The Observation Deck

Recent internal conversation..

Sam said: Chuck, the roof is leaking. We have a beautiful house worth preserving, but this leaky roof could compromise its material/market and value and the quality of lives. God, our house is so beautiful--it means more to me than just a place to live. My soul, my spirit are connected in some way to this place. We need to get the roof fixed very soon--the longer we wait, the more it will cost us in wys we cannot even imagine.

Chuck said: Sam, always suggesting that we throw money at the problem. What do you know, anyway? The fact that you have lived in this house for over 20 years doesn't give you much credibility. Roof leaks are cyclical, a function of natural forces beyond our control. We need more study, more hearings before we can act on this matter. The roof hasn't even asked to be fixed!! Besides, some roofers get paid too much.

Very subtle Dr. Chuck. I just hope your man Sam doesn't make the mistake of letting some fly by night roofer stick on a third layer of shingles when the actual problem is the rotten roof. A little time spent figuring out the real problem can save time and money. It may be that Sam just needs new shingles but not knowing can be costly.

Unless Sam is a roofer, I'm thinking he may need a little help with this project, no matter how long he's owned his house.

Shouldn't this thread be moved to the "house talk" section?

Regardless, my response is... If this is truly the way a conversation goes in your circle of friends, I suggest you get new friends.

Maybe the good debate coach is setting up an allegory or a description of something else in order to get our attention?

Or---- maybe Chuck needs a friggin' new roof!

Stan Austin

Actually, this is very timely. I was down in the Rocky River reservation over the weekend and I recall overhearing a conversation between two people....

Charles: You know, last year this river spilled over it's banks and flooded this entire area.

AL: Well, I understand that a small portion of this water comes from surface runoff, and of that portion of runoff, a small portion is due to people over watering their lawns.

Charles: you're kidding! well, we should turn off all water service on the west side until this problem can be corrected. Just think what will happen to the bald eagles if the water level continues to rise and fall.

AL: great idea! In fact, I think we should make a movie about all the damage that can be prevented if we just stop watering our lawns.

Charles: but wait! what about the poor sections of town that need that water to grow vegetables in their gardens?

AL: no problem, we'll allow them "water credits". They can use what they need and sell any unused portions to those water crazy people who just want it for wasteful purposes.

Charles: Excellent! why didn't we think of this before?

AL: I don't know. People are just callous I guess. By the way, can you pass me another bottle of Evian, this caviar is a little bitter.

True Story. Our first house had a slate roof. I think the previous owner wanted to fix it - but didn't take the time to figure out the appropriate way to do it or to hire the appropriate people.

She had someone come out that did it all wrong - walked on the slate and basically ruined the roof. The cost then to fix it right was astronomical.

Dr. Chuck

A leaking roof can be a real problem. After all, it shields your home from all manner of destruction. When your roof is a problem, there is a very real possibility that the contents of your home could be irreparably damaged. It’s very important get seek a remedy as soon as you recognize that a problem exists.

Here are two suggestions for dealing with this issue:

1) You could undertake some temporary repairs. Now, grant you, this may require that you spend some money. But, the aim would be to stop the damage to enable you to make a more thoughtful inspection and determination, and perfect further, more extensive repairs after that study has been completed. Among these stop gaps, would be something as simple as purchasing blue tarps to cover over the area identified as the problem. It isn’t a permanent repair, but it will shore up the shield that protects your home. It is important to remember that no roofers work in the winter months, say from Nov. to March so if you delay a temporary fix, that fix can’t happen until sometime late next spring. But, with a patch in place, you can use that time to determine whether you need a complete tear-off or just some reflashing.

2) Even though you recognize the problem, since Chuck is resistant to taking action, you could simply wait him out. Eventually, when there is general failure of the protective structure, he will be forced to take some action. As a psychologist, you would know better than I, but I suspect that while Chuck knows and recognizes the problem, he is hoping to leverage it for a greater gain, perhaps hoping that damage from the failed structure might also result the need to completely redecorate the entire house to repair damaged plaster and ceilings. Has he been hinting that he wants to redo the blue bedroom? Maybe this is his avenue to assure that change.

I recently had a leak in my office roof. I spent about $200.00 for a roofer to do a “tune upâ€Â￾. He found a few missing shingles, caulked some flashings and fortunately, even with the heavy summer thunderstorms, there has been no further damage. Because the roof is reaching the end of its useful life, I will probably have to replace it, but at least now I can approach that problem without further damage where the water pooled on my library mantel from the leaky flashing around the chimney.

Hope this helps!

Jeff

Thanks, all, for you suggestions. I've decided to study the problem until it goes away. I'm bringing in a team of consultants to see if the bucket in my attic is collecting water from the roof, or from some other source, if the tiny holes I see are optical illususions, etc.. I'm also conducting a year long, conprehensive study of my household expenses, etc., to determine if fixing the roof is the best use for my finite resources. After all, while acting in haste can surely be costly, there is no downside to just playing "wait and see."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/06 ... index.html

oooops!

After they're done checking the holes in your roof, perhaps they could start patching the multiple holes that seem to be developing all throughout your theory...

http://ff.org/centers/csspp/pdf/20070226_monckton.pdf

Bret

There is no no nexus between the roofing problem and global warming....at least I don't think there is.

Jeff

There is no no nexus between the roofing problem and global warming

My humblest apologies, obviously I've misconstrued the straightforward issue which Mr. Greanoff chose to post here.

I've decided to study the problem until it goes away.

Gosh no, Mr. Greanoff, please for the love of man, don't wait another second, even the slightest of leaks could render your house virtually unlivable for generations to come. Further, if your house suffers, it could become a blight on the entire neighborhood, dragging down property values, increasing poverty, and possibly even throwing us into recession. Once that hits, it's the same sad story, crime waves 20 blocks high until entire cities virtually disappear.

Don't just sit there and do nothing. What kind of an insensitive person are you? We're all in this together.

Please tell me what I can do to help you fix your roof.

Yes, waiting is the appropriate thing to do, because the consequences of fixing a roof that doesn't need immediate attention are so clearly much worse than not fixing a roof that does.

Chuck--- Today, you cudda gone up there with a bucket of tar, fixed the leak, and gotten down to stable ground for a safe beer.

The next time this comes up for discussion it's gonna rain!!!! And, of course you can't fix a leaking roof when it's raining!

This is starting to meet the classic definition of a conundrum.

Stan

Stan

You're jumping to conclusions. The question of whether tar is appropriate requires study, as well as whether a bucket would be too little or too much. Data needs to be collected and analyzed as to the effectiveness of tar, or whether its long term use may actually be more problematic, as well as the interplay between petroleum based coverings and potential latex or other resins.

I'm putting together a grant proposal for Dr. Chuck, as well as some protocols for ongoing maintenance scheduling vis a vis potential economic future events.

Jeff