Oh, The Joys of Home Ownership...

[catherine]

I love it! Is this the front of the house, with woodstove pipe to the right? Is this what faces the water? Where would you raise/shed the roof?

This shows the side of the house facing the lake. I thought a shed room tilting up and adding additional small windows would bring in more light. The room with cedar shingles is the mudroom that was added by the previous owner--that's why it doesn't have the same siding. The next 3 windows are part of the living "room" (not a big room, I assure you). That's where I want the bay window. The gray building to the left is our lean-to for wood/storage. We're painting that, too!! It's ridiculous how many colors were used on this house, both inside and out, but I think they were very frugal permaculturists and they bought remnant paint at ReStore. So as for color, DH wants to paint the house/outbuildings all one color and I'm playing with the idea of a honey stain on the cedar and a grey/sage green color for the log shiplap. If it was REAL log cabin, I'd keep it natural, but it's just fake wood siding meant to look like log cabin.

[Tybee]

I would be inclined to go all one color, the grey/sage green, and put window boxes under the living room windows.

I would also pursue your idea of the shed room tilting up if I understand it correctly--the more light and more lake, the better, and it's a small house and you are not talking any big difference in heat--if might increase solar gain.

[ToomuchStuff]

I think TMS was addressing the question to me, so to answer, it is currently a very low-pitched roof. See picture (we're painting the outside next week!). I agree that more windows and a higher roof, and particularly a shed roof would raise our heating bill, especially since I'm looking to expand the north-facing wall. That's why I think a bay window might do the trick.

Attachment 3182

Actually SiouzQ.
From the pictures, yours could have a rip off done, and probably go with some premanufactured trusses to replace the existing ones. It looks like a much simpler design, which won't affect ceiling heights/heating/cooling etc. (in fact, you could probably insulate more and get extra benefit)

[SiouzQ.]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3198[ATTACH=CONFIG]3199[ATTACH=CONFIG]3200

Our roofing guy came out yesterday for some final measurements and planning and took off one of the metal sections just to see what he would be really be dealing with; good thing he did, as the minor repairs we had done last August during the monsoon season were already compromised (plywood sheeting was already soggy). Definitely the result of the pitch of the roof being to shallow and a bad connection between the two sections of the house. The estimate went up by $3000. Sigh...my mom is pitching in another $1500 so both of us will be coming up with another $750 each, for a grand total of $16, 650. Still a lot cheaper than going with an actual company.

I got a better feel for the character of the roofing guy yesterday and I completely trust him. He works as a supervisor at a roofing company and he brought his teenage son with him and afterward we chatted for awhile about online schooling and such, which let me get to know him a bit more. I'll feel comfortable handing over $5000 money orders in intervals.

Anyway, let me explain the house photos. In picture one, the window (with no trim) is part of the "solar" room, which needs a complete refinishing to make into something you'd want to sit in. Moving to the right is the living room. The front door is something we do not use and actually want to block in; the door looks nice but is in really bad shape and lets in so much cold air during the winter we had to staple plastic on the inside. When it was windy you could actually see the plastic billowing in and out.

Second photo: to the right of the window that has the air conditioner is the inset that shows the middle room (the room that connects the two houses together). It functions like a foyer and has a sliding glass door that someday we want to make into the main entrance of the house. Behind the foyer is the studio room that faces the back of the house (where most of the roof leaking occurs but actually starts at the living room end of the house).

Third photo: the lowest end of the house that has the kitchen, bathroom, "family" room and loft. The porch is awesome; when I sit out there I can see the Sangre de Christo mountains to the north and the lights of Santa Fe and the Ortiz mountains to the south! Madrid is spread out just below us. I love the cabin feel of this end of the house.

The stucco of the entire house was obviously never finished; that's another thing that'll have to be pushed off into the far future. There is a lot of trim work that needs to be done as well to tie it all together. So MANY projects! We need to win the lottery! It'll be nice to have a solid roof over our heads but I really wish we had sprung for a specialized roofing inspector before we bought the house so we could have negotiated more on the price...

[Tybee]

Oh wow, this is so different than what I thought it would be. Totally flat.

Very cool.

[razz]

Thanks so much for sharing those pictures. It is an awesome setting. As each project gets completed you will have such a sense of accomplishment.

[Tybee]

I absolutely love your porch. Your description of sitting and looking at the mountains--it sounds truly heavenly.

[SiouzQ.]

It's actually not a flat roof; the top of the walls of the stucco are more a like a parapet (is that the right word)? Meaning behind what looks like the top of the roof line actually sticks up about a foot from the metal roof, which you can see from the back of the house.

[catherine]

I absolutely love your porch. Your description of sitting and looking at the mountains--it sounds truly heavenly.

I agree!! What a difference from your previous experience in the Midwest, I bet! The Southwest is such a beautiful, magical place!

I love your house! Good luck with the repairs to the roof! Yes, home ownership is a never-ending battle.

[ToomuchStuff]

SiouzQ

I like where you want to put the door. Is the other door or door frame the real issue? I ask, because if it is the frame, then you could use that door at least temporarily.

Doesn't really show a roof at all. Looks from the front, like it should be a commercial type, hot tar roof.