Sunday, December 11, 2011

Don't look up

It's that time of year again. I don't mean the holidays; I mean the wonderful, expensive time of year when I bond with contractors to keep my house from falling apart. I had my roofer out recently because when it snowed in October, I had some dripping through my new porch ceiling. The ceiling was done by someone else, but I think when he jacked the roof up, he might have popped a seam in the roof. The roofer fixed that, and left me an estimate for a job he and I had discussed last year, but I'd never gotten around to following up on.

My house has a full attic, with 4 dormer windows. The windows on the sides and back are in reasonable condition (i.e., mostly air tight and not leaking when it rains), but the front window is a horror. As you can see. And my roofer gave me an estimate for a replacement window, with all new wood trim and structural repairs that was much lower than expected. Apparently with roofing season pretty much over (except for emergencies), he wants to keep his crew busy and discounts other work to keep them working. That works for me.

I had Monday and Tuesday off as scheduled vacation days anyway, so we set up the work for Monday. He said it wouldn't extend into Tuesday, and that would be good because then I have all of Tuesday to work on my dress. I'll probably get time on Monday, as well; he's very well trained and will call my cell if he needs to get out of the house because he knows I don't like contractors opening doors when the cats are loose.

It's time. I've spent so much time and money on the visible parts of the house, but what good does it do if the attic's taking on water? Besides, if you just look up, it looks like an abandoned crack house up there. Not any house's best look.

3 comments:

luckylibbet said...

A good contractor is worth his/her weight in gold! especially if you have an older house with special needs. I too have learned that booking contractors in their off season can result in much lower estimates. Good luck with the window!

Kathi Rank said...

It is probably worth the time and effort to get the window fixed....you wouldn't want your girls in the backyard being ashamed of where they live! How is the egg supply holding out? Are the girls adjusting to the change of season OK?

Katie Nicoll said...

Roofing contractors must check if the finished windows are perfectly sealed, as moisture can cause the wooden parts to rot. You can save a lot if this is done early on, during the dry season.