The Shoestring House: Up on the Rooooooofffff.....

So far, by using the fantastic concept of "friend labor," we've pretty much spent nothing. That had to end eventually, although of course our goal was to get as much as possible secondhand. We did know that there were a few big ticket items we would need to do, ones for which secondhand wasn't an option. For instance, secondhand roofs are hard to come by. So this is the first post wherein we spend big money. Considering the fact though that the existing roof not only leaked in the traditional manner, but also lacked any ventilation and had an open hole or two instead of proper vents, we feel that it was money well spent. We got a full new roof, including mostly new sheathing.

Underneath, Jack repaired and braced almost all the trusses, which were not up to snuff. We now have probably the strongest roof in the county. He also put down all the groundwork for a floor in the attic, which will be the last thing to go down in the second story. He has all the structure in place for shelves of different heights. This attic will be amazingly useful; I'm so excited.

And what's an attic with only a hole to get to it? Previously there was only a square opening in the ceiling, and while my husband may be strong and agile enough to pull himself up there with no help, this girl is not. Plus, I doubt even Jack could make it up there with a full bin of Christmas decorations. So, he planned to put in steps. We priced them at about $170 - $260 for varying degrees of quality, plus the installation/trim kit which was usually about $30. One of our first finds when we started collecting stuff for our future house was at the ReStore (a place we adore and which will make numerous appearances in this blog): brand new attic stairs plus trim kit! It was priced at $120 for both and we always get 25% off everything because they have a student discount. Praise God! :)

My hubby and our friend Phil did a fantastic job putting them in, and it's a good thing too, for the amount of time that Jack has spent up there! (he has to be very orangutan-ish when up there, because there aren't many places that he can put his weight yet without the floor in there.)

In some ways, a new roof seems like a boring way to spend money. But on the other hand, we now have great confidence in the top of our house, which after all is where so many problems start. We are very grateful. We really liked and recommend Roger Stancill, for the great job he did, and for his flexibility, and for allowing Jack to do some stuff himself to save money.

Existing attic access panel:

After my amazing man got through with it:

And that's not even with the trim in yet! More pics will come when it's done.

Jack also finished all the eaves really well... we de-molded and sealed them (more on that later) and he put in all new screen, as well as insulation baffles. It is completely watertight, birds-and-bees-proof, ventilated, and strong. Hooray! And may I just say, I pretty much have the most amazing husband ever. :)