It's Official!

The roof is complete! They finished up Saturday afternoon...I counted and it was just shy of 12 weeks of work! Holy cow! that's quite a long time to do a project.

I'm so glad they finished over the weekend because it is warming up to the upper 50's today, and that will really help the shingles get a decent seal.

Now, we have to save up some more money so we can attach some new gutters. The joys of home-ownership never ends.

Until next time...

Progress on the Roof!

It is another windy day in Iowa, and guess who is at the house? The roofers! I swear they only come when it is super cold and windy. Of course, mix in some snow (like we have today) and you can guarantee they will be here. They are working on the garage today. I was watching them for a short bit...and kind of feel sorry for them. They are having to fight those shingles and tar-paper with the wind, and their things are flying all over the yard. Glad it is them, and not me.

This is the last time I posted of the roof.


This is what it looks like now.


This is the before of the south side of the house.


This is the after of the same side.


This is from inside the house...it was too cold to go out!


After some shingles.


The other side of the garage.


The house from the driveway!

Until next time...

The Roof

Alright, it has been a while since I have commented on our roof. I was afraid I would jinx the luck we were having! The roofer and his crew have actually made some major progress on the job since the first of the year. The house is now completely shingled!!! Yea!!! (This is where you can do a dance of joy if you wish) And, today, they started on the garage. Doug says they still have some work to do on the house (wrap the edges...or something like that).

I was very surprised to see them here working when I got home from my sub day. There is a nice snow storm making its way toward us, and they are out there working on the roof. Believe you me...I'm not complaining...just a little surprised. I'm sorry that I don't have pictures to put up. I was going to take some, but you really can't see the new roof because there is already snow accumulated on it, and it is snowing now. When I get the chance, I will take some more pictures and upload them to share.

Until next time...

Finally Friday!

Good morning everyone! Can you believe that there are only (counting today) five days until Christmas!!! Holy Cow! I hope that you have been able to check off all the items on your shopping list, and if not...you better be heading to the stores soon.

Last night my confirmation class was canceled. The fog was so dense you could hardly see the front of your vehicle! And, it was pretty much like that all day! The lucky kids...they have the next two weeks off as well. We will just have to hit the material hard after the first of the year. I was looking at calendar for the class, and we are over half way through the "year".

Doug took today off. He had one extra vacation day to use...so we are going to work some more on Buckwheat's room. We painted the baseboards earlier this week, that leaves the trim around the windows and the doors to finish. We are also going to pack so we will be able to leave early in the morning. Hopefully, we will be ahead of the "major" storm that is coming. Last night on the news they said it should start around noon; therefore, we shouldn't have any problems.

In other news...Doug called the roofer yesterday. If you haven't noticed...I haven't posted anything about the roof...because there hasn't been anything to talk about. He hasn't been back since Thanksgiving. Anywho...the roofer said he would be here to finish the upper part of the house before Christmas! He said it would be after the first of the year before he would get to the porch and the garage. I'm going to have Doug keep on him once we get back from vacation.

I'm going to "sign off" for now. Don't be surprised if you don't see any new posts until 2008. While back in Indiana, we only have dial up access...and it is more difficult to find the time to write. We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a (Safe) Happy New Year.

Until next year...

Frustration!

This roof project is becoming a bad bur in my side. It is very annoying that the roofer only shows up 2 days a week. Especially when it is getting colder each day! Take yesterday and today for instance...no roofer. Alright, so it was only 30 degrees, but the sun was shining which means the shingles would have sealed just fine. And then there is tomorrow. As I write, I'm watching the news and we have a winter weather warning from 6 a.m. Sat. to 6 a.m. Sun. We are suppose to get a half inch of ice and then 30 plus mph winds, and maybe some snow mixed in as well. (When that happened last year, we were out of power for 5 days!!!) Anywho...back to the roof...it's not finished! So, if we really do get this weather tomorrow, it will be days before I see the roofer again. I hope it doesn't ruin the new decking he put down Wednesday morning!

You would think that the guy would want to get this project finished because it is a 45 minute drive here from his home...and if you haven't noticed...gas prices aren't that great! Then, when he is here, he only stays for a few hours. Maybe I'm just shorter fused these days...but I just want the project completed.

Sorry for the ranting...but I just needed to let off some steam.

Until next time...

Roof - Day 6

Another day of progress!

Just like I was hoping, the roofer was back today. Luckily, we didn't get the rain and snow like they thought, but it sure has cooled off and is going to continue to cool off through the weekend.

There isn't shingles on these sections, but they are covered!

Like always, here are some pictures of what happened today...

On a side note...Doug did make it to the hotel in Puerto Rico Monday evening/Tuesday morning around midnight or a little after, and he was up ready to start planting at 6 a.m. I haven't actually talked to him, but I know they are busy trying to get finished.

Until next time...

Roof - Days 4 and 5 of Work

So...the roof...progress is being made, but slower than I expected. Doug and I were hoping that the project would be completed when we got back from our Thanksgiving trip, but it was not. Luckily, they did work one day and finished the west side of house, which they started before Thanksgiving. Here are some pictures...

A reminder of what it was before...


...What it looks like now!


Here's a close up...the boards are there to help the workers
keep their footing...they will be removed at a later date.

Monday, when I arrived home for lunch, they were back to work on the north and east side of the house that face the road. It was then that I learned the slats on one side have rotted and need to be replaced. (What else can they find under all those layers of shingles?) Here are some pictures of the progress made on Monday.

The before...sorry, not the best picture.


Charlie (the main roofer) and his crew at work.


Some close-ups of the bare slats.
The rotted boards are the ones at the bottom of this section.


The other side

I was disappointed that the workers were not back today...my roof is still open as you see in the pictures. We are suppose to get some rain and snow tomorrow. I hope they will be back tomorrow before it (the rain and snow) comes and get these sections covered!

On another note...yesterday afternoon I took a peak out the window to see all these pheasants in the field by the house! Where is a gun when you need it? I think there were about 15 hens and roosters in all.

Tonight when I got home from town, there were a dozen deer in the field behind the house, and 2 more in the waterway running through the field to the side. I tried to take a picture, but it didn't work out so well. Quite the nature center around here!

Until next time...

Roof - Day 3 (work)

The roofer came back today! He actually had a crew of 5 guys with him...he originally said he would do the work by himself. Anywho...they did get one side the upper part of the house torn off and new sheating put down. I'm not sure what time they arrived, but they left a little after 1:30 this afternoon. And, the roofer didn't really say when he would be back again. Just depends on the weather. Here are a couple pictures to show the change.

Before

After

Remember those beautiful purple mums that I had? Here is what they look like now. The roofer moved his trailer to the other side of house so it would be easier to throw off the old shingles.

Not so pretty anymore

The last thing I wanted to share was a picture of our house when it was built in the early 1900's and a picture from the same view today. Just thought it was interesting!

Then

Now

Hump Day

Can you believe that Wednesday is already gone? Where has the week gone? I don't have too much to write about. The roofer again didn't show up today...but it was super windy here. It probably would have blown the guy off the roof! I also had a chiropractic appointment today. I've been having some neck pain this last week, and it is causing me to have bad headaches by late morning and lasting all night. While meeting with the doctor today, he came to the conclusion that it has to do with the change in my sleeping positions. I usually sleep on my stomach, but with Buckwheat growing...that is a little more difficult these days! I go back on Monday, and hopefully, that will get me through the holiday weekend.

Until next time...

Roof - Day 2

The roofer was back yesterday to work on the section over the bathroom. He was able to replace the rotted area, re-deck the area, and place down the shingles. Doug and I are really pleased with how it is looking. He will be back on Monday to continue tearing off.





Check back for more updates!

Until next time...

Roof - Day 1

The roofer finally arrived on Friday to begin the work over our bathroom (where we have the leaking problem). When he started the process of removing the old shingles, he found that we didn't have 3 layers of shingles like we thought we did. Instead...we had 5 layers, plus the wood shingle layer! In addition, he found what we were afraid of...rotted boards. Luckily, he is able to replace/fix them. He is to be back today to continue working. I have some pictures of the before and the progress he made yesterday. Enjoy!

Before - the bathroom is under the Dish

Tearing Off

More removal - FYI: the dumpster/trailer is sitting on top of my beautiful purple mums

New Roof!

Yeah!!!

We have finally found someone to replace our roof! Doug and I have been searching for someone to do the job since mid-August . We were having lots of problems with people not returning our calls or not following through with estimates. But...today...we were able to get a reasonable estimate - from a guy that some people we know used and recommended. He is going to be out tomorrow to fix the leak over the bathroom, and then he will be back in a couple weeks (he has to order the shingles and wait for them to arrive) to start on the removal and replacement of the roof.

The next project to save up for once the roof is finished is the bathroom...but only one project at a time...

Until next time...