INCHED! INCHED!
So, y’all know I have been way up in the air for a while now.
A few weeks ago I finished redoing all the shingles, and restoring the trim and cornice.
The last few weeks though have been focused on the third floor, where a bit of Octagon Tower bumps into the roof. Not having the time to replace the shingles, I just did…
…something I never do: clean them up, and slapping some paint on.
Another issue was that there was no flashing between the wood shingles and roofing shingles. This is very bad! But, without replacing the wall shingles, there is no way to install flashing.
My solution was to use Big Stretch caulk.
I have had some luck over the years with this caulk, which is designed to stretch, unlike most caulks. And, unlike the sloppy caulking one normally sees (oh, the horror), MY caulking is pretty neat. This is kinda silly, really, as one cannot see any of this from the ground, but doing bad work just deflates me. This is not a permanent solution but will certainly buy me some years.
A huge issue, which I discovered four years ago, is the built-in gutter in this area. It is too shallow to handle a big rain load rushing down the huge main roof. It just spills OVER the gutter during a big storm. And, this is very bad.
So, I attached a 3-inch wide L-shaped piece of metal, attached to the outer ledge of the gutter. This has now made the gutter deeper, and (I am hoping) enable the gutter to handle the rain load. Pray. I riveted one side of the metal to the outer edge of the gutter. Just to the right of this corner…
…was a downspout. I am pretty sure the spout was not original. It appeared to be a fix for the original design flaw in this section of gutter not being deep enough. However, the solution may have made things worse because, during a big storm, a whirlpool effect was created around the downspout hole inside the gutter, forcing water to spill over even more.
My solution was to cover over the hole.
And then cover everything with the super-duper gutter mastic. The brown line running left/right is the new metal.
The new metal extension continues to the right (south) and then bends around the corner. The water flows to the right, too, but when it hit the corner in a big rain it just waterfalled over the edge. The new raised height should, I hope, force the water around the corner. Pray.
The new metal extension. I ordered brown because it blends in with the roof tiles. From ground level you can see the extension but it does not register. Whew! The brown metal comes with a protective plastic covering. Thus, after I finished applying the white mastic, I could just peel off the plastic and end up with a nice neat edge. This makes Ross VERY happy even though almost no one will ever see this.
Remember the Dr. Seuss downspout? First I held it in place with strapping which looked horrible.
I replaced that with an L-bracket.
In the end though only a single screw was needed, attached to the new extension. Ross happy!
Downspout…
…BE GONE!!!!!!!! The downspout spilled its water out into the main porch roof. But the porch gutter was clearly not designed for the massive rain load, being only an inch deep at this end. So all that water just flowed over the edge of the gutter, damaging the wood porch steps below (long rotted away) and the corner of the library.
I am thrilled this vital work is completed. I have spent four years thinking about it and planning it.
Will all my cunning work?
A big storm will let us know.
Pray.
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Praying Ross. Brilliant, simple (adding more to the brilliance) solution.
They say Steve Jobs had the same obsession about sleek design elements that no one would ever see. It worked out okay for him so I’d say keep it up! It’s such a wonderful feeling when YOU know it’s right. Well done on this fix — both the parts that we can see and those that we can’t.
Thank you, Jane!
I find that, when I do bad work, my energy flatlines
When I do good work, it recharges my energy.
It’s like a big game of mouse trap… except with water!
I had wondered what big project you had been up to. Whenever you get sort of quiet, not totally quiet, but different quiet, there is something big brewing. This was genius!
I think you just built a really cool water slide, man!
Please show us a wide shot of that south side soon!!! It has to look phenomenal from east to west now that it is all “spit and polished”!
Hi Ross,
I hope you started a go back in 4 years list to do it right.
Keep plugging away at it and your will another masterpiece on your hands.
Mary
I loved this post. I am about to embark on a similar type project. A number of my fishscales need replaced. Do you have suggestions? Usually I buy shinges and cut them down myself but I would love to find a fiberboard option that I liked. What kind of caulk are you using?
Please show us photos of this in action, as long as there isn’t any lightning!
Ooo! Yes, if possible, I would be interested to see, too!
I really admire your attention to these type of things that don’t show, but make such a big difference. So many of the repairs (from previous owners) that I have had to redo were because they simply covered things up that didn’t show from the ground. I will be praying for your gutter to work; IF the left-turn outside corner still causes the water to flush over it, I wonder if you put in a rounded piece of metal on the inside so that the turn is a curve instead of a sharp angle…
Ooh Ross, your gutter fix is stellar! 💜 But yikes – that origional drain had such a drastic crimp right below the drain, I’m surprised it moved any water at all! I suppose the view from the window dictated the immediate crimp. It may have worked for a while but, as climates change & houses settle, precisely engineered work can become less precise.
One hundred years roll by while we live & work, only to await the judgement of rain. 🌻
Logical, precise, and well-considered. Plus, it looks good! Well done, Ross!
the fight against water and gravity continues. Well done, Ross!
Great work- and now after 4 years you can finally take you mind off the gutter…
Hahaha
Yay Ross!
Aren’t you in your 6th year of magical transformation & achieved with gargantuan 933 years of hard work!
Finesse by sheer artistry!
Albeit one tiny section was rushed through without magical and magnificent Ross touch — rare band aid to a few shingles…
Yay Ross!
Closer and closer to fruition!!
Yay yay yay!
🙏🏻Praying for effective water deflection during storm!
Nice fix….but it leaves me with a question…..
I was told that the outside top of a gutter should always be at a lower level than the inside top. I case of a clogged drain the water will drip over the outer edge away from the house. If this is not the case the water will drip IN the house causing a lot of trouble…
Yes, and I’m concerned about that.
However, I’m not concerned about the gutter getting clogged (there are no trees around) but about a HUGE amount of rain. In such a case, my new “extension” might cause water to flow under the roof tiles a few inches. This would not enter the house though, but would rather seep behind the huge curved cornice.
In any event, my concern about this is slight, as I think water will now flow easily where it is suppose to.
I hope.
I previously did something similar above the servant’s hall. There, I raised up both the OUTER and INNER side of the gutter to prevent any backwash.
Stellar work as always. I’m hoping to be back in Kansas next week to visit my Dad, and I’ll do my usual drive-by to see what you’ve been up to. Can’t wait to see how beautiful the south side of the house looks — it’s been terrifying for years.
I forgot the huge cornice under the gutter….