Last January, I wrote a post about my 2022 projects and plans, and roofing was on that list. We had the upper roof replaced in 2015 because the situation was dire. At that time, we knew we could put the porches and overhangs on the someday list. Then, last summer, I noticed that the hips and edges were steadily getting worse with cracked and broken shingles. There was also trouble brewing back near the sleeping porch, where the roof dipped significantly on one side, creating a low spot where water could pool.
You might be able to spot it in the photo below. The dip began at the bottom right corner of the white shingles. I’ll explain the rest of that hot mess in a minute.
Hiring a Contractor
After the bummer of a bathroom remodel, I vowed to find a trustworthy roofing contractor. It was important to me to find someone who would care for BHH when the going got tough. The going always gets tough with an old house. The company that did the upper roof in 2015 was still in business, but I wanted someone with a better eye for details.
Fully expecting to talk to many roofers before I found the one, I was surprised and delighted that the rep from the second company put me at ease. We were able to talk about all of the problems as peers, and I appreciated that a project manager would follow along from start to finish, protecting my investment. I signed a contract, and they started less than two weeks later.
Then, there was a little hiccup.
“I Don’t Like It.”
First, I want to say that the roofers who did the initial work were incredibly respectful and kind. They cleaned up daily and were careful with the crown molding and details. That was the complete opposite of our experience in 2015. Unfortunately, they also ended up with a lot more work than they expected. I expected it because nothing surprises me anymore, but they did not. Most sections had three layers of roofing materials, and there were four under the sleeping porch, including the original cedar shakes. I often wish I could take the house all the way back to the original cedar, but that’s not going to happen on my dime.
Anyway, after a long day, I came out to peek at the progress, and I saw this odd “thing” between the roof and the siding.
I had never seen anything like that, so I asked the roofer what it was. He explained that it was the new flashing. I said,
“Is it going to stay like that?” To be blunt, I thought it looked cheap and unfinished.
He said, “If you don’t like it, I can take it off.”
So, I was honest. I told him I didn’t like it, and I wanted it to come off.
Again, I want to make it clear that these guys were great. They chose a modern solution for an old house because that is what they knew how to do. So, I called the project manager and explained that everything was ok, but I wasn’t sure this crew was the right one to finish the job. I could tell he was used to getting yelled at because he instantly started apologizing and pushing back on the workers more than necessary. I was not angry at all.
After I reassured him that we were on the right track and the roofers had been doing a good work, I was finally able to tell him what I wanted. It was a reverse customer service situation. I feel bad for the people in customer-facing jobs post-pandemic. They must get an angry earful every day.
Anyway, I asked him to send a crew that was used to working on old houses to complete the finish work. I knew a crew like that must exist because there are tons of old houses in my area. Sure enough, he sent two new people out, and they knew just what to do. We hit it off right away.
The Sleeping Porch
With my blessing, the first crew had dismantled more of the sleeping porch siding than they intended. To explain why, I have to backtrack just a little.
In 2017, I demoed the shingles on the sleeping porch. I bought Hardie shingles to install myself, but I ran out of summer weather. So, I hired an independent roofer to finish the shingles and repair a large section of rot underneath. The squirrels were moving in, and I was panicking about the house falling down. 2017 Stacy worried about everything.
I thought he did a good job because I was dumb. The hole was gone, which seemed like the most important thing.
The shingle install was ugly, but since it was on the back of the house and winter was coming, I decided not to make waves. 2017 Stacy was also not very assertive.
The flashing was wrong, he used metal on the edges, and the board at the bottom sat proud of the shingles. I can’t even look at that pine trim on top. It was the perfect set-up for water intrusion and rot, but that was a problem for another day.
Back to 2022
It turns out that the guy who worked on the sleeping porch in 2017 must have been a glorified handyman, and it was all a mess. The new roofing crew discovered that the framing near the previous rot wasn’t attached to anything when one of them almost fell through. They asked permission to take the Hardie board off to remove the flashing from the sleeping porch, and it unraveled from there. I gave them carte blanche to demo as many siding shingles as necessary. Then, I put Find someone who does siding on my to-do list.
When the finish work guys took over, one of them explained to me how the siding should have been installed. I asked him if he ever accepted side jobs, and he said yes. So, I hired him to replace the remaining Hardie with cedar shakes.
The whole thing took about ten days of work, and here’s what everything looks like today:
The lower gutters are new, and they added an additional downspout from the upper gutter to the lower, which I will paint eventually. I’ll write more on gutters another time. I don’t love them, but they are a necessary evil.
Everything is solid and water-tight.
I still have to paint and replace broken glass in the sleeping porch windows, and the landscaping is so overgrown. I’m also trying to decide what to do with that tall tree that grows out of the middle of a lilac bush. However, it feels so good to see BHH with a new roof and siding. What a relief.
For the sake of brevity, I left out some of the details. So, if you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments.
