South. Upper Corner. Eek.

Work is continuing on the second-floor south facade, above the huge kitchen windows. Most of the shingles are off, as they were curled and spilt and severely weathered. This is what direct sun does to an old house. 

 

At the inside corner, I was horrified to discover…..nothing. The edges of the sheathing were rotted, and behind them SHOULD have been several 2×6 framing members. But there was nothing. I could look right into the second-floor main bathroom. EEK!

 

What is so weird is that it is obvious that the very shingles I removed had been removed not that long ago, and that the inside corner was filled with putty and stuff. And somebody must have removed the original crumbling, rotted 2x6s…but they did not replace them, and then nailed back on all the old shingles (with flat-head exposed nails).

All this damage was caused by a long-term leaking gutter (which I had repaired in 2015). I will now replace the missing 2x6s with pressure-treated lumber, and replace a lot of the diagonal sheathing. I had hoped to save about 50% of the shingles but it now seems that none will be replaced. Sigh. They are just too far gone. Why do all these work just to squeeze another, say, ten years out of the shingles?

 

 

11 Comments

  1. Sandra Lee on October 28, 2018 at 7:25 pm

    Yay Ross!
    Decay & rot corrected !!

    • Ross on October 28, 2018 at 7:29 pm

      Not yet, Sandra!

  2. Celeste on October 28, 2018 at 7:31 pm

    Yikes. No wonder the house wouldn’t hold a set temperature!

  3. Anthony Bianchini on October 28, 2018 at 7:37 pm

    Yet another big leak discovered and to be corrected – correctly! No bondo for Ross!

  4. MaryCarol Smith on October 28, 2018 at 8:16 pm

    I can’t remember. Is that second floor bathroom usable? Do you have a picture of it?

    • Ross on October 28, 2018 at 8:19 pm

      Hi, Mary Carol!

      The bathroom is gutted to the studs. Not by me!

      It does retain its original tile floor, albeit in damaged condition.

      • MaryCarol on October 28, 2018 at 8:39 pm

        Thank you. I’m really hoping to make a trip to Emporia this summer. Can’t wait to see this fabulous house in person!

  5. Andrea on October 28, 2018 at 10:21 pm

    Ross,
    We drove by last night after getting dinner in town and the sun was sitting and in the dusk with the lights on inside, the house literally sparkles. I made Rog slow down so I could take it in. Please know all your hard work is bringing so very many of us, such joy. Thank you!

    • Barb Sanford on October 29, 2018 at 8:43 am

      What Andrea says. Well, what everyone said, really. But it’s true: Your hard work is bringing joy to so may people who have learned to love the Cross House, and its owner.

  6. Mike on October 29, 2018 at 3:45 pm

    I feel your pain; the couple who bought my house in the mid-80s saved it from ruin, but they also did some things that make me wonder what in all that is holy were they thinking. In several cases, their work seemed to take care of a problem, but in actuality they just covered it over where it could fester and worsen until I happened along and uncovered the atrocity, LOL. My restoration work has attracted a phenomenal amount of local interest, and I have to be very careful what I say because the previous owners still live in town, and I wouldn’t want to hurt their feelings…at least not much! 🙂

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