2 Holes in the Roof
Or, isn't home ownership a blast?
Hole 1
When I bought my home, there was water damage in the kitchen ceiling due to a leak on the flat porch above it. I got it fixed in August 2012. Then in January 2014 it leaked again after a rapid thaw/freeze cycle. The roofer came out again then and fixed it, and I had had no problems since.
Of course, I wouldn't be writing this if nothing had happened. Last weekend's rapid thaw/freeze cycle made it leak again. The roofer came out again and found that it was leaking around the door frame that leads to the bathroom. He said that the door was installed slightly too low, so in our long hot summer past the tar paper caught the edge of the door and was damaged, which led to the leak when the thaw/freeze forced the issue. The end result is that the door has been adjusted and the door frame has had a ton of sealant slapped on it. No leaks so far, but we'll see what happens.
I had originally planned to get the drywall in the kitchen replaced in 2017, but now I'm going to wait another few years. Part of me wonders if the roofer is any good, but when I originally got it fixed in 2012 he had warned me that these were very tricky and he couldn't guarantee great results. The other guys I got estimates from gave me the same warning. He very quickly responded for both leaks, and didn't charge me for either leak repair since he says it was his fault, which seems like a strong vote in his favor, along with the many references he got from people when I was looking for roofers in the first place. Maybe I just need to expand my bathroom to cover the entire porch instead!
Hole 2
In the same time period, I started hearing a scratch noise in the bedroom wall, usually in the mornings and evenings. Examination from outside found a hole in the roof that covers my screened porch, which I only found because I observed multiple squirrels going in and out of it. Thankfully, the gap in this portion of the roof is not connected to my house in any other way, and it does not appear that squirrels are in my walls or in my attic. An exterminator has been employed. They put a live trap on either side of the hole, which is about halfway about the house. So far, one squirrel has been captured and removed. The noises continue, so the traps remain. I'm not sure if the captured squirrel warned them off, but so far there's been no luck capturing more. For obvious reasons, the exterminator doesn't recommend patching the hole while squirrels may be inside the house, but once that happens I'll get that sealed up. If the traps don't work soon, other options like chemical deterrents may need to be tried. Thankfully, the hole is positioned in a way that any water damage should be minimal.
Tulip hasn't figured out the noises are squirrels, so I can't get her to bark menacingly at the wall in the morning. She was VERY excited when the squirrel was in the trap, because she could bark all she wanted it, and it couldn't run away. Too bad she doesn't fit in the hole; I'm pretty sure that would solve the problem (and no doubt case a slew of new ones!)
Hole 1
When I bought my home, there was water damage in the kitchen ceiling due to a leak on the flat porch above it. I got it fixed in August 2012. Then in January 2014 it leaked again after a rapid thaw/freeze cycle. The roofer came out again then and fixed it, and I had had no problems since.
Of course, I wouldn't be writing this if nothing had happened. Last weekend's rapid thaw/freeze cycle made it leak again. The roofer came out again and found that it was leaking around the door frame that leads to the bathroom. He said that the door was installed slightly too low, so in our long hot summer past the tar paper caught the edge of the door and was damaged, which led to the leak when the thaw/freeze forced the issue. The end result is that the door has been adjusted and the door frame has had a ton of sealant slapped on it. No leaks so far, but we'll see what happens.
I had originally planned to get the drywall in the kitchen replaced in 2017, but now I'm going to wait another few years. Part of me wonders if the roofer is any good, but when I originally got it fixed in 2012 he had warned me that these were very tricky and he couldn't guarantee great results. The other guys I got estimates from gave me the same warning. He very quickly responded for both leaks, and didn't charge me for either leak repair since he says it was his fault, which seems like a strong vote in his favor, along with the many references he got from people when I was looking for roofers in the first place. Maybe I just need to expand my bathroom to cover the entire porch instead!
Hole 2
In the same time period, I started hearing a scratch noise in the bedroom wall, usually in the mornings and evenings. Examination from outside found a hole in the roof that covers my screened porch, which I only found because I observed multiple squirrels going in and out of it. Thankfully, the gap in this portion of the roof is not connected to my house in any other way, and it does not appear that squirrels are in my walls or in my attic. An exterminator has been employed. They put a live trap on either side of the hole, which is about halfway about the house. So far, one squirrel has been captured and removed. The noises continue, so the traps remain. I'm not sure if the captured squirrel warned them off, but so far there's been no luck capturing more. For obvious reasons, the exterminator doesn't recommend patching the hole while squirrels may be inside the house, but once that happens I'll get that sealed up. If the traps don't work soon, other options like chemical deterrents may need to be tried. Thankfully, the hole is positioned in a way that any water damage should be minimal.
Tulip hasn't figured out the noises are squirrels, so I can't get her to bark menacingly at the wall in the morning. She was VERY excited when the squirrel was in the trap, because she could bark all she wanted it, and it couldn't run away. Too bad she doesn't fit in the hole; I'm pretty sure that would solve the problem (and no doubt case a slew of new ones!)