Probably should have done this earlier.
A few weeks ago we made a deal to have a new roof put on this old house. Since then it’s been raining off and on, either fitfully or in earnest, and the project hasn’t gone as quickly as I’d hoped. It’s raining again today — right after the crew stripped the ancient metal from east side of the roof. They were able to get it covered with roofing felt before quitting, but now I wander back and forth on that side of the upstairs, watching the ceiling for tell-tale drips. Not the way I prefer to spend my rainy days.
It was the tell-tale drips that convinced me we needed to replace the damned roof in the first place. The former owners had put off the inevitable by applying some ugly coating to the tin. Over the last year the coating has begun to disintegrate in places. I learned about that the old-fashioned way: wet wallboard and water on the bathroom floor.
A sound roof is like running water or reliable power: You tend to take it for granted. I will now add it to the long list of things I can no longer take for granted. I’ve always liked the sound of rain on a tin roof, but after this project is done I expect I’ll like it a lot more.
Closed for routine maintenance.
Speaking of running water, I have some seeping down the bathroom wall downstairs. I first thought it was related to the roof, but that end of the house is done now so the problem appears to be a leaky pipe inside the wall. Which means tearing out the wallboard to find it and fix it. A couple of weeks ago I had to pull the upstairs toilet off its base to repair a leak that had manifested itself first as a stain and then as a chunk falling out of dining-room ceiling. Words fail, so I must turn to cliche: It’s always something.
Vintage-home ownership is over-rated. Don’t let anyone tell you different.
All your life belong to Facebook
Thoroughly modern vampires
Stabilize those death videos
Leaving Kansas in the broad daylight
Bin Laden’s neighbors had had enough
As far as I’m concerned, you can leave out the word “vintage” in that second-to-last sentence. I do appreciate the privacy and space of a house compared to an apartment, but I have to stop myself from adding up all the hours that go into maintaining it. Sometimes I really miss being able to call the landlady, report the problem, and not have to worry about it any more.
There’s a reason so many, um, older folks end up in condos. They no longer have the upper-body strength to pull a toilet from its base.
I just had to have a new roof put on my not-so-vintage house. I feel you pain. I did enjoy the photo of your house. Even with the scaffolding it looks lovely and gracious. Yes, vintage homes require a lot of maintenance. The trade off, of course, is that the underlying construction is often better than modern construction. I have a friend in Jacksonville who complains that her condo is poorly maintained and even when work is done, it is done shabbily. Be careful what you wish for.
I suppose you’re right. There are a bunch of newer homes in this neighborhood, built around 2005 at the height of Florida’s last real estate boom. We’ve heard complaints from some owners that the construction of these homes — lovely as they are — is pretty shoddy.
maintenance issues aside, I love that front porch!
The porch is definitely my favorite part of the house. Especially now that it’s not leaking any more.