Fall Finishes

I know that I have not posted in a long time, but that does not mean that we have not been busy.  Right after we finished with the porch roof, we went to Rochester for a little medical services for Rick's back and sciatic problems.  While there, I tripped and fell on my left knee, shattering it into four pieces.  I broke the knee on August 12 and had surgery here in Green Bay on August 19 to screw and wire the pieces all back together.  Lots of physical therapy is helping me get my mobility and life style back. Healing just takes time.

Another thing that takes time is getting the roofers to come to install a new roof.  Rick called the roofer in May, and he promised that we would have a new roof before winter.  Record rains have prevented the roofers from coming on promised days in early September, so finally on September 30, we greeted roofers on the one day that we did not get rain.

Before the roofers came, Rick had to take out the old SolaTube in the kitchen.  We bought a new SolaTube to install after the roof was complete.

Rick removes the old SolaTube cover from the roof before the
workers remove the roof and chimneys.

I'll let the pictures tell the roofing story.

Workers removed the first unused chimney that
used to vent the long-gone fireplace.  The chimney
was filled with nesting materials from birds and squirrels.

The roof comes off, only to reveal many, many warped boards
that needed to be replaced so the new roof would be level and smooth.

This picture shows both the hole from the old chimney and
the water damage on the edge of the old boards.

A huge lift delivers almost 30 new roofing boards to make
our house water tight for the winter.

The lighter boards are the replaced boards.  Up goes the price
of our new roof!

We chose a light brown for the roof that coordinates well with the brick.

After the roof was installed, we also had to get all new gutters and gutter covers.

Workers lift the new gutter onto our new back porch enclosure.

Once the roof and gutters were finished, Rick and I (mostly Rick) spent the last two days installing two new SolaTubes.  The one in the kitchen was just a replacement, but the one in the interior bathroom was a life-changing new feature in our old house.

Rick saws a hole through our new roof to install
the SolaTube in the kitchen.  The new tube even has
a solar-powered night light that allows a person to
see the whole kitchen at night... which is a safety feature
should one have to get out fast or get into the refrigerator
for a midnight snack!

Rick snaps in the dome for the kitchen SolaTube.  He then
went into the house and finished the job from the inside,
which took another four hours!

Today (October 4) Rick cut the second hole in the roof
to install the bathroom SolaTube.

Once he installed the flashing, he added the reflective
arc to the dome and positioned it to face south.

The hole in the bathroom ceiling awaits the
new SolaTube.

Putting the tube together is easier on the kitchen table.

Once installed, the new SolaTube lights up
the entire windowless bathroom without any electricity,

The tube is so bright that it lights up the interior hallway also.

We both are exhausted but extremely pleased with the results.  We have a new roof that will last us the rest of our lives, and we have completed the last tasks of the summer by getting the SolaTubes installed in the kitchen and the interior bathroom.  Now we both need to rest.