Sunday, December 19, 2004
The back porch
The back porch was quite a project. Going into this, I knew it needed work. But I didn't realize how much work had been put into the porch to solve a problem that was inherent from its original design.
When the porch was installed, the designer didn't figure in enough pitch or drainage. This made the roof leak profusely. The tenants at the time put tar on it, then put gravel on it, then put tar on it again. This only trapped all the water and saturated the support beams. When we started ripping the ceiling down, we discovered the vent holes had been painted over years ago, rendering them useless and only causing more problems.
Ugh. That, my friends, is why it's important to design something right from the start.
When the porch was installed, the designer didn't figure in enough pitch or drainage. This made the roof leak profusely. The tenants at the time put tar on it, then put gravel on it, then put tar on it again. This only trapped all the water and saturated the support beams. When we started ripping the ceiling down, we discovered the vent holes had been painted over years ago, rendering them useless and only causing more problems.
Ugh. That, my friends, is why it's important to design something right from the start.
