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Help Me Solve A Mystery Ketchikan!
By Shauna Lee

 

August 31, 2009
Monday


Any homeowner in Ketchikan can tell you that the older homes have interesting construction, at best. I own a home which is on the historic registry, it overlooks the dock 4 area of downtown, and I couldn't love it anymore than if I'd built it with my own two hands. I have done what I can over my 10 years of ownership to help preserve it, restore it, and give it the loving care that a single income can afford.

However, the roof has not been very cooperative. Over the years I have spent more than $10,000 trying to repair a leak which has destroyed my bathroom ceiling and interior walls, destroyed the ceiling and wall surrounding my kitchen stove, and on Christmas eve a few years back, destroyed the ceiling of my youngest daughters bedroom when it literally broke open and spilled gallons of water onto her bed. I thought I had it conquered a year ago when a friend got up and put tar everywhere he could possibly think of, and I didn't see evidence of a leak for 6 months - and so spent $2000 to have the entire bathroom walls and ceiling replaced. I haven't even had time to paint the new walls and ceiling when.... yesterday the leak returned. And when this leak returned, it returned with a vengeance. And has already ruined most of the replaced ceiling!

I have had numerous builders look at the roof and in the attic, and NONE can tell me where this leak is coming from. I even had the entire back of the roof replaced 2 years ago... to no avail. My belief is that it is coming from a leak around the woodstove chimney - which is about 20 feet away from the leak. Sounds weird, I know. But it doesn't seem to be directly over the area where the leak actually is.

So my question, Ketchikan! Has anyone dealt with a similar situation with their old home? If you have, and successfully conquered the demon leak, please tell me how you did it! Give me a clue even. I can't keep throwing money at this monster - it just chews up the dollars and spits them back out at me. $10,000 worth.

Ketchikan Construction Detectives - let me hear your ideas!

Shauna Lee
shauna[at]kpunet.net
Ketchikan, AK

About: "Ms. Lee is a 32 year resident of Ketchikan and a mother of 2."

Received August 28, 2009 - Published August 31, 2009

 

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