Of course it would happen on a crazy busy day. I had showings all evening and I was late to meet with some colleagues, my back hurt from sleeping funny and it was raining and damp and cold. It was a chicken soup day and I was stressed about Corey getting stuck in traffic and being late to get Rudy and thinking about mile long list of things to do when I noticed a wet spot on the bed.
My first thought was that the cat was protesting his new litter and had peed on the bed. Then I noticed with measured horror the drip, drip dripping that indicated an active leak. Right. Above. OUR BED. Ugh!
I love owning a home and, for us, the many joys of home ownership far outweigh the costs but eventually, the piper has to be paid. We had done some necessary but "boring" renovations and updates when we first moved in, but we had since focused on spending our money where we would see a big impact. I know they're necessary, but I hate paying for renos that I don't notice! That sounded silly now that I've written it down and can go back to read it. Obviously, we need a roof! Without a roof, we're essentially living outside... which I'm sure would be far less romantic than it sounds!
We first noticed a small leak last winter while we had friends over for a games night. It was a particularly bad storm and we only had a leak in the family room addition (which has no attic) so it didn't worry us much. We considered it a warning and vowed to get the job done after tax time. The puddle on the bed was far less subtle and we knew we needed to move fast!
It was expensive but worthwhile. Bask in the beauty that is our new roof and ignore the old siding and gutters!
Pro Tips:
- We're saving the receipts as proof to show our buyers when we eventually list our house for sale!
- We made sure our roofers had proper insurance.
- We spoke to neighbours on both sides to tell them before the work was done and we double checked that our roofers picked up all the nails so that didn't need to worry about flat tires... or ouchy paws. ;)