Once we got our shower repaired, it was time to start on the front porch. We obtained a few bids and decided to go with one laborer who was going to repair the front porch, the back porch, and the fence for a price the landlord could agree to; however, he ended up changing his price and wanted to change how he did the work. He wanted to build a porch on the front of the house rather than fixing the leaks. So we called the second lowest bidder and set up a time for him to get started on the work.
They came on Monday and started the tear-off of the ceiling and took down the gutter. He informed me that he would also raise the end of the gutter since it was having trouble draining the high volumes of water.
So here's my crude drawing of what our porch ceiling looked like. The sheet rock at the joint where it started the rise, was being ruined. The water was running down the old wood and soaking the sheet rock.
And now here's the proposed design/work:
The main things we wanted to do were have the sheet rock meet the front board (or metal) at a right angle and have the fascia board extend past the lowest level of sheet rock by one or two inches. I didn't realize at the beginning that there was a board behind the gutter as well which needed to be replaced after years of water damage.
When the workers arrived on Wednesday morning, I shared with the guy who had bid the job some of my concerns before he started the day's work. I realized they were not planning to do the right angle since he had no plan to replace the fascia board. I reiterated it had to drop down lower than the sheet rock, and he agreed to put it on. By this point Rusty was willing to agree that they could add an extension to the fascia board as long as it was on the back. This was the beginning of the circular arguing that consumed my Wednesday. The guy shared his concern that the rain would hit hard, splash up, and fall behind the board. I didn't understand his concern because I was totally thinking the board would be attached to the back. Instead I got this:
When the workers left for lunch, I went to inspect what they had done and found a new board attached to the front. Immediately I knew why the bidder was afraid to do it. I had Pawn start calling to get this re-attached to the back.
I was told it couldn't be attached to the back because of hanging the sheet rock although they assured me my sheet rock would come out straight all the way to the edge. If that was truly the case, the sheet rock would have to be attached to the new board not the old. I was also told that after the morning scare of the water going behind the board, the worker told me he was 90% sure I wouldn't have a problem. That 90% confidence rating came with a six month guarantee only.
Finally the man who bid the job showed up and assured me if I had any problems they would come back to fix it--guaranteeing their work. I wasn't happy, but honestly there wasn't anything I could say at this point.
After venting to Rusty much more than I should have, Rusty said I needed to be really sweet to the workers on Thursday to help repair the relationship. I initially said I wouldn't be nice. I know! Shocking, right? But then God began working on my heart. By the time it was actually time for someone to come, I had a better attitude and a plate full of peanut butter crackers, cups, water, and ice fixed up. And no one came! Haha!
Again this morning no one was here, and we got a good rain shower at lunch time. Here's a bit of what happened behind the 90% sure board:
When the workers showed up this afternoon, Pawn showed them the problem areas, and their answer was to add more silicone and wait and see. And so the saga continues...
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