For my birthday, we looked at flooring options and had the home inspection. In general the home inspection went as expected and there were very few surprises. We discovered a second water heater that we didn’t see on the first walk through, some other things that will need attention soon, and for the first time we saw the extent of damage to the roof. There are obvious signs of water damage, the question is if given time the wood will dry out in some places after the most egregious of damage has been repaired. There is a noticeable dip in the tongue in groove ceiling around one of the skylights and obvious water damage. Not catastrophic, but it is scary to think of it as the tip of the iceberg and wonder how big that iceberg really is.
Add on top of this a damaged fascia board, and signs of water damage on the edges of the roof support, it is scary to think of what lies underneath the roof decking. In the offer we mutually agreed upon it says: “Install a new roof prior to closing as sellers sole expense and repair any associated roof damage before closing by a licensed bonded roofing contractor. Color to be chosen by buyer.” The negotiations are held up deciding if 100% means that the skylights, fascia, and water damage under the roof decking will be taken care of instead of just the surface of the roof. 
We already know there is a long laundry list of other oddities that will need to be sorted out and looked into if this deal goes through. We will need an electrician to come out and replace the electrical panels and look over how the generator tie in was done. It appears to be an amateur job with signs of patchy work here and there. Including the line that goes out to the generator through the wall is held in place with duct tape, that has been painted to match the exterior of the house. The tape has failed, not surprisingly, and there is a 3” hole into the house that is “plugged up” with the ½” generator cable. We love having air holes into a home, helps it breathe right? Maybe we should go poke more holes in the walls for fun and air flow. :)
The breached dam was repaired to a certain point, but further work is needed to make it fully stable before it collapses yet again. The deck has sagged away from the house outside the main living space, but the repairs to fix that are simple enough and something we could tackle. The bathrooms were not as bad as we remembered, but they will definitely need some updating. There are quirks and weird things we will have to work with, like two water heaters and a foam sealed door to the mudroom, and things that we will have to rebuild and repair.
But for now, we are sitting in limbo trying to make the decision about the roof. We could potentially be jumping into a catastrophic hell hole and blow ALL of our budget on a roof repair that isn’t covered by what the seller is intending to pay. So, if we have to drop $5,000 on replacing the skylights, fixing the water damage to the substructure of the roof, and fixing the facia boards, that is a third of our budget, and potentially means that a bathroom remodel won’t happen (or will be pushed out). Perhaps it means that no I can’t go with the nicer floor choice, and no we can’t install that bigger window in what would be the master bath. Tonight we will have to review the financial planning and reevaluate what this is going to end up costing us, and if we are still comfortable with doing it. The real kicker is we won’t know how bad the roof damage is till they remove the first bit of decking and can actually see inside under the roof and above the tongue and groove ceiling in the living room. Let’s just hope that the places that the damage is VERY EVIDENT are the only places that need to be rebuilt. It is a big gamble for us to consider if taking the house with the roof condition is worth it.
Then…. There is the appraiser. Things will most likely end up going up in the air once again when that becomes a part of the picture. While we figure out all of this and pour over the 84 page inspection report, I am trying to figure out my emotions. After sitting on the deck and seeing how much Paul fell in love with some of the potential, I am really in love with this house, even all of the stupid parts of it, and being in love with a house you do not own yet is a dangerous place to be at.
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