Thursday, March 19, 2009

Roof Shingles, Paint Colors, Chimney Work

Yeehaw! We're about to see some forward progress (perhaps only because we're paying other people to do the work!).

Today, we signed and sent back the estimate for the chimney work that we're having done. The chimney needs to be rebuilt down to just below the roof-line; the firebox floor is not fire-ready (as in, it's just floor tile, not a fire-resistant fireblock), so it needs to be rebuilt; and the chimney itself needs a stainless steel liner, since the boiler and water heater vent into it, and that moisture causes damage to the masonry... When I saw the cost of the stainless steel liner, I immediately thought we'd just eliminate that part of the job -- until I rethought it and decided we've seen enough short-term fixes in this house and the last one. It's time to think about the long haul. That liner will significantly extend the life of the chimney. So anyway, they start next week! The scaffolding goes up, the chimney comes down, and then: a new, rebuilt chimney. We opted to go ahead and pay the extra to have the chimney replicated exactly (it requires special brick), since we have the original blueprints to the house and want to "honor the history"...

Tomorrow, our roofing/siding guy is coming over so we can pick shingle colors. (As a quick aside, he counseled Bob, "Let your wife pick the color!") Bob just called me from work to say, perhaps we should think about exterior paint colors before we wed ourselves to a shingle color? Since I was thinking the same thing, we agreed to go to Home Depot tonight after a quick dinner at Fazolis. I've been itching to go to Home Depot...

Anyway, once the chimney work is done, we'll start on the roof and siding, and I CAN'T WAIT. I really am tired of identifying our house as the one with 12 different paint colors on the outside, and plywood on the side of the house. Not to mention the fact that pieces of shingles seem to magically appear on the ground around the house all the time. That doesn't seem good.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi, Annie, it seem that you're having a hard time with your chimney. When I moved to my new home, I found that the chimney was not at all in a working condition. It was necessary to replace some parts of the chimney. I contacted Mad Hatter Services (http://www.madhatterservices.com/), who have always handled the chimney and fireplace cleaning work at my old house. They gave good quality replacement parts, fixed them and also cleaned the chimney.

Unknown said...

You made the right choice in choosing exterior colors first before deciding on a shingle color. By checking out Home Depot and hopefully other exterior inspirations, you were able to determine which one suits your taste. Anyway, which exterior and roofing combination did you choose?

Regards,
Hugh Dinatale

Richard Boles said...

Choosing the right color that suits the exterior of your house is just one of the factors that you have to consider during roof replacement. But what’s of paramount importance is choosing the right type of roofing system for your house, which includes the warranty, the materials, and the price.

Richard Boles

Unknown said...

“Let your wife pick the color!” -- A husband who listens to that advice is a smart man. I’ve never been more satisfied with how our roof and exterior look, and how happy I made my wife by trusting with her choice. Anyway, do update us on how everything worked out. =)

Regards,
Willie Norman