A New Roof Is A Very Nice Thing!


Saturday Morning May 6th. We start by replacing the entire roof. After years of being exposed to the elements, we were excited to finally have a house with a dry interior.

I used to welcome the rain... but in the months before we got the new roof on the Victorian house, I cursed every day it rained. Without a proper roof, water would pour into the interior. We placed large containers and tarps to collect what rain made its way into the house. We installed a temporary felt paper roof to try to beat back mother nature but it only would last for weeks. We did all of this to a home that we didn't even own at the time... but felt compelled to protect.



A third of the roof was still the original slate, but the slate was so badly damaged from years of neglect and abuse, we decided that it was too far gone for recovery. We selected an asphalt shingle called Dove Gray Pinnacle that fit the style of house and was still within our budget. There is approximately 45 square for the main body of the house. We would have loved to replace the roof with a slate like material called Authentic Roof but the cost was prohibitive. The goal was to get a roof on as soon as possible but still make it look presentable.

The roofing gods smiled upon us with a full week of perfect weather.
The roofing crew showed up on time and prepared for the job.
They stayed on sight and worked till the sun set. They made good progress despite having to correct a myriad of defects in the roof.

The only thing that saved this house from complete decay is the wood that it was built with. It appears that the house is predominately american hardwoods such as oak, cherry, cedar, and (to a lesser extent) poplar. I have never in my life seen planks so wide, some- up to 18" or more.

One of the areas of concern was where the tower met the front veranda roof. It's a extremely steep pitched area that forces all the water into a small valley against the wall of the tower. If it fills with leaves, debris or snow, it's a disaster waiting to happen. The water will climb up the roof and leak into the house. It appears that it had been repaired many times over the years and the popular fix was to dump large amounts of tar into the valley and hope for the best.

Our roofer suggested, and we agreed, to modify the roof line and change the flow of water. This was the best solution without upsetting aesthetics of the house.

After four days of effort, we now have a weather tight roof. We can now move our efforts inside.
We still need to address issues with the soffet, fascia and trim.

If you think you may be able to help this house with woodwork, drywall, trim, heating and cooling, we would welcome your input or quotation.

Please email us at:



victorianhouse@efadgroup.com