I will have pics....

[Tdoggy187]

Guys I went upstairs and took down some paneling and ripped up a rug. I will be taking some pictures tomorrow evening and I will show you guys the situation. You guys have been great. Your help will be needed. Thank You all...

[Mr T]

Didnt we all already come to the unanimous conclusion that you are putting yourself at risk by not doing the roof first? :damnmate:

[Tdoggy187]

Yeah I got that down now I need help with some other things I found.... :-(

[Tdoggy187]

ok guys here are the pics finally. Any advice guys???

This is a picture of the master bedroom ceiling upstairs
http://www.selfhelpforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1912&d=1200862689
Click image for larger version Name: ceiling.JPG Views: 0 Size: 14.3 KB ID:

Another Ceiling Picture
1912http://www.selfhelpforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1913&d=1200862704
Click image for larger version Name: ceiling2.JPG Views: 0 Size: 11.7 KB ID: 1913

Here is the floor under the carpet
http://www.selfhelpforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1914&d=1200862721
Click image for larger version Name: floor under carpet.JPG Views: 0 Size: 10.9 KB ID: 1914

Another Picture of the floor under the carpet
http://www.selfhelpforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1915&d=1200862731
Click image for larger version Name: floorundercarpet2.JPG Views: 0 Size: 9.4 KB ID: 1915

floor again
http://www.selfhelpforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1916&d=1200862743
Click image for larger version Name: floorundercarpet3.JPG Views: 0 Size: 11.1 KB ID: 1916

Behind the paneled wall I found this. Looks like Mold on sheetrock???
http://www.selfhelpforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1917&d=1200862762
Click image for larger version Name: Sheetrocked wall.JPG Views: 0 Size: 11.2 KB ID: 1917

Behind the paneling this is the wall. No insualtion inside either booo
http://www.selfhelpforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1918&d=1200862784
Click image for larger version Name: Sheetrockedwall2.JPG Views: 0 Size: 10.2 KB ID: 1918

Behind the Paneling again. This is the wall. old sheetrock I suppose.
http://www.selfhelpforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1919&d=1200862800
Click image for larger version Name: sheetrockedwall3.JPG Views: 0 Size: 9.5 KB ID: 1919

[scuba_dave]

Once it warms up, get the roof done
Then rip the walls out,check for damage/rot

Then insulate, electric & new sheetrock

If the roof isn't going to be done until Sept there is no sense doing anything on the 2nd floor. As any work you do will be most likely destroyed by water damage

I would gut the 2nd floor & redo everything
If it were me I'd tear out the interior walls in preparation of having the roof done

[Mr T]

I agree and hate to be the bearer of bad news.... your new walls will soon look just like these if you dont do your roof first.

If you still wanna wait till sept.. dont start this project till its done. You are only asking for trouble.

Open up interior walls and when it gets warmer open up some of the exterior walls to get everything dried out. Dont pull down the ceiling till the roof is done. If you have weak or no attic ventilation, install some attic vents to help dry things and reduce the mold risk. (even though leaks are still there).

Stay off the roof, if you have a weak spot you may go through. I still personaly would not wait till sept. Get him to do drywall work in sept instead.. If you do a roof now you could be moving in upstairs by sept.

[Tdoggy187]

Here is what I'm worried about. This is a leak downstairs. The roof is directly above this bathroom ceiling. I'm going to take off a piece of paneling in the downstairs bedroom and see if their is any damage to the walls. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Having to gut out and re-do upstairs is bad enough. If I have to do downstairs also this house just became a nightmare....:rofl:

What about the floor damage? Can we just put new carpets over those wood boards? Or Do I have to replace those also?


Any idea how much upstairs will cost? I'm looking at 3 bedrooms and an open room.

[scuba_dave]

If you are seeing water damage like that on the 1st floor ceiling then waiting until Sept may be a big problem
Was this house abondoned for a while?
Do you know how long it has been like this?
Are you currently seeing water leaking in during heavy rain? Has any repair/patch work on the roof been done?
{Re-read your other thread - you did patch}

If there isn't insulation on the 1st floor I would rip the walls down & insulate after the roof is on & 2nd floor completed. I'm saving $1500 a year in heating costs w/new windows & insulation I have installed

I bought my house in the summer & patched the roof 1st thing. That winter I had another leak & patched that - in the winter w/cold patch

[Tdoggy187]

This house wasn't abondoned. I bought it and it had drop down ceilings. Which was covering obvious previous damage. Looks like they fixed it and it held for a while. Then I had a land contract with someone who lived in the house for 3 years. So the current roof leaks could have started 3 years ago. But i believe "talking to the land contract people" that it has been leaking for about a year now.

Yes it does leak down when their is heavy rain. The first heavy rain we had caused the damage to the bathroom ceiling. As you can see in the pictures.

I see some insulation downstairs so far. I will attach some pictures that I took of the down stairs bedroom which we use. I took down some paneling and got some shots of the "wood" that is behind it. Thats right wood, not sheet rock. I see the outer side is insulated. The inside walls are not. I'm guessing all the outer walls of the house "except upstairs" are insulated. This is just a guess.

I will get the roof patched soon as it is warm enough. Then I suppose I should start gutting the upstairs. Then insulating downstairs and putting in new windows sounds like a good idea.

Here are the pictures of the downstairs bedroom. Behind the paneling. And the ceiling. This is the older ceiling which is now covered up by a drop down ceiling.

How do you think the downstairs walls behind the paneling look? Should I put some insulation in there?

[Tdoggy187]

I took some more pictures and will have them on here tonight.These are pictures of an upstairs bedroom. :musicus:

[Mr T]

Ive already stated my answer... and it still hasnt changed.....

[Mr Fixit eh]

If you are getting water dripping from your first floor ceiling when it rains, then you should attend to that roof pronto. If you don't take out a loan to make this repair, there will be damage being done to the structure while you wait. After the roof is fixed, and the water is no longer leaking into the home, then you can wait as long as you want to renovate the interior - that's really mostly cosmetic.

[Tdoggy187]

I agree with you all. Here are my plans. Thanks to your help.

First put up a new roof. Then gut the whole upstairs. Which consists of three bedrooms and an open room. Then put up all new drywall with insulation. And sheet-rocked ceilings upstairs. Then replace the bathroom ceiling with sheet-rock. Then lay down all new wood floors upstairs. And all new carpets over that wood.The drywall will be good for now. But eventually I will put up "oak" wood paneling over it. I like the wood look.

Then I will move to downstairs. And do some work down there.

One question left for you guys? Is blown in insulation better than that "yellow or pink" stuff? How does blown in insulation work?

Thanks again everyone. I hope to get started soon. The roof first :shakehands:

[Mr T]

Good plan....

While things are open, you should update any electrical and plumbing/venting (and cable/phone) , hvac, ect while there.

Keep in mind all those systems origionate from the the ground floor or basement. Gotta get it up there somehow.

Keep in mind that if your bath is only downstairs you have a vent somewhere going through the upstairs.. Make sure to check that out and that it's in good condition and adiquate for your plumbing system (it may not be by today's standards).



Blown in insualation for your walls is for when you dont have open access to the walls. They drill holes into your walls and pump it in to fill the cavity. You dont get a vapor barrier with it, and if you have pipes, wires, fireblocking, braces, nails, ect ect.. you may not get the entire wall cavity filled. It can settle depending on what you use. You are better off installing rolled insulation while the walls are open. Blown in is often used in your ceiling since you arent fighting gravity and things are open. You can get better coverage then.

Spray foam is gaining popularity. It's done by a professional, can be messy to install. Ive heard of someone advertising that they can pump it into closed walls, but I dont think you'd get full coverage yet with it that way.

[Tdoggy187]

Yeah I don't see a vent going upstairs in the bathroom. Going to have to get one of those installed.

Rolled insulation sounds like the way to go. I'll go with that.

I'm going to have to figure out a way to get heat upstairs. We have no heat, not even ducts upstairs. People that lived here in prior years used "plug in" electric heaters or electric blankets. :-(

I currently have a brand new furnace in my cellar. Which is powerful enough to heat upstairs if I can get ducts up there some how. Going to be tricky though I suppose.

[scuba_dave]

Most people retrofit vents into interior walls from the 1st floor to the 2nd. One freind had an older house where there was a vent in the 1st floor ceiling that allowed heat to pass to 2nd floor

[Tdoggy187]

I Have two of these so far :beerglass:

[Tdoggy187]

I like the oak wood paneling :ciao:

Here is one of the "old" windows that is upstairs in a bedroom

And here is the walls and ceiling in this room.

And the roof structure inside.

[Tdoggy187]

More pictures of the structure inside :bawling:

And some outside roof shots...

[Tdoggy187]

a few more roof pics...

[Tdoggy187]

pics from further away...:hahaha: