New roof?

There are 66 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 6,535 times. The latest Post (July 28, 2025 at 4:15 PM) was by Rice.

    I recently melt the knobs of my Longvie kitchen because the door didn't close fully. As a result, the knobs were hard to turn. I was worried that also the gas valve got compromised, so I called a technician to have a look, also because our kitchen had never been maintained in over a decade.

    The first visit was free - they are just 2 blocks away. The technician said that the kitchen was below the tiles level (true), as such the lower tray (asadera) was pushing upward the oven door (and the door hinges needed to be replaced because cranky). This caused the oven door not closing properly and lead to my knobs melting. The valves were intact.

    The price of a new gas oven ranges from 500,000 to 1,200,000 pesos and I don't see any technological advancement vs. the one we have. The technician confirmed that the only difference is that modern kitchen have a safety valve on each burner, whereas our only has it for the oven burner. He said that nowadays the quality of the finishing is no longer the same, that our looked in pretty good shape also because it is in stainless steel (a little bit more expensive than the white finishing). He also added that our model was one of the last that didn't require (or were equipped with?) the rubber seal around the door, which is subject to wear and tear.

    My mother spoke highly of the new generation burners with a split flame, but it seems they haven't yet found their way here. Hence, the only option was to fix the existing kitchen. Replacement of 5 knobs + 2 door hinges = 200,000 pesos!

    The knobs are less than 20,000 on ML. The hinges are 20,000 if not originals, and 40,000 if originals. The rest is trade skills.

    Oh the irony!

    The roofers were due to start on Tuesday but as we all know, it's pissing down, so they rescheduled for Thursday.

    And what do you know. It's dripping into the living room and bedroom and I had to abandon my upstairs workshop/office because it started there as well.

    I'm now in the kitchen with my laptop, where it's dry, at least for the moment.

    So, if ever confirmation was needed about a new roof, today is the day!

    I was expecting a leak or two yesterday....had buckets and towels ready. However despite the many hours of constant rain everything stayed bone dry. I suspect there being no wind helped.

    Quote from Splinter

    We had rain come in where it never had before and it wasn't even torrential.

    Anyway, all that will soon be a distant memory.

    Will there be some work done to the sub-roof or whatever they call what is under the spanish style clay tiles? Is there a exposed plywood or other wood? Or some nylon? Another layer that allowed water to pass thru, or something that might be rotted?

    As mentioned in this post, we had an eventful early morning on Sunday, made worse by the fact that we'd had a very late night.

    The unexpected thunderstorm woke me up at 0500 with just thunder and lightning, but heavy rain was sure to follow. I had a cup of tea and at 0600, just when I was returning to get my head down again, the heavens opened and it was all hands on deck.

    I should add that when the roofers packed up on Friday they said that on Monday (today) they would be making the roof safe for tomorrow, Tuesday, when more storms are forecast.

    So, most of the roof was left exposed and, as expected, the water came in torrents into the living room and my upstairs office, so we grabbed as many buckets and towels as we could.

    We spent the rest of the day (after a one hour siesta) moving stuff around and fortunately, nothing important was damaged.

    But frankly, to leave a roof exposed for an entire weekend beggars belief, yet recriminations seem futile and I can't see roof boss making that mistake again.

    Splinter , how awful! Y’all must have been exhausted. I’m glad there was no serious damage. You have an admirably generous attitude towards the roof boss. If he has been in business for any time at all, surely he should have learned not to leave his customers’ house interiors exposed to the weather!

    Quote from Rice

    Splinter , how awful! Y’all must have been exhausted. I’m glad there was no serious damage. You have an admirably generous attitude towards the roof boss. If he has been in business for any time at all, surely he should have learned not to leave his customers’ house interiors exposed to the weather!

    I agree, but he was suitably repentant yesterday, so there seemed little point in dragging it out, especially since today they are working in 38c temperatures.

    I managed eight hours sleep last night, which for me is unusual, but most welcome. I've also relocated my office to the kitychen which gets full sun in the morning, but I'm not sure if Adri will approve of the towel (to stop the heat and glare).

    Jamaica, no problem!