Misty Meadows Update – The Unintentional Skylight

One of the many things needing to be done before winter arrives is replacing our home’s roof and siding.  As I may have mentioned before, the previous owner was in poor health and unable to maintain the place adequately.

Several neighbors have mentioned he was a bit on the cheap …err… thrifty side, so when the skylights in both the master bath and kitchen failed, rather than fix the problem, he opted to have the skylights (and the damaged, rain-soaked roof) covered, very poorly, with metal roofing.

For the most part, our home is in good shape and has good bones, however, by the time we bought it, the ceiling in the master bath had caved in, exposing moldy drywall and rafters, so we knew going in we’d have some work ahead of us.

This week the roofers arrived and really came through for us… and almost the ceiling.

Wood decking going up

If you’ve never had a roof replaced, the noise can be a bit unnerving; the noise, along with knowing the wood decking (plywood under the paper and shingles) was already spongy and compromised, my nerves were on edge.

I had spent most of the morning trying to avoid being in any area under which the roofers were working.  Finally, forced to our room, I had just laid down to engage in some TV distraction when I heard a loud crack and a louder crash in the other room.

Leaning over the side of our bed, and peeking out into the living room, I fully expected to see one of the workers straddling the back of the couch where the cat had been.  Thankfully, all I saw was ceiling debris and bright blue sky through the unintentional skylight.

The “Unintentional” Skylight

Kitty, kitty?

From that point on, a two-day job became three, as they proceeded with caution.

Mr. Misty spent a lot of time replacing roof insulation, especially in the areas damaged by the failed skylights, as well as fixing dry rot under the fascia boards and current siding, in preparation for its replacement.

There was a birds nest in there!

The final morning of the project, we woke to near torrential rains – thank goodness the roof had been decked and papered with a water resistant roofing felt, the day before.

Wood decking and water resistant roofing felt

The shingles we chose are a lovely hunter green, which we hope will blend into the surrounding forest and go well with the new siding that, if the weather cooperates, will be installed this week.

Look at that lovely hunter green roof!!

Psalm 100:5

As the roofers finished, a rainbow broke through the dreary sky, reminding us that though we have more work to do before winter comes, it will be worth it.

Stay tuned – next, we start replacing the siding.