What the roofer said

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I would at least get two cans of Flex Seal, right?
 

@debodun I know some, including me, have suggested demolishing your house and building a ranch home on the lot. I can say, a friend of mine did that with her old family home and loves the transformation. She got best of both worlds..staying on her country property, which she loved, and having a nice, new, more accessible home to live out her life. Is that something you would consider?
Would you have somewhere to stay during this transition time?
 
I, for one would not want to live in such disrepair. Life is too short and you should enjoy the time you have left on this earth. Be happy, live life to its' fullest. You can't take your money with you when you die.

The money is only making your palms and hands sweaty. 🥵

Good luck to you, Deb.
 
The roofer just left. He said $1800 and that's would be just for a patch. He's booked up until July 17th. He does full roofs during the week and saves the weekends for doing the patch jobs.

That's way too much for a patch. You should get more estimates.
When I had my roof done I called everyone I could find to get estimates.
Also, tearing the house down and building a new one would be quite expensive.
 
I had an appointment with another roofer for this morning. It is now after 1:30 pm and I haven't seen or heard from him. Very unprofessional in my opinion.
If I was a roofer and had my own business, full roof contracts would take precedence over patch jobs.

The decaying wood on your porch tells me not only do you need a brand new roof, it tells me that you need proper drainage and runoff from your roof to rectify the decaying brickwork around the upstairs windows.
 
A few years ago I contacted a well-known gutter company about getting some gutters on the upstairs eaves to try to take some pressure off the first floor gutters . He got out of the truck, took one look, said, "Too high.", got back in the truck and left. What am I supposed to do, then? Not like I can do it myself.
 
A few years ago I contacted a well-known gutter company about getting some gutters on the upstairs eaves to try to take some pressure off the first floor gutters . He got out of the truck, took one look, said, "Too high.", got back in the truck and left. What am I supposed to do, then? Not like I can do it myself.
well that's just nonsense..( too high)??? >.. we had our gutters cleaned out about a month or so ago.. not a problem, that's their job..... 2 long ladders and they were up there front and back , .. long vacuum hose.. and cleaned out within 30 minutes...and photos of before and after ...

IMG-0175.jpg
 
A few years ago I contacted a well-known gutter company about getting some gutters on the upstairs eaves to try to take some pressure off the first floor gutters . He got out of the truck, took one look, said, "Too high.", got back in the truck and left. What am I supposed to do, then? Not like I can do it myself.
When was the last time you had a new roof put on, Deb?
 
well that's just nonsense..( too high)??? >.. we had our gutters cleaned out about a month or so ago.. not a problem, that's their job..... 2 long ladders and they were up there front and back , .. long vacuum hose.. and cleaned out within 30 minutes...and photos of before and after ...

IMG-0175.jpg
No doubt the guy who came out doesn't have the equipment to get up where she needs it done.
 
Check out some of the "fixer upper" TV shows on HGTV. Some of them do shows with their cast and contractors turning nasty houses into nice upgraded homes. Maybe they might be interested in doing such a show with your house. One such show that comes to mind is called "Unsellable Houses".
 
I do have sympathy for Deb, as a single woman trying to do what is best. Also, from photos I have seen of her house, the best thing is to call 1-800-got junk and totally clean out the inside,
The raze the place and have a new one story house built.
Since Deb claims to have 200k available to buy another home ( she's been looking) and that same recommendation was made over a year ago It's not likely she will do anything except go cheap with plastic.

Her "junk" not viewed as such by Deb took years to accumulate (hoard) & is a source of income as in yard sales.

I'm pretty sure all poster have sympathy for Deb. Hiring a handyman to do a patch job or temporary fix hasn't worked to well for her. I'm also pretty sure most have come to understand that home repair when needed took a back seat to not trusting contractors because they wanted to get paid for their skill & expertise.
 
When I had a liner put in the chimney, their cherry picker couldn't reach that far. They had to nail a ladder on the roof and climb up from the back porch roof. Come to think of it, it's leaking where that ladder was.

View attachment 169606
15-18 years, that's the typical lifespan of asphalt shingles.

I would hire a reputable roofing company, one with a long list of professionally done jobs with a long list of 100% satisfied customers (yes, they are out there), and when settling on a roofing company, one that does gutters, downspouts, etc, the whole ball of wax, everything done all at once over the course of a 3-4 day period.

Then, I would hire a mason to repair all of the windows where the mortar is missing in the bricks, including replacing all of the rotten wooden sill plates in the windows, including cleaning up the exterior surrounds of windows and repainting all with a fresh coat of quality weather-resistant paint.

I would have the kitchen gutted, a new ceiling hung (in the kitchen), gut the entire structure of it's original flooring and lay down fresh new hard-surface flooring throughout the home.

You'd be on your way to a better home, one that would be healthier, safer, cleaner, and more ready to list on the market when/if the time came.

All work done by reputable tradespeople with the backing of 100% satisfied customers.
 
The roofer called this morning and said they got tied up on a job yesterday and couldn't make it.
I said that he should have called.
Then he replied that he was the roofer's son and wasn't aware of the appointment, it was one his father had made, but he could come now and look at the roof.
I told him, in effect, to go pound sand (not my exact words, though).
 
15-18 years, that's the typical lifespan of asphalt shingles.

I would hire a reputable roofing company, one with a long list of professionally done jobs with a long list of 100% satisfied customers (yes, they are out there), and when settling on a roofing company, one that does gutters, downspouts, etc, the whole ball of wax, everything done all at once over the course of a 3-4 day period.

Then, I would hire a mason to repair all of the windows where the mortar is missing in the bricks, including replacing all of the rotten wooden sill plates in the windows, including cleaning up the exterior surrounds of windows and repainting all with a fresh coat of quality weather-resistant paint.

I would have the kitchen gutted, a new ceiling hung (in the kitchen), gut the entire structure of it's original flooring and lay down fresh new hard-surface flooring throughout the home.

You'd be on your way to a better home, one that would be healthier, safer, cleaner, and more ready to list on the market when/if the time came.

All work done by reputable tradespeople with the backing of 100% satisfied customers.
Should include plumbing that has deteriorated, the electrical wiring & increase the input to at least 100 amp service 200 amp would be ideal. Then the cellar that has moisture issues. All in all just redo the entire home to make it livable.

Maybe best would be to hire a general contractor to arrange for & oversee renovating her entire home.
 

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