Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Overhead Expenses

There are many overhead expenses with homeownership, some more literal than others.  Saturday before last, it was very windy here.  When I went outside the following day, I saw a shingle on the ground.  Then I saw another shingle.  And another.  And another…  My roof had suddenly developed wind-pattern baldness.
 

Hear that whimpering?  That’s my savings account preparing to take a hit.  It's possible that my homeowners insurance will cover a new roof (minus my $1,000 deductible, of course).  Or they may deny the claim, and I'll be forking over thousands of dollars.  If it’s the latter scenario, home improvement activities may have to cease for a while.

I have no idea what I’ll do with myself if I can’t work on the house!  Lots of sewing, I guess.  I have a sizable stockpile of fabric on hand. :)

And in tangentially related news, March means weather insanity in Denver.  At 4:00 p.m. today, it was 72 degrees.  Tomorrow night's forecast says 2-4 inches of snow.



15 comments:

  1. OUCH!! Here's hoping they don't deny that claim. Althouugh I have loved your past DIY sewing posts and would enjoy seeing more. ;)

    I kinda know how you feel about putting house progress on hold. I'm looking to leave my job ASAP because of a toxic person, and it's likely that I will take a much lower-paying job just to get out. My first thought when contemplating this plan of action was "but I don't have my crown molding yet!" It sucks, but all will fall into place in time. :)

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  2. Sorry to hear about your job situation. Toxic people in the workplace are the worst! It sucks that one person can make others' lives so difficult. I hope you're able to find some kind of resolution soon.

    My job has evolved into less-than-fulfilling work and I would love to do something different, but I know I'll take a big pay cut if I leave the company. (Executives call this situation "golden handcuffs." In my case, it's barely "10K gold plated handcuffs," but the effect is the same.) I could live on less, but it's distressing to think of downsizing my project list.

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  3. Home ownership feels like a giant money-sucking VORTEX sometimes, I hear ya! I hope the damage is minimal and you get that claim plus some. :(

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  4. Indeed! I think of my savings account as one of those tipping bucket fountains - water (money) pours into the bucket (savings account) until it reaches a certain point, then suddenly the bucket tips and empties. The bucket never stays full for long. (But it could be a lot worse - at least I have the bucket!)

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  5. If it makes you feel any better, I'm in the same boat. I poked one of the beams under the eaves and discovered that it was entirely made up of termite frass with a painted shell. I can't wait to find out what sort of nightmare THIS is going to be.
    You're a creative sort. I'm sure that lack of funds won't completely shut down the progress.

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    1. Here's hoping our boat is the Costa Concordia, not the Titanic! I never knew how good paint was at hiding insect damage until I discovered carpenter ants had been secretly practicing their carpentry on my door frame. Dastardly insects, hiding behind the paint! I hope you find out that the damage is only localized.

      True, I could make progress. With the crazy amount of bits and bobs in my workroom, I could probably keep busy for months without spending any money. And abstaining from Home Depot for a while might not be a bad thing.

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    2. Barnes and Noble used to own my soul. They seem to have sold it to Home Depot.

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  6. If it makes you feel any better #2,
    My rainwater guttering is in serious need of replacement and a length of it fell down and punched a hole in the roof of an outbuilding below. I can't simply repair the roof as it's made from asbestos fibre/cement sheets. The whole roof will have to be replaced with an asbestos free alternative.

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  7. Things falling off your house is bad. Things falling off your house and damaging other things is even worse. :(

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  8. Roof work is the worst. The only reason your insurance would deny the claim is if it's determined that the shingles were not sufficiently attached and that's why they came off. We faced a similiar situation. We have a tile roof which wasn't installed as it should have been back in 96. As such, we discovered a leak in our master bedroom closet. Insurance didn't cover it because it wasn't "normal wear and tear." Good luck.

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    1. The roofing contractor said the shingles were stapled rather than nailed. :( That point could be argued for the wind damage, which is why I'm strangely glad that there is hail damage also. Logically, there's not much reason to doubt insurance will cover it, but I'm distrustful of insurance companies after a battle with medical insurance many years ago. I needed surgery to correct a birth defect, and they kept denying authorization because it was a "pre-existing condition."

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    2. I hear you. Like anything, the idea of insurance is great on paper and-sometimes-comes in quite handy. But they do try their hardest to avoid paying anything.

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  9. House repairs are the hardest to deal with financially. Last month, I had to repair a part of our house’s roof because it had leaks. Good thing the homeowners insurance covered a part of the repair expenses. Hope yours would work just as fine. It’s best to deal with those roof problems now than later.

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    1. Definitely better to deal with them immediately. A little roof problem can lead to major expense if there are leaks.

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  10. Yes, roof repair may be costly, but it’s always a priority. In fact, a single damage to the roof can cause further dilemma to a house/building if not treated immediately. Anyway, I hope your roof’s all fixed by now. It’s alright dealing with all those expenses. What matters most is that you and your family are safe and secured. :)

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