FML...
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 5:14 pm
Sorry for being quiet the last couple of weeks.
We changed home insurance companies. The new company came and inspected the house and cancelled the policy. Nobody would insure us unless we made some repairs/updates. Particularly, they required we install a new roof ($9,500+) and remediate some 'dry rot' (ie: fix the siding the dog chewed on)...
Well, then our mortgage company let us know that if we DIDN'T do these things, they would seek repossession of the house for not having home insurance.
Since I didn't have $13,000 - $16,000 for contractors to come in and do it, I had no choice but to do it myself. Yes, I spent 14 days tearing off the old shingles, making repairs, and putting on a new roof. I had two days of help from a neighbor who took pity on me. I also removed the siding on the affected part of the back of the house and replaced it, installed a new vapor barrier, and put Hardie siding over that. Hardie is a cement fibre product that lasts forever and never rots.
So here I am. I ache. My knee is shot, but I just did those $15,000 or so of repairs for under $3,000 and some sweat equity. I have a 40 year roof, the best siding you can get, and I managed to get it done before it got REALLY hot here in Texas.
And now I have new insurance in place, and it is $600/year cheaper than the old policy for 2x the coverage. So, the repairs should pay for themselves in around 5 years. Or less. I replaced the dark brown shingles with EnergyStar white heat rejecting shingles that make the roof about 10C cooler.
Next week, I will blow R60 of insulation into the attic, and really cut those summer AC bills.
We changed home insurance companies. The new company came and inspected the house and cancelled the policy. Nobody would insure us unless we made some repairs/updates. Particularly, they required we install a new roof ($9,500+) and remediate some 'dry rot' (ie: fix the siding the dog chewed on)...
Well, then our mortgage company let us know that if we DIDN'T do these things, they would seek repossession of the house for not having home insurance.
Since I didn't have $13,000 - $16,000 for contractors to come in and do it, I had no choice but to do it myself. Yes, I spent 14 days tearing off the old shingles, making repairs, and putting on a new roof. I had two days of help from a neighbor who took pity on me. I also removed the siding on the affected part of the back of the house and replaced it, installed a new vapor barrier, and put Hardie siding over that. Hardie is a cement fibre product that lasts forever and never rots.
So here I am. I ache. My knee is shot, but I just did those $15,000 or so of repairs for under $3,000 and some sweat equity. I have a 40 year roof, the best siding you can get, and I managed to get it done before it got REALLY hot here in Texas.
And now I have new insurance in place, and it is $600/year cheaper than the old policy for 2x the coverage. So, the repairs should pay for themselves in around 5 years. Or less. I replaced the dark brown shingles with EnergyStar white heat rejecting shingles that make the roof about 10C cooler.
Next week, I will blow R60 of insulation into the attic, and really cut those summer AC bills.