EMERGENCY RISK REDUCTION

After weeks of sorting, packing, and storing boxes in one of the farm shed, and cleaning out my apartment, I flew from Vancouver into Charlotte, NC. I am now at my cabin in the Mayberry-esqe mountain village of Saluda.   The trip was uneventful, but noteworthy that airports and planes are largely empty due to the WuFlu lockdown. All the talk of only ‘essential travel’ seemed irrelevant, since I wasn’t even asked my reason for flying.

This North Carolina mountain cabin needs work. I immediately made an assessment. Outside, the bushes have overtaken the 1 ½ acres, so this has been my first task. Cut bushes and branches. Also, check the house. Outside, the roof replacement is the priority and I am onto it now. See below.  Lots to fix with windows, doors, and siding, but this can wait.  The deck and porches need cleaning.

Inside, it’s a mess. Tony isn’t a real cleaner, but that’s ok. I can relate. It is a cabin. More importantly, ceilings have, at best, water marks from the leaky roof, and at worst tiles and sheetrock are falling (or ready to fall). But this will have to come only after the roof is repaired and proof of no more leaking!  So a new roof is the priority.

The roofline on the cabin is unique. The original cabin is 75+ years old. It has had at least two additions, maybe three, with rooms added on both sides and onto the back. Only one major issue. The roofline was never raised so as rooms were built on both sides, the roof flattened. This is a major reason for the leaks. Water simply won’t shed quickly enough, and gets underneath the singles. Added to this is a startling discovery. This house has three, count them, three layers of shingles. Not only heavy but ineffective, especially in the valleys, where water is funneled. This is a location of the major leaks into the living room. So a heavy workload is looming.

I am dividing the work into four parts. 1) remove the existing shingles. 2) repair any rotten wood underneath. 3) put underlay before roofing material. 4) install new roof.  Sounds simple enough, but each part is laborious.

Removing the shingles are maybe the hardest. Shoveling seemingly tons of shingles with a flat shovel, and loading into a Dodge Ram diesel and trailer, fortunately borrowed from my sister Becky and her husband. Thanks Bec and Dave! Otherwise I couldn’t have done it.  This includes hauling to the Polk County landfill. Five trips total. Time consuming! 

Next came examining the roof, and making repairs, primarily with plywood. Several problem areas. But there was a bigger challenge: rain.  It has been a long time since I’ve been in the Carolinas in July and August. I forgot about afternoon showers. These pesty rainstorms caused havoc to doing roof work. I got caught in the first one, that came fast and furious. I didn’t have any plastic and almost cried. Water poured inside the cabin, causing more of a mess on ceilings and floors. 

I learned my lesson, and immediately purchased a large piece of clear plastic at Lowe’s. After that, my routine was as follows: as soon as I heard thunder, cover the roof with plastic and wait. I’m unsure which was more frustrating. Covering with plastic and then rain; or covering with plastic and no rain.  Either way, it delayed progress. Even my trusty, dusty radio called them, “Splash and Dash” storms.   An apt description, because most came and went quickly. Only long enough to interrupt the roof work. But slowly, progress! I measured wood, drove to the box store, bought wood, and repaired the areas.  This has taken weeks, as it’s a one-person job. Me.  Maybe this is against my better judgement.

I will continue in the next blog. Thanks for reading. Be well.