Ice Dam be Damned!

Our problems are fixed-- for now. As the beautiful sun decided to come out on Tuesday, the ice dam on the roof backed up and caused water to seep into the house!!!! We're talking buckets of water (okay-- small buckets-- mini-buckets) dripped down the wall and on the floor. Actually, our front door won't open now because the hardwood floor is swollen. That night, we called our handyman, Mark.

Mark to the rescue! He came over the next day and chipped the ice dam off the roof. Note: this is NOT recommended normally. You have to weigh the options- potential roof damage from chipping OR water pouring into your home. We choose the waterless route. As of now, our roof has a LOT less snow and ice on it, and our sun room is much drier. The dripping stopped immediately, and we will deal with things in spring. For the door that won't open?--- Mark says that if we use our space heater by the door and put a fan blowing in that corner, that we should be way ahead of any wood rot or damage.

Now, Melanie works for a bank, and one of the last insurance claim check calls that she took was for an ice dam claim that was over 19 THOUSAND dollars of damage! How much did this issue cost Lorie and Melanie? 50 bucks. We are so lucky. We know that we have to do some investment in the spring with heat tape (those squiggly "ropes" you see on peoples' houses in the midwest) and some electrical updating to accomodate the heat tape, but overall-- we are two lucky ladies! This blog entry is dedicated to Mark-- our handyman hero.