Humble thanks
 

I want to express my thanks to the many people here who helped me with a cascade of problems that began in June with a leaking roof and an incorrect evaluation by a roofer in a hurry. As of today I have a new roof. I've had vents installed the length of the roof and the air throughout my house has improved 100%. The humidity is under control. I fixed the mold in the window (It turned out to not be double paned after all, but merely a storm window screwed to the back of a regular window.) In short, my house is livable again. I'm sure I overstayed my welcome here, but the help I received really made a difference.

Another case cracked! Amazing how one thing, such as poor ventilation, can make any other fix impossible. It was a fun thread :)

Glad you're back on track. This summer has been an unusual one with all the rain and humidity causing lots of issues. Has anyone else noticed an abundance of mushrooms? There's a fungus among us!

Never hesitate to ask for thoughts on such matters. So many of us here love having some way to contribute to solving problems. It lets us feel still useful now and then! It's also far more satisfying than reading the endless bickering over political issues!

HAHA! Yes, another case cracked. I was amazed at how many issues grew out of the roof problem. Who knew a tarp on the roof would lead to extremely high humidity in the upstairs, and that mold would then grow between the window panes and in the air conditioner, making the upstairs uninhabitable? Who knew a bat would take up residence under the tarp and then somehow find his way into the house? (Had to call the police at night for that one. Stock response from the dispatcher: "We do not deal with bats. Google 'pest control.'" My reply was persuasive and two officers came and trapped the intruder.)

I learned that old houses may have no membrane or felt under the shingles. If you have only one layer of shingles and the shingles are blown off in wind storms, you're in trouble. Hence the necessity of finding out how many layers of shingles are up there to judge the urgency of the situation. That's where my story went terribly wrong, when the first roofer I hired said there were two to three layers and it turned out to be one with no underlayment. I was very lucky that the decking was in good shape throughout and there were no extra costs beyond the roofer's quote. Even the lead chimney flashing was good.

I learned about contractors too. I got three quotes. There was a 30% difference between each one, which is substantial. I went with the guy in the middle for reasons of character and his willingness to negotiate the materials. I learned that some roofers want you to buy specific materials from their supplier, where they probably have financial incentives, not because those products are better for your needs. I naively assumed that the contractor was going to be doing the work. Nope. He was only onsite briefly, leaving the work to a motley crew. In the end they saved me $400 for a new lawnmower by telling me I only needed a new blade, which turned out to be true.

By the way, after a lot of research and thought, I went against advice here about putting shingles and "cheap" synthetic felt on a low-slope porch roof. I'll report back in 6 or 12 months on how it holds up. For the moment it "looks" great.

Dick R, you're right about this and this is a lesson for all of us. My politics are well known here by now. But my experience with asking for help here, and also my experience with the roofing crew, shows that we share things that transcend our political differences. I hope we will be able to get back to those commonalities in the future. I originally came to this forum in 2020 looking for local connections and information during the enforced isolation at the height of the pandemic.

The synthetic isn't ''cheap''; it just breathes better than 15# felt.
In theory, it would keep the porch roof drier, and extend the roof decking.

Sorry, I meant to say "cheapER" than Grace Ice and Water Shield. I went with GAF Felt Buster, the one no one here liked. Just couldn't afford Grace and decided to cut corners on the porch roof. I put the Felt Buster on the whole roof (plus GAF StormGuard Leak Barrier on the edges).

Since you probably had some left over from the main roof, it was a cost savings.
GAF won't warranty it, but that is not always the main concern.

I've done several things on my cottage that I knew would not be warrantied and may have a shorter life than the warranty, but had the material lying around and did it anyways.

We all have to make compromises, so long as you know what you are getting and not leaving the decision to some cut rate contractor you can usually find a way to back out a few dollars of cost, yet end up with something reasonable that you can live with. Sounds like you found that balance for your situation.

Happy you got it done and before winter, you will sleep better knowing this is resolved, and the same with the mower!

ATB and keep coming back, its pretty clear the people here enjoy interacting with you. Hope we see more of you.

Quite a few owners around here are either purchasing their own materials, or are pretty involved with what is being used.

Best case, the owner, contractor, and contractor's assigned salesperson meet to go over the specifics; but unfortunately that is rare.

DEFINITELY! It's a mushroom explosion!

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Good thing it's all fixed before this past storm and yet another one this weekend.

Sailing, no one on here overstays their welcome. Everyone is very helpful and full of information. It’s great to hear that you got the help and advice you did!


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