March 15, 2018

Leaky Roof

We've been getting a lot of rain lately. That's typical for this time of year, and ordinarily it simply means focusing more on indoor projects. The other day Dan noticed that the pantry ceiling was stained like it was leaking.

Pantry ceiling

Not good. He took a look at the roof and found that it definitely needed repair!


My pantry is in the part of the house we call "the addition" (original floor plan here). It was added onto the kitchen some time after the original house was built. When we bought the place in 2009 we had the main part of the house reroofed, but the roof on the addition was still in pretty good shape so that wasn't done. Almost a decade later it's ready to be reroofed too.

Well, that's not going to happen any time soon. It looks like some repair will be necessary which means tearing into to it. For that, we'll have to wait for sunnier weather plus Dan's hand will have to be healed enough to have use of both of them. In the mean time we'll tarp it!

It's always something, isn't it?

UPDATE: The ultimate answer was to reroof it. You can see that in this blog post.

Leaky Roof © March 2018 by Leigh

25 comments:

Susan said...

It sure is! Water is so insidious, too - it's hard to tell where it comes from.

Gorges Smythe said...

Maybe some of that spray stuff they advertise would work for now.

Mama Pea said...

Oh, drat and blast! (Just another thing to frustrate Dan.) Haul out the tarps. Homesteaders would be lost without them.

Rain said...

Oh gosh yes, always something! Good idea about the tarp though. One of the few good things about renting is that if the roof has a leak, the landlord pays for it...mind you, getting him to do repairs is like pulling teeth.

Debbie - Mountain Mama said...

Oh no, that's too bad!! Yes, it certainly is always something. Sigh.

tpals said...

I'm sighing for you. Sympathy sent and hopes for a dry spell.

DFW said...

So sorry to hear this. One more thing to worry about! Last leak we had wound up about 10 - 15 ft. away from where the stain on the ceiling was. Hubby tried to find it but wound up having to get a roofer & it took them 2 tries. At least they only charged us once.

Leigh said...

Susan, it is! And it's hard to tell where it goes to between entering and exiting. At least we have a pretty big clue on the roof!

Gorges, that's a good idea, thanks!

Mama Pea, I keep thinking we're done with the tarps but then we need one! LOL

Rain, that's both the good and bad of renting. At least Dan is willing and able to tackle most repair jobs. Thank heavens for tarps in the meantime!

Debbie, fortunately it's a small roof overall. We're talking about just reroofing the whole addition with metal panels, just like we have on the barn.

tpals, thanks!

DFW, wow, that was a nasty one! Hopefully you didn't have a lot of damage between the leak and the stain.

Donna OShaughnessy said...

You two have given literal meaning to the saying "When it rains it pours"! We too use tarps for many things: keeping hay dry, bringing home a new calf in the back seat of the pickup, covering the tractor when we didn't have a barn to put it in. Thank heaven for tarps!

M.K. said...

Yes, it most definitely is always something! Perhaps that's what keeps us moving forward - new needs, new broken things, new projects to be addressed!

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

We are waiting for better weather to tarp over one of the barns. The roof will need to wait until we recover from our daunting medical bills. I hope you can fix your roof soon.

Leigh said...

Donna, ha ha, very true! Thank heavens for tarps. What did farmers ever do before they were invented?

M.K., definitely keeps us moving! Trouble is, we're having to go back to repair somethings before others get a chance to be done, LOL.

Kristina, we're in the same boat, so I can relate! Until we get the medical bills paid off and get a regular income again. It's just as well though, because I'm afraid the project would be an over-reach for Dan's hand at the moment. A tarp will just have to do for awhile.

Woolly Bits said...

drats, that stuff always happens when it's most inconvenient:( like broken gadgets - the first one breaks and a whole line of replacements suddenly pops up:( I hope the tarp works - at least until you're ready to work on it! good luck!

dkeller said...

There is something called Through The Roof -- great stuff to stop leaks.

deb harvey said...

same here. every time i form a plan to payoff the bills something happens. waiting for the present problem to be solved and then another plan will be formed. it will be the 4th one.
talk about kicking the can down the road!

Ed said...

I've used Flex Seal

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005SGM0YK/

to temporarily stop leaks. It goes on real liquidy but solidifies to a rubber consistency that seems to hold up fairly well to sunlight and rain. The other thing I like is that I can spray it from a rattle can and then toss in the trash so there isn't a gummy mess to clean up like using thicker roof sealers.

Sue in Oregon said...

Ah....thank goodness for the poor man's instant roofing....the lovely blue/brown or green tarp! Been there - done that!

Fiona said...

Leaky roof....argh. It must be contagious. Well roofing problems. The high winds here started lifting the utility building shingles. We are watching for leaks. Tarps......we had one on the woodshed roof before the Amish fixed it. They do work👍🏼 Take care and God Bless you both.

Leigh said...

Bettina, you're right, there's no convenient time for making repairs! LOL. That's probably the biggest problem with buying an older home, there's always something that needs repair.

dkeller, thanks! I'll have to look into that.

Deborah, that's the truth! It never fails but that something else doesn't happen every time you think you might get caught up. Never mind getting ahead!

Thanks Ed! Sounds like a good temporary fix until we can deal with it properly. The main thing is to not get more damage!

Sue, I have to say that we put a tarp on one of our old outbuildings when we first moved here, and then used the building to house chickens and goats. That tarp lasted six years before it started to leak! We definitely got our moneys worth out of that one.

Fiona, wind lifting shingles is a scary thought! It's the time of year for high winds too. I hope you don't have any more problems!

Cozy Thyme Cottage said...

I am sorry to read your roof is leaking. It does seem like there is always something to take our money! Nancy

Beckyathome said...

Our roof has sprung. leak as well. The first guy that looked at it said we need a whole new roof, and wouldn't even try to patch it.

The second guy dumped some tar or something on it, was supposed to return to get paid and do more, and NEVER came back! My husband called and everything, We are baffled, but it quit leaking! I guess he was an angel.

Goatldi said...

Good grief next!

I get Costco tarps as so far they have been better made and less expensive than everywhere else. Harbor Freight which is like a candy store to me has them also but the quality just isn't quite the same. So far I have used tarps less here than Fresno. Mostly because I have covered hay storage which I still see as a luxury after tarping hay in Fresno county for 23 or so years.

Here is to a bit less rain and at least some time for needed repairs.

Kris said...

Hello again. I read on the GoFundMe page that your 2nd ER bill has been dealt with and that Dan is making good progress. Our thoughts and prayers are still with you as you work toward his recovery and more financial stability. So happy we could help. Take care. Kris

Leigh said...

Nancy, so true!

Becky, that's definitely amazing! What a blessing. I wonder if you'll ever hear from him?

Goatldi, most tarps are extremely cheap, it's true. We usually end up with Walmart tarps, although I have to say the one we first put on our old shed turned chicken coop and goat stall held off the leaks for six years! I don't think we have a Costco or Harbor Freight around here, but you've got me thinking I should shop around to see what I can find.

Kris, yes! I just published an update blog post. Yes, you all made such a huge difference! A good community is priceless, but after what we've been through I wouldn't give a fig for the modern health care system.

Renee Nefe said...

it's always something! Glad that you'll be able to tarp it.