Then we got a really good downpour. We realized the house was a lot more leaky than we knew. The flat roof was leaking big time, and so was the siding in the bathroom addition. There was water pouring into the house from the ceiling and also coming down the walls from the cracks in the siding.
We decided the only real way to fix the roof and siding leaks was to replace the roof and siding. The flat roof was a maintenance nightmare, and it seemed impossible to stop it from leaking more than a few months at a time. So we decided to replace it with a pitched roof. Pitched roofs are much better because the water runs down them instead of collecting on the roof and forming puddles.
We hired an engineer to design the roof and then the workers followed his plans. Luckily, the flat roof was so small that its replacement cost was not as huge as it could have been.
Next, the siding had to be replaced. It was cracked all over, an the cracks allowed rain water to flow freely inside of the walls. This was another huge unexpected project.
As the construction was going on, it was discovered that one of the major structural members holding up the back of the second floor was badly damaged due to the water leaks. The member has wood rot damage and termite damage. The water leaks attracted the termites to certain parts of the house.
This meant that the siding would have to come off, so that the crew could get to the structural member to replace it.
Looking on the bright side, we found these leaks prior to sealing up the walls and installing the drywall. Therefore, there was no water damage from the leaks to any new construction or renovations.
