“I’ll patch those leaks”
Hello to everyone, from the High Priest of the trailer park. I am happy to announce, that we are starting to plug some holes in the homestead. That’s a good thing, only downside is I will now have to take the plants out to the deck, if I want the rain to water them.
Of course, I did have a moment of weak judgment. I asked David, the handyman of the park, if he could look at the major roof leak and see what it would take to fix it. After looking over the roof, he decided he could fix us up with some roofing cement (tar filler). When I asked how much? $25 was his reply, “I’ll patch those leaks”. If it doesn’t work, I’ll come back and fix it. I jump started his mower with our car, and he was off down the road, for another adventure. It struck me then, how everyone out here seems to ride mowers, instead of walking. Must be a park thing.
I know, I know, I got $25 worth. To be honest it did slow down the major leak in the washroom that would fill a two gallon bucket in an hour. Now it takes about 3 hours to fill. The bedroom has started leaking, causing spots on the ceiling. I’m not sure if he plugged the leaks or installed new ones.
Time to call someone that does it for a living. I can’t afford $4500 for a complete new roof, but a friend of Michelle’s hubby does it. He needs side-jobs. Yea, this never ends well either. He is going to replace roofing that needs it, new shingles in those spots. His estimate, $600 labor and I buy the materials estimated at $200. Just to patch 4 areas! Nope, I’ll give you $200 for labor. He needs the work so takes it.
Materials needed 3 sheets of plywood, 4 2X4s, 10lbs of Nails, vents, felt paper and some roof tin. 3 bundles of shingles, Oh yea, more of that roof cement for the vents. This has the curse of a government job. Once he got started, he had me come inspect the roof. It was in bad shape. Removing shingles revealed a lot of the wood rotted away. Now materials I have purchased, total $480. I felt so bad for all the work ahead, that I told him I could do another $200. Actually the Mother-in-law is paying, it was her that pushed us into buying this place. That’s another story in itself. Besides, now I have to carry the plants outside, to water them. Now I have shingles and rotten wood in the yard. Next time, I’ll just buy some cheap umbrellas and stick them in the holes!
Comments always welcome,
Scope creep. It always happens with houses. One little thing turns into one big expensive thing! Good luck with that.
Yes, it seems that way sometimes. We’re getting there I think, one shingle at the time.
Thanks for the comment Kate!
My biggest fear of calling in a tradesmen is that they always find something much worse than whatever you employed them for. I feel your pain, Ron. Hope it works this time.
Best wishes, Pete.
Yes, and it is dangerous hiring these “moonlighters” as we call them. You find out all sorts of stuff about them. Some of it not good. Sometimes you just have to work with what you have. Have a good night Pete.
Am I correct in remembering that you just about had this place paid off? I , for one, would love to hear how you came to buy this place.
We were renting, just getting our credit built back up after some medical problems. My MIL lives with us, she is in bad health, and her husband had passed away some time back.
We were looking for a home to buy, had been approved for a range of $150,000 which does okay in this area. Then there was a mold problem in the rental, actually all the rentals on that street. The MIL, is in end stage COPD, she freaked out and said she would die etc if we didn’t get out of there right away. The only catch, was we had to wait 30 more days for one item on my credit to expire to be approved for a regular home. To escape the mold problem in a hurry, we bought this place for very little down, and it will be paid off the first of April I think it is. Our of all her brothers and sisters who are well off, none of them wanted to let her live with them, one tried it for about 8 months, but that burned out fast.
That’s how I wound up in the “money pit”. 🙂
Thanks for the comment, I was slow this week due to all of this going on around here.
I did wonder why you didn’t have a house. This makes sense. We had trouble getting a mortgage because my husband’s ex-wife hadn’t paid one gas bill! We finally paid it just to be able to go ahead with the purchase. I am glad you are able to house your MIL despite the problems.
Oh, no! I know what you mean! Every time I think I have something fixed, another thing needs fixing.
Sometimes I wonder if there are invisible gremlins, just waiting for us to six something, so they can mess something new up. Always a pleasure to see you.
I hear that those lovely blue tarps work great as roofing.
Please don’t tempt me. I swear, right about now, I would settle for a giant white tarp to cover the entire thing. Thanks for the smile tonight, I needed it.
There is always something! Not many can make their somethings amusing, though. I’ll commiserate with you when I’ve finished giggling about your taking the plants outside for rain water.
Yes, I enjoy making light of it all. Saves gritting the teeth! Actually, that joke really happened some months back. We don’t use the dining room table, so Michelle had a plant sitting dead center of the table. Right under the ceiling fan/light, that started leaking during a intense storm, so we started the joke about just putting the plants on the table for watering.
Thanks for the comment Anne.
I vote you MOVE IN WITH THE MOTHER-IN-LAW!!! 😀
I vote we move her! Seriously, if I didn’t feel beholding, we would not have put up with her so long, she is a sight. Her husband allowed Michelle and I with the three kids, to move into a spare trailer they had on their property. We had lost everything due to injuries suffered at work. Fighting workers comp. can be a nightmare, it lasted 3 years. That was 17 years ago. The MIL has lived with us for about the last 6 years. Ugh. Except for that 8 months when she got mad about something, and I had peace and quiet for that time. She claimed she had to come back because the stairs at her brothers were too hard on her. (2 steps). This woman is a book all to herself. Funny thing is, when she moved out from them, they converted that extra guest room, to a hottub room.
So a stroke, and one massive heart attack later, here I sit duct-taping my humble abode, looking forward to getting something better later. We hope to try again for some small plot of land and move there. Get out of the crazy park. Hey, that’s a good name for this area. Crazy park.
Always a pleasure to see you Ellie. I will be around tomorrow to visit all of you, and see what is happening in your worlds.
Oh. My. God. I didn’t realize she lived with you!! I missed that bit where you commented on someone else’s comment above… also, you wrote that she has well-off siblings, none of whom will have her stay with them! She must be *really special*!!!!! Arghh!
Re Workers Comp, just terrible how u had to fight tooth and nail for it. I mean, you paid INTO it for years, right??! So it should be something you’re entitled to, without doing a song-and-dance for 3 years!! So SHE has lived with you for SIX years?!!! OMG. (except for the 2-step 8-month agony of hers, lol) There is a joke in there somewhere, between the hot-tub room and your roof leaks, right? I vote you duct-tape your MIL!!!!!!!!
‘See’ you later, Ron. My full sympathies meanwhile. 🙁
You’re right, home repairs are never fun because there’s usually always more to them than we think.
The roof is the major item. Once we get the leaks stopped, hopefully he will be done this week, then we can bail out the inside (just kidding).
I’ve fixed several floors that needed it, and some painting inside so it is still home sweet home.
17 years ago, we spent 2 or 3 years in an 18 foot 1960s model airstream. The bathroom was in a unheated trailer 20 feet down the outside deck, and some nights, the commode had ice crystals in it. Oh yea, you had to use a flashlight as there was no power in that small trailer. It was a Jeff Foxworthy story for sure. “If you have to put on your shoes, and get a flashlight to go to the bathroom, you might be a redneck”. I need to share that story here on the blog. I had included it, grammatical errors and all, in a memoir type short story after we got back up and going on our feet again.
Thanks for the comment, always great to see you.
Wow, that sounds like an adventure for sure. 🙂