Just when we were starting to get a few things back to normal, after dealing with the water damage we experienced due to ice dams over the winter, we have been blessed with a tropical storm! It certainly could have been worse and I’m quite thankful that Irene wasn’t a full-fledged hurricane, but really – this is beginning to get old!
So far, cross your fingers, none of our two century old maples have come crashing down. Our main problems are all rain related. The heavy, constant downpour caused several gallons of rain to sneak into a small crevice next to the center chimney, run down the bricks and exit through the ceiling of the parlor. A huge mess to be sure, though not our main woe. Windblown shake shingles and the fore mentioned deluge combined to cause the ceiling in one of our upstairs hallways to collapse.
That particular part of the house was originally an attached barn that previous owners converted into living space. Not being old house purists, and undoubtedly working within a budget, the then owners used sheet-rock for the walls and ceilings in that hall. Bad move! Give me plaster any day. When sheet-rock gets wet it melts faster than the Wicked Witch of the West!
So first thing tomorrow morning it’s back to filing insurance claims and looking for contractors.
Paula Walton's 18th Century Home Journal 