It's roof time. We have box gutters that leak everywhere. And of course this brings moisture into the basement. And now we have shingles starting to break. The metal roofs on the front and back porch are failing after a hundred years or so. And the bump out in the kitchen with it's 100 year old terne metal roof is about to kick the bucket after years of constant maintenance. Originally the house had slate. Now it has a single layer of low-dollar asphalt shingles. And I should mention that money is an object. We are still looking at retirement within the next ten to fifteen years and DO NOT want to be even considering another roofing project at that point. Every other system in the house has been upgraded to modern standards even though the place still looks pretty much original.
So now I'm about to commit an absolute old-house atrocity. Yes, I know I should drive all over the continent looking for period-correct slate shingles and a certified installer who can lovingly recreate every detail exactly as the old-timers did. And that the porch roofs should get tern-coated standing seam metal. And that the box gutters should be lovingly reassembled just like they were from day one. Nope, not happening. Money is an object and since it's a roughly 30 square roof with four dormers we have to be realistic. It's going to be a $14,000 project as it is.
Anyone up for a series of posts on my conversion to a metal roof? It's supposedly energy efficient. And the cost was only slightly more than shingles that I could only reasonably count on for fifteen years. I'm getting a forty year warranty on the materials and lifetime on the workmanship. Since the contractor putting the roof on is no spring chicken I'll give him twenty years tops. That'll put me pretty close to an assisted living facility scenario so I'll take it.
Here's a before since it's been a while since I've posted anything...
Forgive the junk on the porch, we were having a yard sale and I took this pic to let an online buyer know what the house looked like.
