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The Roof: An Unexpected Hiccup

Renovations· The Exterior

22 Jul

I am going to start by saying we have been really, really lucky so far in this renovation process. The biggest hiccups we’ve experienced are rather minimal – the glaze chipped on the kitchen cabinets and I had to re-sand, paint a re-glaze them, we have a few hornets nests along the roofline that still haven’t gone away, a post on the front porch was sinking down and needed to be cemented into place, our refrigerator stopped making ice and we had to buy a new dish washer. That’s it. Not bad, right?

Until.

Until last Thursday when Brett peels back a portion of the sheetrock on the ceiling and gets splashed in the face with some water. And last time I checked, water has no business being in the ceiling. Which can only mean one thing. The roof is leaking.

roof problems 1

The roof is leaking? That can’t be. We were told in the disclosure that the roof was redone in 2012. How on earth could a four-year-old roof be leaking already?!

The next day, Brett climbed onto our roof to check out the damage and see where the leaky spot was. Much to his surprise and 75 pictures later, we realized that there was absolutely no way the roof was only four years old. Shingles were torn or ripped, the texture part of the shingle was completely gone on some of them, there was algae damage along the top and there were bubbles in certain areas.

roof problems2

We did not budget for a roof. To be honest, it wasn’t even on our radar because we were told it was only four years old.

What about the inspection? Well, it was done in March and there was snow on the roof so the inspector did not go up there to take a look. We have no idea if that’s normal or basic procedure, but at the end of the day, we all took the previous home owner’s word for what she had written on the disclosure.

roof problems7

This past weekend we had two contractors come out to assess the damage and give an estimate. Both contractors estimated the roof to be about 15-20 years old, with significant amount of wind, hail and algae damage.

So now what?

We’re assessing our options and may go the legal route. We don’t want to submit a claim with our insurance because it is our understanding that our rates would most likely go up. In my eyes, the previous owner blatantly lied.

roof problems6

It’s frustrating, disheartening and just plain sucks. This is not something we planned for and put in our budget. I understand unexpected projects come up when you are a home owner and we went into this knowing we had some big expenses to pay, but a new roof was not one of those expenses. Especially when we were specifically told the roof only had a few years under its belt.

Which means now we are playing the waiting game to see what comes of this mess. The more we sit around and think about it, the more frustrating and confusing the situation becomes. I just don’t understand why someone would lie about something as significant as a roof.

roof problems5

If we do end up having to pay for a new roof, some projects will have to be shifted or delayed. The garage is a go, as long as we get approved for the permit. And the HVAC system is most definitely happening because we live in Minnesota and need heat during those nasty winter months. What will most likely be put on the back burner is the guest bathroom, bedroom and office.

Did I mention that this sucks? In case you need to hear it again, here it is: this sucks. Big time.

roof problems3

note, it’s Friday. Which means we wish you a very happy and relaxing weekend! If it’s anything like Minnesota, you’re going to want to stay cool! Also, if you’ve been in this situation or know someone who has, we’d love to hear your thoughts and comments! This is all new territory and we’re learning as we go.

 

All our best,
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  1. The Waiting Game - North Country Nest says:
    July 27, 2016 at 6:17 am

    […] I mentioned last week, we found out our roof was shot and needs to be completely replaced. Well, after exploring the legal route, we’ve decided to see […]

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oh, hi!

We’re Brett and Kelly! A husband and wife team tackling our first complete home renovation. We love all things DIY, our two furbabes and lazy summer days out on the lake. Our mission? To share the journey of turning a house into a home.

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the archives

Who doesn't love a good before and after?!? Who doesn't love a good before and after?!?
Last summer, Brett and I didn’t get out on the w Last summer, Brett and I didn’t get out on the water at all – not once did we take the boat out.

Given the fact that we live in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, I felt like the worst Minnesotan. How could we not enjoy the water when there’s three within five miles of our house?

This year? We've been able to get out on some body of water at least once per week - how cool is that?!

What’s been really great about these last few months is that we’ve seemed to have found a nice “balance” between go-go-go and taking time to enjoy whatever it may be.

While this season of relaxed work is probably not the norm, it's been a pleasant surprise that we'll be enjoying for as long as we can!

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The second addition? Giving a little refresh to this laundry room by pushing back the washer, dryer and cabinets.

We finished it wayyyy back in 2017 but there was a small frustration: the washer and dryer cover the window.

Every few months we'd circle back to the space and see how we could make it work. It was one of those little issues that might not seem like a big deal to anyone else, but here's the thing - you deserve to LOVE your home.

After four and a half years of constant projects, I often find myself wondering why in the hell we are doing this and I keep coming back to this idea that a home is meant to be loved, to share a story, to work for you, to be a space that you can relax in and enjoy.

So while the washer and dryer covering a window might be insignificant to a visitor, for us, it's something we see every day. And, after three years of brainstorming, we finally found a solution that felt good.

I guess that's the bonus of being four years into a reno - the idea of knocking down a wall seems like an easy project nowadays 😂😂
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New post #ontheblog today all about the lawsuit we've been in with our neighbor for the last year. And it started all because of our garage.

In short: three years ago the county required us to get a survey done on our property in order to build the garage. The results showed that the easement our neighbor was using to access her property was not in the right place - it was inside our property lines instead of outside.

Fast forward to July 2, 2019 when we were served lawsuit paperwork from said neighbor, claiming the rights to the easement location - and it's been a long, stressful process since then.

But, we received the good news last week from our lawyer - everything is finalized and we can finally put this whole mess behind us!

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So, here's to continuing to find that balance of function and design - and I'd love hear, have you compromised anything because it just didn't fit with how your family lives in your home?!?

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