Firestarters

There are a few obvious charms about 3430 -- things we noticed when we looked at the first pictures of it online, before we even set foot inside. The 'signature feature' may be the beautiful exposed beams of the ceiling, but not far behind it in terms of charm is the expansive fireplace, nestled prominently in the front room.

Flames aroaring

We knew as soon as we got the keys that many fires would be in our future, and we prepared for the arson this summer by scheduling a chimney sweep and buying a truckload of wood from a neighborhood retiree with a 'FIREWOOD' sign on his pickup.*

Mere weeks into fall, we decided to christen our fireplace and ignite our first flames. SK and CR have lit the occasional fire in our pasts but are far from experts, so we consulted our handy fire-starting pamphlet and quickly were on our way.

Better safe than sorry at 3430

The wood box SK found in a neighborhood free pile has served as both an ample wood-storing nook and a vital piece of furniture in our ultra-sparse living room, and it held more than enough hardwood, kindling and newspaper for our purposes this evening.

Don't get too comfortable wood box, we'll be burning you soon enough

The opened flue let in a cool breeze and sprinklings of rain, but a single ignited Portland Tribune page sent hot flames upward and quickly covered the cold outside air.

Where there's smoke...

And now it rages

Before we knew it, nascent flames were ablaze in our cozy confines, and much-needed heat began trickling into 3430. There was nothing left to do but celebrate with a couple of Dark and Stormys...

There's no blues where there's booze

We strolled outside to see the smoke pour from the chimney and disappear into the night. We quickly returned to our warm abode and cuddled in the cozy living room to enjoy the remnants of our first fire. The smoke will always billow, the fires constantly burning, as we continue on with our happy lives at 3430.

* A resounding shout-out goes to Irina Linetskaya; she knows why.  May we 'spiritually nourish' each other always!

Looking Up

When CR bought this house (& I right alongside him), we got the routine inspection that told us a minor roof repair was needed before winter.  Since the low pitch roof is impossible to see from the ground & we trusted the inspection (plus our realtor), we thought, 'no big deal!'  We even got a $500 credit from the seller plus a roofer to do the job (recommended to us but who mysteriously stopped returning calls).  So I contacted various roofing companies early September to get repair estimates but we quickly & dramatically learned an entire roof replacement was in order & perhaps we should engage an attorney for some sort of recourse for the gravely misinformed inspection.  Thus, CR & I traversed the entire gamut of emotions over a couple of weeks--shock & disbelief, anger, deceit, sadness (yes, tears) but finally decided the investment & piece of mind was worth it.

Below documents the roof replacement of 3430 (thanks to Alan, Ken & Ross of Western Pacific Roofing) from a long-ago 'dead' asphalt covering to a PVC membrane from IB Roof Systems (claimed as energy efficient, 100% recyclable, watertight, maintenance-free & with a lifetime warranty).  

Finally, we're at the other end of the emotional spectrum.  Let's hope it lasts. TOTAL COST: $10,630

(The lovely asphalt roof.  Underneath was a rock roof [surprise!] & a very thin layer of plywood-looking insulation which the roofers said, did zilch.)

(The entire edge of the roof on the north side was peeling up & water collected here which lead to severe dry rot on the eaves.  Also note huge, ugly gutters.)

(Years & years worth of the aforementioned dry rot on rear northeast edge of house.)

(And on front northwest edge of house.)

(The much needed 2" poly iso insulation.)

(Here in her full glory is the first layer of the original 1965 wood roof.  The wood pictured was replaced.  Thankfully, the dry rot was much less than anticipated as it was only on sections of the eaves.)

(The insulation laid & secured down.  Roof membrane is draped over.)

(The beginning of dry rot extermination.)

(Good riddance too big & in-the-way-of-the-house-lines gutters.  A man claimed them from the dumpster that evening.)

(Northeast eaves at the rear of the house replaced with pine wood.)

(And the northwest eaves in the front by the chimney.)

(Downspouts removed.  Great paint job!)

(Entire roof encased in membrane, chimney flashed.)

(At last, the edges of the roof are straight, clean & watertight.  This calls for some scotch!)