Oh, The Horror
Soon, I will be finished with (drum roll, please) the restoration of the south second floor.
The sound you will soon be hearing will be me squeeing.
So, what next?
It seems prudent to move directly up from where I am now working.
The third-level of the octagon tower, the only remaining portion unrestored. And…
…it is a mess. All the shingles will need replacing. The sound you will soon be hearing will be me screaming.
The downspout from the roof of the tower to the third-floor gutter is crooked. This needs to be addressed. The downspout was missing for decades. This likely caused the ruination of the adjacent shingles.
The top of the downspout is ill-fitting and leaks. This needs to be addressed.
The bottom of the downspout. Look how shallow the gutter is. During a big rain there is too much water and it spills over the gutter. This needs to be addressed.
Circa-1930, new diamond-shaped cementitious roof tiles were installed atop the 1894 wood shingles. But…no flashing was installed. This needs to be addesssed.
In order to do so, I need to remove all these tiles. This may go easy. If not, the sound you will soon be hearing will be me screaming.
The diamond tiles were laid atop what appears to be the 1894 chimney flashing. It is supposed to be under. This needs to be addressed. And this area of flashing has leaked for many decades, creating a hole in the bedroom ceiling below, and damaging the mantle. Oh, see the curved cornice, left? See the dark spot?
I am pretty sure that is a bat (center). HOW I am to do all this work with a resident bat is something I have not figured out yet. Is the same bat from a few years ago? I should have asked his/her name way back when.
This inside corner is a mess. WAY too much water rushes down the roof to this corner and the gutter is not deep enough to contain the volume during a big storm. This is why a downspout was, I believe, added (the round hole). It did not help. I have watched during big storms (standing in the rain atop a tall ladder like a ding-dong). The opening creates a whirlpool, causing the water to the left of it TO BACK UP and spill over the gutter. No, what is needed, I hope, is to raise the sides of the gutter, and close the hole over. Oh, and the vinyl flooring “repair” needs to be repaired.
WHAT is that black thing blocking the valley?????? This is bad!
In short, this area is not large. But is contains more work than I have yet to encounter in so small an area. Basically, every inch of it needs attention.
And there is a bat issue, too.
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Maybe you can put up a bat house somewhere close and the bat would move?
I’m imagining the Batman theme song! Soon Ross will address these issues. Ka-pow! Zap!
Hi Ross,
Yikes, you’ve got your work cut out for you. After so long on the frigging shingles, I wish you well as you continue this amazing renovation. Thankfully you’ve got a few more months of summer!
2020 has been a terrible year so far, but I think at least for you, Ross, and the Cross House, it’s going to be a year of major triumph and accomplishment. You are making the things you can control so much better. Thanks for the inspiration!
Baby steps… here’s hoping that the cementitious tiles will come up and reinstall intact and the resident bat soon relocate elsewhere .
O.k., first off, damn those gutters 😤! Secondly, this sounds like a lot of tricky roof/ flashing work. Crappo. Thirdly, I know you will figure it out and do amazing things with all this mess. And lastly,…didn’t you give that bat a name when you found him on the north side hiding out? At first I was hoping that was a wasp nest. Will the bat be scared of you when you get up that close and fly off? Or just get salty? I can’t wait to see what you figure out and do to reverse all these past construction mistakes.
In horror, I gasp at the pictures, oh my God! Will 385 years be enough? Sure, no big deal, as SUPERMAN ROSS will have this all new and perfect real soon. And on to decorating the dining room and move in date in 2021. Remember the cats are dreaming of racing the Cross House stairs playing tag with Dad. Dad has dreams too!!
In horror, I gasp at the pictures, oh my God! Will 385 years be enough? Sure, no big deal, as SUPERMAN ROSS will have this all new and perfect real soon. And on to decorating the dining room and move in date in 2021. Remember the cats are dreaming of racing the Cross House stairs playing tag with Dad. Dad has dreams too!!
OMFG!!! I would have cursed more than anything. That is a ton of work. So much due to those damn gutters. Who knows what you will find under the shingles. SHINGLES, MORE EFFING SHINGLES!
Call animal control and see if they can remove the bat. Poor thing. All alone up there.
Best of luck with this new set of jobs.
I have dealt with Animal Control in New Jersey. If you have a bat in your living area, they will capture it and remove it. They will not remove a bat from your basement or attic. The bats are always euthanized and tested for rabies. They have to be because people were exposed to them. In fact, one morning I woke up with a mysterious itch on my index finger. There were two round punctures and it was slightly reddened. I thought I was bitten by a bug, like a spider or a centipede. In fact, years after the fact, I looked up pictures of bat bites and that is exactly what it looked like. It could have been fatal to me, but I was extremely fortunate. Another bat they captured was rabid. Considering that they are hanging around Ross’ house, I would be very surprised if there are not some that have found a way in. A bat house is a very worthwhile idea. Perhaps someone from Animal Control would be of help in siting one.
Let me introduce you to Bobby the bat. We’re not sure yet if it’s male or female, but I have both men and women with that name , so it works! I said awhile ago that all of us followers should have been assigned to shingle duty. We make em and send them to you. 😛. My heart goes out to you with this new tiny horror show of a space. I know you will fix it and both you and Bobby will be happy with the results. Can’t wait to see pictures of your hard work!
I’d love to see a photo of the whole side from the ground. It would put your work in perspective!
Yikes! 😫Horrors! Egad! 😱Monstrous! Apoplectic!🤯 Sheesh! 😩
Dum de dum dum:-(
I was practically screaming with each picture! Beyond the pale….
Wish we could do shingles the perfect Ross way….I don’t think I am qualified 😟
Plow along Ross in your industrious way!
Well, this is depressing. 🙁
But if anyone can fix all that mess, and do so in a way that will last another 126 years, it’s Ross the Magnificent!
But. . . Ross has a bat!
Bobby/ Bobbie the bat! It loves tiny dark spaces, The Cross House, and Ross!!
*cut scene to completion of this area, bat still in place, painted around*
Put him to work. He can probably hold a tiny paintbrush.
Lol at the image of a bat painting with a tiny brush and telling Ross “ Dude! Let me do that small spot…right…ugh…one sec…Nailed It!” Beaming smile from Ross to his new helper😬
Bats like nice things, too. It probably hangs out there so it can watch Ross work. He will be happy to help.
It may be unglamorous work, but it will resolve long-problematic details causing deterioration, and hopefully prevent much future deterioration.
Sometimes the most important restoration work is never seen by the passing public.
Well this is sucky! I was really hoping for some coasting and celebrating. *Sigh* I guess that will happen later. Don’t give up! We are cheering you on! Battily.
How are those gutter and roofing corrections coming along? Can’t wait to see the results.🤔