Friday I finally finally found someone who agreed to such a small job (probably just a patch on the roof - maybe re-do the kitchen roof). The handymen-cum-roofers showed up Monday morning (and started throwing things in the dumpster at 6:50 am, I might add) and within 30 minutes the big boss was ringing our doorbell. Here's a change of perspective: it's not that our kitchen is where the stable used to be - it IS the stable. A hastily dressed André followed the boss outside a
nd up the ladder to see with his own eyes that a) there were SIX layers of shingles on the roof - each one placed right over the previous and b) once those were removed the supporting beams and various bits of wood were from the original stable (aka approx 100 years old) and c) most of those were rotten. André was especially impressed with the guy's ability to pull away parts of the beams with his hands. Ahem. (In the picture, the top board is the old rotten one and you can see what was passing for insulation!)So we all agreed that it would cost more than we originally planned & they went to work &
André went to work - and then the doorbell rang again... and a few minutes later I looked out the guest bedroom window (which overlooks the kitchen) to see the floor of the old stable hayloft & to notice that brick was crumbling where whoever dreamed up this mess just slapped things together & and to confirm how even more of the beams were rotted than they'd guessed & how there was almost no insulation up there. "Wasn't the kitchen cold this winter?" they asked. "Yes," I said. Sigh.
The final straw from Monday was when our kitchen ceiling started to crack. I went up & told the guys & they said "but we're not standing on the ceiling." True enough, but the ceiling was still cracking. Next thing I know, they're putting up a little paper sign that says "Do not enter the kitchen" & running to Home Depot to construct a make-shift brace to hold up the ceiling while they finish the roof. The big boss - who's name is also André - poked another small hole in the ceiling and told me that it's not a full-fledged ceiling - they just stuck some plaster or drywall or something on the lats (boards??) from the original stable. Nice. I decided to go sit in a local café so my ceiling didn't fall on my head while I collected myself.
André has already told us that when they cut into the walls (something we agreed needs to be done because we can see the water damage - but which we decided we would look at after the roof was dealt with) he's pretty sure that we're going to find that the walls are the actual stable walls - with siding on one side & drywall on the other. "But," he says, "maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised." Maybe.
At first I was pretty worked up about all of this, but then I decided that if we have to have a disaster at least it's an interesting disaster!
