I am thankful for old siding.
Our house is mostly brick, but has some vinyl siding as does the detached garage which serves as Ward's workshop. The siding was almost 30 years old when we moved in and was showing its age with cracks, holes, and fading colors. During the shutdown when we were spending all of our time at home, we decided that it was finally time to get it replaced. We reasoned that we would be here to interact with the workers if needed and since all of the work would be outside, we wouldn't have to worry much about social distancing. We contacted our favorite contractor and then the fun began.
If we hadn't had old siding that needed replaced, we might not have found the termites until the walls actually fell down. So for the 30 year old siding that needed replaced, I am thankful.
Oh, my! Definitely a good thing you decided it was time to replace the old siding! Sounds like you've been busy during this period of staying at home!
ReplyDeleteIt seems that everything we have done for our house turns out to be much bigger (and more expensive) than anticipated. But I guess that's par for the course and just part of owning a home. If we had waited longer, however, it would probably have been a bigger job and even more expensive.
DeleteMore work, but good its taken care of. Once, as a kid, I remember my mother saw a huge carpent ant in the bathroom and my father took off the vent in the ceiling that led to the attic and a massive ball of carpenter ants fell into the bathroom, thousands upon thousands of them. Mother went hysterical, father ran, yelling himself and the insect killer people came the next day.
ReplyDeleteA huge ball of carpenter ants falling from the ceiling sounds like a scene from a horror movie! Eek! In our old house when we had a bathroom redone, they found a huge nest of carpenter ants under the shower pan. Kind of gross, but they didn't fall on top of us. Another thing to be thankful for.
DeleteOh my goodness. What a serendipitous discovery. I'm sorry for the added expense, but so glad you discovered it before you had even bigger problems. We had a small episode with termites several years ago and our basement was treated. Your post is making me think it's time to check into that again (I think the treatment was supposed to last 7 years and we are well beyond that time frame).
ReplyDeleteAs part of our discussions, we toyed with the idea of not replacing the shop siding to save money because it's in the backyard out of the way. Even though it wasn't in the best of shape, we thought it was good enough, but eventually decided to go ahead and replace it anyway. We are really happy we did. Unfortunately, our fund to redo the kitchen took a big hit on this one. However, while not optimal, the kitchen is perfectly functional and we can live with it a while longer.
DeleteI'm sure a pest company would be happy to give you a free termite inspection, so you probably have a good idea to have them come take a look. If for no other reason than peace of mind.
It is funny when you think of the things that you wind up being very thankful for, especially since they might seem like a nuisance in the beginning!
ReplyDeleteNuisance is a good word, but all so worth it in this case.
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