The Roof, The Roof, The Roof is off the House

That's either the lyrics to a long repressed song I haven't heard in a while, or the lyrics to the song I should be writing and I am a repressed musical savant.  But I digress (already--perhaps a new world's record).

My house needed a new roof...about three years ago.  I had it fixed and they said, it will last one more year.  The next year I got an estimate for a new roof--$12,000, but it is still in good shape--you have another two years worth.  Then it leaked and I got it fixed and then it leaked some more and I got it fixed by a different new guy that was checked and double checked by my friend who knows about this stuff.  Then ceilings started turning yellow.  Ok, it's not leaking per se--no water dripping into a bucket, but yellow ceilings are not a good sign.

So I outlasted leaks and yellow ceilings and I got to my two years worth, so that I had no more excuses  EXCEPT, I decided to sell the goliath and be done with it.  Except, no one wanted to buy it.  No one.  Ok, I guess I have to keep it.  So I went in to get a home equity loan, because I had been deferring maintenance and it would need some big time maintenance if I planned to rent out part of the house.  They wanted me to get a roof first.  We finally compromised that I would get a roof within three months.  It's the third month.  Yes, I scheduled the new roof for the beginning of the third month (long story.  That is so funny that it would be a different long story as to why I waited so long to schedule the new roof, but I digress).

Then it rained.  Not a slight drizzle like we had in June when it almost has never rained in June--a torrential rain.  In October.  In sunny California.  It is usually hot in October.  One year I had to run my air conditioner in October and I never turn that thing on.  So the roof was postponed to the following week.  It will take one week:  Tear off on Monday, inspection that afternoon, start work on Tuesday and it will take rest of week to finish by Friday.  I now have a three week cushion to my bank deadline, no worries.

Except we didn't pass inspection on Monday.  The City wanted the roofer to use plywood for the whole roof (like I have the slightest clue what that means when Chuck tells me).  That will cost me an additional $700.  So I can wait, while he contests the inspector's decision or I can authorize the additional $700 and they can start again tomorrow, only one day behind.  NO. 

Let's start with the fact that I don't have $700 just lying around to pay.  Then let's move to the fact that when it rained that torrential rain last week, the ceiling in the pink bedroom fell in--that's right I waiting one week too long to replace the roof.  I had already contracted to pay $800 to fix the ceiling and repaint that room--so yes, I do know how to spend money I don't have, but I am already at my maximum capacity this week (month, year...).  And then let's go right to the crazy.  $700?  Is this a scam.  In the two years since the first estimate (same company), the price has gone up almost $2,000.  I went to cut throat company and their estimate was the same, so I thought that was a sign that the contractor I hired gave me a good price.  Is this how he is able to do that--by piling on the extras???

I told Chuck to go back and fight with the City.  So he went back to fight with the City.  Their supervisor will have to review it--he's not in until tomorrow.  So the next day (I'm told) that Chuck speaks with the supervisor who needs to review the matter, but he doesn't give us an answer until the afternoon.  It's a split the baby decision--Chuck will have to put plywood in some low places, but he's fine with sheathing for the rest.  Chuck does not ask me for more money (yet) so it's ok by me.  Remember, my roof is off my house already--not a lot of options for me.  So we get the decision late Tuesday, but we still have to wait until Wednesday for the inspection that we didn't pass on Monday.  We're not at the top of their list being such a problem and we are at the end of the inspector's day on Wednesday.  Yeah, this job is going into next week.

So all week, even when we were waiting for the inspection there were a couple of guys on the roof, occasionally hammering and such--who knows what.  Chuck said, that Friday was going to be a very busy and loud day--he'd be making real progress on Friday.  Adrienne said, she didn't hear much.  Monday, bright and early I got a call to give me the finish schedule:  Noon to three, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, then the final inspection and they will be done by the following Monday.

They haven't said anything about extra costs and the City already hates my house, but hopefully I will soon have a new roof with a week to spare on my deadline for the bank.

The roof, the roof, the roof...hopefully I don't even have to think about it for 20 years.  I'm going to be in my Seventies in 20 years.  I can't see myself really caring much then.  Therefore (logically speaking), I never have to worry about the roof ever again after this week.  This could have been done by now, if I'd just paid the stupid $700 bucks.  Oye.