Ice Dams Part III

BHH continues to struggle with leaks and ice dams. We are faring pretty well on the sides of the house where the ice dams were removed. However, there has been a delay in the ice removal on the other side, and that part of BHH has gone from bad to worse. These pictures are from our studio (enclosed back porch) which looked like this before winter:

Now, it looks like this:

The whole region is a mess, and that is why the company that I hired has not been back to finish the job. In addition to all the work that they have in their queue, the temperature has been below zero with serious wind chill warnings for several days. Up on a ladder in sub-zero weather is no place for anyone.

Thankfully, the deep freeze has stopped the dripping, and the crew will be back this afternoon for round two of Man Vs. Ice Dam. For the rest of the winter, all we can do is attempt to maintain the work that has been done while mitigating the current damage.

As you can imagine, our to-do list for this year has changed. The kitchen is officially off the list, and the restoration project on the front porch and on the back side of the house will probably switch to stabilization projects instead of a complete restoration for both. I will clean everything and make temporary repairs to keep out the wildlife. Our summer will be spent repairing everything that has been compromised or ruined due to this never-ending winter.

For now, I am deep into the process of collecting bids for roofing, insulation, gutters and french drains. There are a number of ways we can approach this project to avoid future winter damage. Once we collect all the bids, Andy and I will sit down and hammer out the details.

Despite this mess there have been some bright spots. Since the repair, our van is driving like a dream. The sun has been shining often, and marathon training has been going very well. 2015 may be my year for a running comeback. Life is generally very good even during this setback.

How is winter treating the rest of you? I am dreaming of all of the beautiful wild flowers and our fruit trees that are currently blooming in California. Spring feels like it is a million miles away.