The absolute best change to the place I live in 2009 was when we tore off the ceiling and roof. Some genius put a flat roof on the back part of our house. Now I ask you, WHY would you put a flat roof on any home in Portland, Oregon? It turns into an oasis for mosquitos, ants, squirrels and raccoons. During the day, squirrels dropped from the trees with a bang. At night, wrestling raccoons sounded like someone was dragging bodies around up there. Spring guaranteed the sugar ant invasion.
We bought the house in 2000 even though it had a flat roof over the family room (yes, we were concerned even then). Three years later we had the roof fixed because it was leaking. Turns out it wasn’t just leaking…it was full of water and the beams were rotted. So, the roofers tore the whole thing out and fixed the flat roof. Of course, six years later the ceiling started leaking again (thanks to the 2008 snow storms) and the original roofers were out of business. The ceiling was full of water along with a colony of ants and other assorted critters.
This time we got smart…smarter than the guy who put on the flat roof (where is he anyway? I’d like to give him a swift kick!). We tore the whole thing off…ceiling and roof. And, we had these terrific contractors, Stride Construction, pitch the roof. The first day it was sort of funny to hear the squirrels hit the roof and slide off. And the next day, after they finished construction, we had our first downpour of the season. It was lovely to just sit in the family room and listen to the rain fall – like it should – off a proper roof. Praise to the pitched roof!
All I can say (again) you are super writer! Love to read your stories. Zdena