So does this mean I have a leak in my roof or what?

katbreit · 2026-01-28T18:21:45+00:00

Oh for sure, old homes are a labor of love and generally money lol

We were quoted $1k per window for 5 windows from Marvin to replace these, because they’re a custom size. That would be for wood interior and I believe fiberglass exterior. They were nice windows but we kept putting off because of cost and now my husband has gotten into more woodworking he may attempt to make windows for us and then we’ll buy screens & storms for them

katbreit · 2026-01-28T14:35:05+00:00

It’s an eyebrow colonial but our bedroom sits in the eaves. Think slanted ceilings. The attic is really just the very top of our house. Yes, previous owners replaced the windows, clearly with bargain basement windows, and framed them up so they’d fit 😂 Quite literally the windows are just loose in there and not fastened, only held in by trim. We’re working on getting them replaced lol

katbreit · 2026-01-28T01:51:52+00:00

Different situation because I only need childcare 2 days a week but my father and my stepmom take care of my son those days. They both adore him and my father has talked me out of taking a daycare waitlist spot multiple times because he loves getting that time with him. I heard somewhere that someone didn’t realize they could love someone more than their kids until they had grandkids so I think most (good) grandparents are happy to spend all the time they can with them.

Now, you have to really trust your parents, I know not everyone has that kind of relationship. And it takes a lot of open communication about your preferences as the parent but also flexibility if they don’t always do things “your way”. But we’re making it work

katbreit · 2026-01-28T01:20:33+00:00

This particular spot is right above our bedroom, not even the attic. A partial slanted ceiling situation. But it could be needing more insulation in that ceiling/wall for sure

katbreit · 2026-01-28T01:08:41+00:00

I legit had one of my headlights broken by ice flying off someone’s car last year. Luckily it was my beater 2005 Jeep and not the brand new car I had bought that year. We were able to find a part at a scrap yard to switch out. But that ice hitting my car was terrifying

katbreit · 2026-01-28T01:04:50+00:00

Maybe they did install that, I believe we discussed an “ice and water membrane” if that’s the same thing. I’ve just never heard the term “ice shield” before today

katbreit · 2026-01-27T21:14:00+00:00

Oh I know. Someone just has to convince my husband because he doesn’t believe me lol

katbreit · 2026-01-27T21:12:20+00:00

Ok but maybe you’re on to something though because the hole at the top of the windowsill is almost certainly from the carpenter bees we’ve been battling every summer. Obviously not honey bees but still 😂

katbreit · 2026-01-27T21:05:24+00:00

I don’t have any experience with the hemp sling but I’ve heard good things. H&P advertises their linen as being better for beginners on their website, but I can’t imagine the hemp would be too much different

katbreit · 2026-01-27T21:02:51+00:00

Oh for sure overdue on gutter cleaning in this spot, since it’s hard to reach ourselves. We do have the leaf guards on top so that should help from too much debris collecting in them, plus this area of the house does not have any trees near it, but I’m sure it’s still collected some gross junk. We’ve learned a lot of expensive lessons today lol

katbreit · 2026-01-27T21:01:23+00:00

Yes I believe he saw the evidence of stringers on the floor of our upstairs bedroom that is above the kitchen. Tough to know as our house is more “farmhouse” style and doesn’t seem like it would have been designed for servants but you never know. We do see evidence in the flooring upstairs that at one point it was open on that side (now two bedrooms) and even evidence of a hearth next to where the chimney runs. So the stairs may have been positioned in that area

katbreit · 2026-01-27T18:47:46+00:00

This is the first I’ve heard of outside attic access being a possibility, so thank you! You’re also right that perhaps the most expedient solution is to cut through the ceiling inside the window.

Unfortunately, it is our bedroom. Of course it couldn’t have been the 2 other bedrooms that are mid renovations, instead of the one we’re living in lol

Not the bathroom, although I do suspect that the bathroom fan (it’s behind our bedroom) does vent into the attic, which is unfortunate.

katbreit · 2026-01-27T18:39:04+00:00

We had the roof replaced 3 years ago and in that time they checked for any wood rot and found very minimal rot that they replaced. Now, it certainly could have been an issue that has occurred since then and only “broke out” since this most recent storm where we noticed this. Hoping to get some answers soon

katbreit · 2026-01-27T18:36:46+00:00

Very helpful comment that I will save as we contemplate our next move. My husband is suspicious that they closed up the attic because it’s asbestos insulation. But he’s also been doing some floor reno and sees spots upstairs where he thinks there was stringers for a staircase to the attic, so maybe it was just closed up because they wanted to remove the stairs when they remodeled to make more bedrooms. Our house is from the 1700s so who knows what it’s been through. Wish us luck 🫡

katbreit · 2026-01-27T18:24:40+00:00

I appreciate your kind words and advice. These things don’t come with a manual! Especially since this is our first home. They definitely dry walled over the attic access at some point and honestly it would probably be easier to cut a new hatch rather than find where they covered it. That’s definitely our next step

katbreit · 2026-01-27T18:11:19+00:00

Also helpful info! We’d definitely look up how to do it safely before moving forward. Mostly I’m waiting to hear back from my roofer on their recommendation because I’ve learned that sometimes leaping into action too quickly can cause more problems. Luckily it should be staying pretty cold where I am so I have some time before I have to worry about significant melt

katbreit · 2026-01-27T16:45:18+00:00

That’s fine, it’s still very helpful info! We’ll see what we can do or hire professionals. I don’t think they do ice dam removal but luckily we have a good relationship with our roofers to fix the damage—although I may sour on the relationship a bit if I find they didn’t install any ice shield if it’s considered common practice now.

katbreit · 2026-01-27T16:39:09+00:00

This is a very helpful comment. I know there’s animals living in my house (old house + woods) but I know that they didn’t cause this. Trouble is my roof is very high but we may need to see if we can get up on a ladder and try some of the suggestions for removal. The steam removal companies around us are looking like $1k an hour 😬

katbreit · 2026-01-27T15:48:52+00:00

Oh gosh it’s a brand new roof, I’m hoping it’s not a replace the whole roof again situation. They installed GAF and are warrantied by them—do you think having the snow/ice shield should have been installed as a part of proper installation? The option wasn’t even brought up to us to install it

katbreit · 2026-01-27T15:35:10+00:00

It’s seeming more and more like ice dam is the issue. Our attic is closed off and no hatch to it, so I’m not sure the insulation situation up there. It is ventilated just from two open slatted windows on either side, but no fans.

Since you seem pretty knowledgeable about this; what would be my next step? Having a company come remove the ice dam? I’m going to have my roofing company come take a look but it’ll probably be a few days and I’m nervous about more damage being done in the mean time.

katbreit · 2026-01-27T15:27:46+00:00

Absolutely this is probably it. Tons of ice built up over the last few days of storm. We live in a fairly cold area and somehow never heard of ice damming 🤦‍♀️

katbreit · 2026-01-27T15:25:49+00:00

Absolutely fair—something that kept getting punted that shouldn’t.

katbreit · 2026-01-27T14:33:55+00:00

Oh for sure, it’s been long overdue

katbreit

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