Melrose Offers No Victories Without Defeats

Category: gardens and old home renovation | Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 8:14 pm

There are some Sundays when we pack up the car to head home from Melrose and we feel a sense of regret that we can't stay longer and make even more progress. At such times, we feel our paint-stained hands closing around victory, or what passes for victory at this 200-year old money pit. Such was the case a few weeks back when we finished the major refurbishing jobs in what we refer to as the parlor. The floor had been brought back from the dead. The walls, de-wallpapered and skim coated, were painted, and we could see the end in sight. It was like seeing the promised land. We hadn't yet crossed the Jordon -- there were still window repairs, floor molding and a few other things - but, as I say, we felt victory in our grasp.

Then came a fateful meeting with some roofing experts who happened to be completing a major roof job in town and who were enlisted to do a impromptu roof evaluation of the Melrose metal roof. I knew the roof had been poorly maintained for the last 40 to 50 years. I knew it leaked more or less like a colander. But I hoped that there was still life in that ol' metal rust bucket of a roof. So, I summoned my unique brand of escapist optimism, and latched onto the hope that when the roofing men came down from their inspection, they would say that with judicious repairs and ardent future maintenance, the roof would survive at least long enough to outlive me. Clearly, I was delusional.

Their report was factual, informative and distressing. The roof, they said, is not worth doing repairs on. It's rusted nearly though in dozens of places. What paint that still adheres to the metal is only there on temporary leave and will flake off before the cicadas fill the summer nights with their racket. Listening to the report was like hearing your mechanic tell you that not even Click and Clack could save your old warhorse of a car from the crusher. The roofers said the roof needs to go, and the price? You don't want to know.

Victory in the parlor; Waterloo on the roof!

I won't say that the roof news wasn't a blow. I had to double my Prozac. But, what was the alternative? Don't fix the roof? If I failed to do what was called for, generations of people who care about old houses would say unkind, perhaps even damning things about my by-then long departed self. But I happen to be one of those cares-about-old-houses sorts myself. And I'm having the roof replaced. God help me.

But back to the victory part of the story.

With the parlor more or less ready to use, we turned our attention to the kitchen. Truthfully, "we" didn't do diddily. My wife turned her attention to the kitchen, while I continued to piddle in the parlor. My wife, a teacher by day but a closet tiler by night, knows a thing or two about cutting and putting down tile, and she proceeded to install an entirely new tile floor, generally turning a 1960s space into a functioning kitchen suitable for modern kitchen-types of things. Once again, the victory flag was hoisted if not on the ramparts, then at least on the front porch. Two rooms done in the same year. Positively breath taking. Being gluttons for punishment, we now look longingly at the dilapidated dinning room space, and think that we will mount a full scale frontal attack in the weeks to come. Victory makes the victor positively giddy.

With summer about to swelter down upon us, I thought that it might be a good idea to have an air conditioning company do an annual maintenance on the two Melrose air conditioning systems. An ounce of prevention and all that sort of thing. So, I put a call in to a reputable company and sat back awaiting news that we could, with peace of mind, turn the AC on in the coming cat-and-dog days of Eastern North Carolina. As an aside, I need to mention that I told the same company, which does all manner of electrical things, that I also wanted all of the electrical outlets on the first floor tested and, if found faulty, replaced. I had already had more than one instance where the outlets sparked when jiggled. I admit that there have been times when I have sparked when I was jiggled, but the electrical outlets were a different kettle of voltage altogether.

Just the other day, the bill for the AC check and the outlet check came with an expectation of a big check in return. And along with the bill, was a notice saying that while doing all that checking, the workmen had found the heat exchanger thingamajigie on one of the heating systems had exchanged its last, and I was advised (1) not to use the heating system until repairs are made (something about dying from carbon monoxide poisoning next winter) and (2) replacement of the entire unit is the only sensible course of action. That'll be umpteen thousand dollars, thank you. My wife consoled me with the thought that I do not have to take action on the heating system until at least late summer or sometime in the fall. To which I now think ....

Victory in the kitchen. Appomattox in the heating system.

Last edited: Tue Jun 03, 2008 8:21 pm

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Droopy wrote on Fri May 30, 2008 8:38 pm:

There you are, I've missed the reports from Melrose. That old house really has some surprises for you, and I admire you for hanging in there and continuing with the work. I'll sit here and cheer you along, if you listen carefully you might hear me.

Netty wrote on Fri May 30, 2008 10:52 pm:

You will hear me cheering too!
Well done on the Parlor and the kitchen! Sounds like Melrose is testing you LOL
I look forward to the next report (and maybe some pictures?!)

eileen wrote on Sat May 31, 2008 12:53 am:

Well what a lot you achieved so far - more than I could have done that's for sure!! What a pity you have to pay our for a new roof but it is an essential after all. Old houses definately drain your bank balance - I know because we live in a 17th century cottage here in Scotland. I admire you and your wife for facing the challenge of Melrose head on.