Razing the roof

I undertook my first major house project right before we moved in last December. The roof was actively leaking, and we were at the beginning of another SoCal rainy season. Because the house was a foreclosure, the bank that owned it was completely unwilling to fix anything. In fact, the lending department at the very same institution made me jump through all kinds of hoops because of the leaky roof. In case you can't tell, I'm still a little bitter about it.  Hopefully I'll be over it by the time you move in, but no promises. Everything you have heard about the dysfunctional banking system of the "great recession" (or whatever you come to call it by the time people are driving around in flying cars) is completely true.

The original cedar shakes were still on the roof (beneath several layers of asphalt shingles), so the whole shebang had to be torn off and new plywood and roofing installed.  Be glad this didn't happen on your watch! It's very expensive and messy.  We got lucky with the weather, and no rain fell into the attic while the house was open to the elements. 

View from the back yard before the roof was replaced

We thought about installing a "cool roof," but decided against it.  It would have been a good deal more expensive, and the roofer had a low opinion of its effectiveness. Since I was already spending more money than I'm comfortable writing about, we went with a composite shingle. I chose light grey because the color reflects more light and is cooler in the summer.  I'm not sure why anyone would install a black roof in this climate, but it happens with surprising frequency.

It took about three days for the roofers to completely strip and replace the roof.  The same day they finished it, we started moving in. Diogy was decidedly unhappy about the whole affair.  It seems she doesn't like change.  It took a couple of weeks for her to adjust to her new digs.  There was a lot of cowering in the back seat of the car and reluctance to come inside. My BFF Kelly said this was a clear indication that the house is haunted.  It's not. Unless you're reading this so far in the future that I am now haunting your house. However, I like to think I'm looking down from above. In addition to all the perks of heaven, I'd have a good view of that roof.