The roof is done

At long last, the roofer has finished our roof, gutters, and downspouts. Here is a brief chronology:

About one year ago, last February, we had some terrible ice dams and roof leaks. We signed the contract with the roofer in March. The roofing project began in June. The second floor roof was completed in August. Significant progress was made in September and October.

Yesterday, Friday January 18, 2019, was the epic conclusion of our 10-month-long roofing and gutter project. Yes, believe it or not, the project took exactly 300 days to complete.

Continue reading “The roof is done”

Porch roof and gutter carpentry

The porch on the front of the house was not originally enclosed. It doesn’t have a basement under it (who knows how it is supported), and it has sagged and settled over the years. Its roof sank in the middle, causing the internal gutter to pitch backwards. Little rain reached the downspout at the very front of the roof, and during heavy rains, most water overflowed onto our heads as we walked up the sidewalk to the front door.

I had walked on the roof several times to clear out gutters and downspouts and inspect the second floor gutter, and noticed that the roof felt rather spongy in places, so I was expecting this to be a major job.

Our objective for the porch was to repair the damaged spots and cosmetically fix the roof to create a straighter appearance. Ideally, we would also pitch the roof for a sensible downspout location.

Continue reading “Porch roof and gutter carpentry”

Other progress – roofing, stairs, and pump

Some progress on the renovation continues, albeit slowly.

The roofing delay we experienced was mostly due to them running out of shingles. The shingle was a special order, and only part of the shipment arrived. So they stopped for a month or so while they waited for the rest to arrive.

Fortunately, it arrived last week, and they returned to finish the addition’s roof and proceed in the main house.

Continue reading “Other progress – roofing, stairs, and pump”

Roofing update – addition roofing is complete (almost)

The roofing for the addition is finally complete. Well, almost.

Here’s a photo from a few days ago that shows the shingles are complete. The lead vent pipe flashing and the kitchen exhaust vent are also installed.

Continue reading “Roofing update – addition roofing is complete (almost)”

6 month update – parking, roofing, and rot, oh my!

We are now officially into the 6th month of the project. After our village issued the work permit on August 17th, 2017, we applied for a parking permit on September 15th, 2017 when it appeared work was imminent. Our house is walking distance to two schools, and there are street parking restrictions as a result.

Our driveway is long and narrow, and only wide enough to accommodate a single car. Since the contractors can’t park on the street, the driveway is their only option. The parking permit allows us to park our car on the street when contractors are using our driveway.

That permit was good for six months, and the police officer we received it from told us to return to have it renewed. When we returned last week, the police department denied the renewal. Maybe it was just a bad day, or maybe a neighbor has been complaining. Who knows.

Continue reading “6 month update – parking, roofing, and rot, oh my!”

Addition progress: roof, electrical

Progress over the past two weeks has been considerable.

The framing of the addition is nearly complete. The carpenters are nearly finished with the roof. For the first time, we are able to see the true size and character of the addition.

Continue reading “Addition progress: roof, electrical”