#59 The Handyman Can...
Rain, Rain Go Away…
Screened in porches are all the rage and I’m lucky enough to have one.
The good news. It’s bright and airy and big.
The bad news. It has a completely impractical roof that has been a source of leaky frustration on and off for years.
The contractor who built the porch, probably in the 1970’s, chose to use translucent corrugated fiberglass panels for said roof and, while they let in lots of light, they also let in lots of water.
One of these things I like. The other, not so much.
We actually did a complete redo in 2007 – stripped it down to the studs and replaced the roof panels and did our best to make everything watertight.
Despite this, leaks, leaks, and more leaks.
Over the years we have given a fair amount of thought to why we still get inundated and it turns out there are a couple of key factors promoting roof failure.
The first is snow load. Our winters come with lots of snow.
As in LOTS OF SNOW.
Our poor roof can find itself struggling to hold gargantuan quantities of panel bending precipitation. And as the panels sag, the seams are subjected to wrenching pressure. If these seams could scream I’m betting they would. (Actually, they probably are, just at frequencies I can’t hear.)
Added to that is WIND.
When the Winnie-The-Pooh-Piglet-Flying winds come, they swoop through the screens, lift the roof up with a mighty heave, and slam it back down onto the supports, flinging roofing nails in all directions.
(My squirrel obsessed dog refuses to recognize this as a “wind” thing and remains committed to the idea that squirrels are jumping up and down on the roof and taunting her. So the roof slamming is generally accompanied by frenzied barking. Such a joy.)
Anyway, we have mostly resigned ourselves to living with a space that is more a glorified patio than a porch and only habitable on sunny days.
But this year the hubby has a plan.
A shiny new plan.
It involves all sorts of detailed drawings and sketches and calculations and new kinds of hardware and improved roofing panels, and bigger joists and – well – lots of technical stuff.
He is determined to win this battle against the elements.
He’s pretty clever so watch this space.
Copyright© 2024 Anne Morse Hambrock All rights reserved.
Today is NOT a porch sitting day…
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There’s green and there’s green…
Lush isn’t it?
If only a depressing amount of this greenery was not a thoroughly well established bunch of weeds.
And yes, the dog has disappeared…
Music As Requested
Here is another track off my album “Round & Round”.
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Note: When you think you hear a flute, you don’t. That is actually a European Sycamore recorder from Germany played by my late collaborator Rafaele Schilewa.
I miss her very much.
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Love this music so much I bought the album. So sweet and calming.