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Ok so I thought I'd give everyone a quick status update on the whole "Tree Fiasco" from last week.
The tree is no longer on my roof, having been removed by my neighbor. He was also nice enough to put a tarp up there, over the hole. So at least I don't have to worry about doing that myself and definitely don't have to worry about paying a professional to take care of the tree. He said he'd fully do that.
The real problem now is all the damage.
My little brother and I took a really good look at it Saturday afternoon. Besides the cracked drywall and the hole, there is a few broken joists in there too. I'm concerned about the cost of repairing such a thing. My brother seems to think that repairing the drywall shouldn't be too hard or expensive. Its the roof and the hole that might be a problem. There's also the fact that my great aunt--whom I live with---will be coming home from Rehab at the end of the week. In case you're wondering, she fell and broke her hip last month. I'm very glad she wasn't in the house when the tree came down.
My aunt is the kind of person who thinks she can get things for free if she asks someone nice enough. That and because she has people whom she thinks are "friends", who are really not. A contractor did some free work for her some years ago on the very same roof. As you can imagine, that didn't go so well because he didn't actually fix anything. That very same contractor is going to supposedly come and take a look "sometime", I'm not very confident in his skill.
I foresee this being troublesome and very expensive.
Comments
Techinical College
Where is the closest Technical College to you?
I ask because you could maybe do some sort of deal to get possible free/cheep labor
Not too Far
Not that far from me actually. Though my aunt is one of those people who would never accept any help from anyone who wasn't a professional. She's kind of a pain in the ass like that -__-.
Well, that's kind of the point of approaching the college ...
You get professional-grade help by people who are training to do this as their avocation, you get a deal on the cost, they get valuable experience, instructors are usually involved to make sure everything is up to code, documentation all around ... all good things.
Cracked joists don't necessarily need to be replaced, as long as they are not cracked through ... jack those suckers back into position, apply plates to both sides with construction adhesive and lag-bolts, or full bolts if you have the room to do so, make sure the patch-plates integrate into the joist-supports, and you don't have to tear apart the whole structure.
Yes
Putting new joists next to the damaged ones and fastening everything together properly is the usual and most cost effective method. You may be required to remove more drywall than you would like.
Sister board
This method is called putting in a "sister board" and was recommended by an inspector when I called for a visit to let me know what was required to repair damage from a chimney fire where parts of the floor joists on the upper floor were burned out.
It's a simple process if you or your brother have any (even rudimentary) carpenter skills. Simply remove the sheet rock from the cracked/broken joists. Then prepare a board (usually a 2 x 4) that spans the break/crack plus about 2 feet on either side or extends to a support, which ever is closer. Use 3 inch sheet rock screws about a foot apart to fasten it along side the joist in question. It will be easier to work with if you pre-drill holes in the sister board so that you don't have to screw it all the way through it before biting into the existing joist. If necessary, jack up the broken joist so it is straight before screwing the sister board to it. This can be done by using a 2 x 4 that is slightly longer than the distance from the floor and placing it at a slight angle (parallel to the joist) and slowly tapping it into a more vertical position until the joist is straight.
The hole in the roof is a bigger, more important problem. The tarp is a very temporary fix. I'd recommend getting that weather tight ASAP.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Ich bin eine Mann
FIRST!!!
Check the Joist if it can be jacked into position wit out FATHER damage do it & sister a 2x4 on each side use regular carrage bolts with a flat washer on each side if you want to use some liquid nails OK but up to you. As your great aunt is I presume a Senior Citizen there could be local.programs you can contact and those people ARE professionals who will FIX things RIGHT the college is another good idea as the building trades program has the instructor on site to HELP guide the students on how to do it RIGHT hun and are former contractors them selves.
Love Samantha Renée Heart.
you also
could check with the local high school industrial arts department. Many high schools have classes on building construction where they take the students out and build complete houses and such. They may be able to do the repair for the cost of materials?
Good friend of mine is the automotive instructor at one of our local high schools, he is always looking for people to bring their cars there so he can use them to give the advanced students more hands on training.
We the willing, led by the unsure. Have been doing so much with so little for so long,
We are now qualified to do anything with nothing.
As usual
get everything in writing with costs and the description of the work to be done. If they won't sit down and go over it with you I wouldn't work with them.
In writing
I plan too. My aunt tends to be pretty lax when it comes to things like that. She takes everyone's word and never questions it. I mean to her, why should she, they're "professionals" after all. She's a weird woman. She distrusts the right people and trusts the wrong ones.
Free Contractor friend
EOF you will need a permit for this work, which is good. That way, the work is inspected.
Wish I was near, I'd roll my little butt over for supervision of the work.
Karen
Permit
I emailed the proper people about that. They want to send the Building Inspector out here to take a look before they'll give a permit.
insurance
are you not insured for this kind of damage ?
No Insurance :(
Nope, my aunt cancelled it years ago because she didn't want to pay $100 a month for it.
100$ per month?
100$ per month?
I live in cali and mine is only 700 with full coverage on a home worth over 400k
you might want to look into that cost, she might have been ripped off by her old insurance company and a new one would be far lower?
also since she is elderly, there might be local and state programs to fix up that house for free, so she can continue to live there and not in a state run care facility
and your state might pay you to be at home to care for her too! I did this with my mother and the state paid me over 500$ per month to do it!
if you PM me your state at the least I can look into it for ya?
Proud member of the Whateley Academy Drow clan/collective
Casualty Losses 2017
If your aunt pays income taxes she may be eligible of a Casualty Loss deduction for property damage for 2017.
whoops
Don't have the dry wall or other interior work started until after the roof is sealed. You don't want to do twice the repair work.
Ouch!! Had a hemlock fall on my home back in Washington. Water logged interiors are no fun at all!
alissa