Crown Heights Reno
« stairway to heaven pause... »
August 8, 2007
hot fun in the summer time
can't think of a better way to spend a heat wave than up on a roof melting rubber
but the contractor saw a window between waves of thunderstorms and went for it
or
how could i forget rule #5
and yes
it was an extreme shock to see all the old roofing material in the house
demolition is bad
roof demolition is worse
it's dark and angry and sticky and dirty
and tar is very unforgiving
warning sign:
arriving the first night after they had started
it was clear that this was not going to be pretty
but things were still relatively under control
then all hell broke loose
the master bedroom & closet
truth be told, i did not venture up to the roof during this time period
the stairs to the hatch were covered with tar
and i just couldn't face it
when i finally did go up and looked back
this was what it lay below
the 4th day of roofing
the thunderstorms forecast for every day this week have held off
it's 7:30 at night and we know we can't count on this good luck for much longer
the heat, even at this hour was stifling
these guys did an amazing job
and the next morning it poured
and the roof is perfect
and we are very relieved
the roof wasn't in the original bid; we only had some leaky skylights which we were planning on replacing
but the contractor insisted and in hindsight it is so obvious that it was the right thing to do
it's a rubber roof btw
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Comments
Your reno blog is by far the best on Bstoner, love it.
Do you have an open layer called a "cock loft" above your top floor ceiling?
If so, what did the roofer of your GC/architect have to say about this space? I think it was for extra insulation back in the day.
We're staring a reno and I've away wondered if we could raise the top floor ceiling a few feet by getting rid of this space and using modern insulation.
Thoughts? Thanks!
Posted by: Anonymous at August 9, 2007 10:58 AM
thx (blushing)
we had been wondering about the considerable space above the ceiling (dropped a few times we discovered) of the middle section of the house but no one has referred to it as a "cock loft", (which i had to google and which seems to apply more to wood frame houses sharing a common attic)
the ceiling of our front room is already fairly high and since we are not touching that room we left it. we did take down the ceiling in the back bedroom and the middle room, gaining lots of height in the middle. This will be a master bedroom & closet separated by a 3/4 height wall and we will slope that ceiling.
We are leaving the bathrooms with lower ceilings (keep them nice & cozy) and the hall will be as high as possible.
we are thinking of foaming the ceiling to get the most insulation possible
Posted by: ms. crown heights reno at August 10, 2007 8:22 AM
that was a fantastic story. i felt as if i was living your pain with you.....
Posted by: new2hood at August 14, 2007 2:08 PM
Do you know why you went with a black rubber roof? Was insulation and heat reflection a major concern of yours? Or did the contractor recommend this material over other alternatives?
Posted by: guest at August 15, 2007 4:28 PM
it was the contractors recommendation
and we do plan to "silver" it
-ms. crown heights reno
Posted by: neene at August 16, 2007 1:26 AM
It's odd that your contractor didn't set up a pulley from the roof and lower all the old roofing garbage directly to ground level.
But it looks like everything turned out ok, so who cares!
Posted by: guest at August 16, 2007 9:07 AM
I am about to start a reno project on a brownstone in several months and would love to know the name of your GC. Please advise when you are able to.
Posted by: guest at August 21, 2007 2:10 PM
@ guest: please see FAQ #7 (http://www.brownstoner.com/crownheights_reno/2006/10/post.html)
unfortunately "the end" does not appear to be in sight
Posted by: neene at August 24, 2007 3:14 PM
We are looking at replacing our skylights also. We are having a hard time finding ones that open and don't just 'vent', but looking at your photos yours look as though they open all the way. I was wondering if you could tell me what you used?
Posted by: guest at August 30, 2007 6:18 PM
honestly
i haven't yet opened ours at all,
but i believe they do just basically vent
that's the roof hatch that you see open
Posted by: neene at September 7, 2007 11:31 PM
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