Bright Ideas

The core of our house went up in the 1950s. It consisted of a very small bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen — just enough room for an old bachelor to settle at the end of the day. The outside walls were split logs, revealed in later modifications. Whole families lived in equally tiny homes in early days.

A young married couple moved into the house we now own, and the groom’s father helped him go to work. When the groom had the expertise to build by himself, a total of three rooms had been added, enough space to raise three daughters and give the husband his own area to relax. With the help of Brice’s father, we bought the house and property from that couple when our children were small.

I became more handicapped, so volunteers and a paid contractor added ramps, inside and out and a very large handicapped bathroom adjacent to our bedroom, just for me. The whole roof was covered in corrugated metal. I don’t know how many layers of roof are up there, but even modest rains reveal leaks in my husband’s bathroom ceiling, and condensation in my bathroom ceiling. Two inches of rain slid through to leave a soaked, soiled two foot jagged circle on my bedroom ceiling, and this was roof added in 1996!

I think of it as a new addition to the house, but that was 21 years ago. Has the “new” worn off? Carpets in the living room and bedroom were added then; they aren’t new anymore.

The whole roof needs to come off next summer. Start from scratch to make sure everything is water tight. Add a new vapor barrier to keep water off my bedroom ceiling, then repair the ceiling.

Did early settlers have corrugated metal roofs? They might reside in “soddies,” dug in to a small hillside, with a thatch roof. When it rained any manner of things might fall through, including snakes! I don’t think I could live in those conditions; I’d wait in more civilized areas while my husband built a cabin with a solid, or nearly solid roof. Buckets could catch water leaking through those roofs; I guess water leaking through corrugated metal would be the better choice.

I have been thinking about a new roof for many years. I understand metal roofing is available in a range of colors nearby. I want a burgundy roof to match the shutters on my front windows.

I look at the whole picture of my little house and want it color coordinated. It’s not a beautiful structure, not tall and stately, and I’m not changing the building’s footprint. Color is my only tool to modify the vision. My choice of gray siding, white trim and burgundy shutters seemed to work well. Now I want the roof to match. That’s not too much to ask, is it?.

With my house fixed up pretty for all to see — all who drive by and look — what will I tackle next?