On gutters and kitchen ceilings

Let’s just skip right past all of the bathroom project updates I owe for the time being, okay? Instead, let’s talk about one of the scenarios inherent in old-house ownership. I’m speaking, of course of the “If you give a mouse a cookie” phenomenon. Here’s our latest:

Last winter, we had a lot of ice and snow issues, and – as a result – our gutters took a beating.

A brief consulation amongst ourselves, and the realization that home owners insurance is meant for stuff like this, lead to a decision that it was worth hiring someone to deal with it. The house is tall – very tall.

Well, since we were hiring someone to do the gutters, maybe we should just have them take care of the soffits, too. A previous owner just used vinyl siding, installed lengthwise (hack, spit). This means no ventilation, no dimensional stability, no squirrel-deterrant powers, etc. So when the gutters went, part of the soffits did as well. (Which you can see in the above picture)

Seems reasonable so far.

Well, if we’re having them do the gutters and soffits, maybe we should have them look at the flat roof that’s off the back bedroom – it’s leaking a bit, and we know it needs re-water proofed, etc.

No problem, they quote it. But in the process, the guy mentions that a big part of the problem is that there’s a door leading out to the flat roof(with attendant threshold, etc).

(It’s the upper red blob, in this very old picture)

We don’t ever use that door, so Jason calls in our expert reinforcements (my stepdad Joel) to DIY remove the door and patch everything up properly before the gutter guys start work. They get the door out, and find that the whole structure underneath is, well, let’s just say “soggy and grody”.

They basically had to demo the whole thing:

And at the point you’re fixing rafters and putting down new decking, you may as well add a little slope so the water drains properly. In fact, why not do a full 3:12 shed roof, since the flat roof never got used as a porch, and you’re removing the door to it anyway.

Oh, and half of the kitchen is under that “porch” (the other half is under a bedroom), and whaddya know, there’s no insulation in the kitchen ceiling (aka “exterior wall”). May as well take care of that while you’ve got it all open.

Unfortunately, in the process of carrying out all the supplies to do that, well, Jason missed a step. Which meant he put his foot through the kitchen ceiling:

(For those of you keeping count at home, I think that makes 3? 4? projects that were contributed to in this fashion)

To summarize, the original objective:
-repair fallen gutters

The project list as of today:
-repair fallen gutters
-replace soffits
-remove 2nd story backporch door (then insulate and patch wall where it was)
-insulate kitchen ceiling
-add shed roof over back porch
-re-side sections of house that adjoin former door and new shed roof
-patch kitchen ceiling drywall
-paint kitchen ceiling

… and the gutter guys are just starting their work – who knows what else this may escalate into? Ahh, the joys of old houses!

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