The Roof Was Supposed to Be the Big One
When we first started figuring out what needed to be done around the house, the roof was the one thing I knew we couldn’t mess around with.
It was old. It was in bad shape. And after twelve years of questionable property management, it was pretty obvious that replacing it wasn’t going to be optional.
So we got estimates, made the decision, and prepared ourselves for the hit.
The final bill for the new roof and gutter system was $36,341.
Yeah. That one hurt. đł
But at least we could check ânew roofâ off the list.
The roofers showed up on March 26, 2026, and pretty much immediately made the whole thing look worse before it got better. They tore the old roof off, leaving the house looking particularly naked for a while.
Then they started putting it all back together.
And when it was finally finished, I have to admitâit was a really good feeling to look up and know that one of the biggest problems hanging over our heads was finally gone.
Literally.
I remember thinking, Okay. That’s the big one. Now we can start working our way through everything else.
I should probably have known better.
Because the roof may have been the biggest single expense, but it definitely wasn’t the end of the list.
There was still the septic system.
The electrical work.
The dry rot.
The mold.
The garage.
The trees.
The ivy.
The landscaping.
And a whole lot of smaller things that somehow become much less âsmallâ once you start adding up the invoices.
But the roof was done.
The house was dry. The gutters were new. And for the first time since we came home, it felt like we had actually made a serious dent in the mess we’d inherited.
Of course, we had no idea what was waiting for us next. đ đ
