-off, replacement of rotted decking, replacement of a couple of passive vents, and new 25-year shingles.

Wednesday morning they arrived just after daybreak, a huge crew so that the job could be done quickly (we’re at the tail-end of the rainy season here).

During the tear-off, they found that the plywood decking was disintegrating — it was too thin for a roof and it had all those shingles on it, which not only added weight, but trapped serious heat during the summer, causing the wood sealants to break down.

All the decking will have to be replaced.

Now we’re looking at just over $12,000.

It’ll be good to finally have the roof done right, but here’s some advice for homeowners, especially the previous owners of this house:

Don’t build a sunroom if the roof needs work.

Don’t finish off the garage if the bathroom floor is rotting.

Basic maintenance comes first. It’s much less expensive to maintain than to replace.

I love this house, but every time we go to do some minor renovation, we have to go back three or four steps to fix shoddy, piecemeal repairs. (I’ve cleaned up my language here.) Wall paper covering up gouges, unfinished dry-wall corners, and water damage. No water cut-offs anywhere. Several layers of flooring underpinned by patchwork particle board.

Spend a little to do it right. Geez.

My cynical side wants to believe that the previous owners spiffed up the place to help it sell, but most of the work we’ve had to undo wasn’t just from a few years ago. Three layers of shingles doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a long-term pattern, and one that we’re paying the price for, literally and figuratively.

But after the roof, there’s nothing left that’ll be nearly as expensive. There’s some repiping to do, and eventually we’d like to rewire the house, but structurally it’ll be sound, with no hidden decay waiting to burst forth.