Musing with Max

Musing with Max

August 28, 2013

Renovation!

This is a bit of an exaggeration frankly. Because unlike Steve's sexy renovations we are replacing our roof. About a month ago we found a leak and rather than repair it we took the plunge and are replacing the whole thing since it is necessary. When we bought this old house 12 years ago the home inspector said the roof was fine except that whoever had done it had simply just laid the new roof over the old roof which isn't the way to do things but however it was in good shape. I had no idea what he meant.
We have a Timberline roof, that's it at the back of the house, the front looks just the same. Apparently this roof was originally wood shingles as is the rest of the house but the upkeep for that is tremendous so when they needed replacement instead of removing them and laying plywood and then the timberline shingles they just laid them over the existing wood shingles. Probably to save money and give me a massive headache. Every time we had a strong wind, a shingle would fall off, heat over 90F, a shingle would fall off, I sneezed too strongly, a shingle would fall off. Since they kind of overlay there weren't any leaks but we were starting to look a little trailer parkish so when a leak finally appeared we decided it was a sign from above, literally. And while we became really daft happy when we finally hired someone I suddenly panicked. OH MY GOD, MY GARDEN!!!!! The front has these


my beautiful crepe myrtles which almost reach the top, and yes even though Frank is right and we need to trim them I'd rather do it ourselves instead of roofer breakage.

Then there are the pots on the front steps


and the back steps


my favorite peegee hydrangea at the front which is also close to the house



 actually resting on part of the roof


the hydrangeas on the side


my new black eyed Susans on the other side


not to mention the ferns and Japanese maple on the side of the garage



and worse of all...my beautiful herbs



with morning glory backdrop


Oh no! What to do? I know, we'll ask them to be careful! OK that was funny. We'll pray, and pick a lot of basil



and make loads of pesto

by chopping two garlic loves in the food processor, adding tow to three cups of basil leaves, a pinch of salt, a quarter cup of pine nuts and a quarter cup of olive oil


blend on high until it's all a mush and then freeze for a taste of Summer in the Winter. Then learn to take it all in stride like Max does




What banging? 

6 comments:

  1. I had my roof done in January when, fortunately, there was nothing much in the garden to ruin. All I can say is expect the worst and hope for the best. If you can trim things back, all the better. Hopefully they'll cover everything and it will just slide off.

    We can do two layers in Massachusetts, some states allow three before you have to rip off and start from scratch but I think it's always good to rip everything off, make sure it's sound and I imagine they'll do six feet of snow and ice shield.

    Good luck! It's not a fun or rewarding improvement. It just seems to suck up a lot of money. But it will look better and it does offer peace of mind when it's all finished.

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  2. Maybe if you give the roofers some basil they'll be respectful of your beautiful plants. Everything looks so pretty--that vrepe myrtle is a knock out and the morning glories are happiness itself.

    I hate having to do expensive maintenance renovations! But at least on your house the roof is very visible, so you can think of the roofing you choose as an important part of the look of your exterior. We had a Dutch colonial when we lived in NJ too.

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  3. Oh! Your beautiful plants! Good luck with the renovations ;)

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  4. It's a good decision to install a new roof, instead of just repairing it! A new one can promise utmost protection, unlike the latter, which serves as a mere temporary solution. I suggest not to let bushes rest on your roof for it may damage it in the long run.

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  5. They did what? It’s a good thing the top layer was decent or it wouldn’t have lasted 12 years. It is always better to replace the whole roof it the damage is substantial rather than to build one over another. That bottom one might give in and undermine the supports of the new one in a few years' time. At least that concern is dealt with now.

    Love the flowers btw, especially the hydrangea. I want to have them crawling on one side of the house for added charm.

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  6. An old house + a beautiful garden = perfect home, Amelia. Regarding your roof, it's really a wise decision replacing it instead of just repairing it. This will not only solve your leak problem, but you'll be able to maintain the beauty and strengthen your house's first line of defense. What does it look like now? #Kemberly@PatriotRoofing.biz

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