Water Damage Threatens My 1893 House

So, you know those unexpected surprises that life throws at you? Particularly when they revolve around a seemingly ‘small’ issue that turns out to be… lemme find words that aren’t overly dramatic… a catastrophic disaster? #nailedit

Imagine my delight when I discovered that my 1893-built house decided to gift me with hidden water damage as I was (am?) in the midst of a massive renovation adventure. As I’ve been tackling the complete demolition (tearing out sheetrock/plaster and lathing/electrical) and restoration of my living room to bring back that original character and charm, I stumbled upon a not-so-pleasant surprise.

The front wall of the house started ‘weeping’ in the fall, with water emerging somehow behind the original wood siding in the enclosed front porch. After taking the interior portion of the wall down, the water damage was clearly visible (but not HORRIBLE). Assuming it had to deal with the new roof that was put on the balcony two years ago, I had the roofing team come out to inspect it. Turns out, the culprit was lurking in the early 2000s vinyl siding of the house, or really, behind the siding — who knew it had such a mischievous side?

Despite my attempts at DIY magic with caulking, the water entering my house persisted. Then, upon removing the siding from a few areas on the balcony, I discovered that a large portion of the wood behind it was rotten—not just ‘crumbling’ rotten, but soaked-through and melting-when-poked rotten. The water damage revealed itself to be more of a drama queen than I anticipated.

Now I'm facing the task of stripping away all the vinyl siding, tossing the foam insulation boards, bidding farewell to the seriously damaged wood cladding (132 years old, to be exact), and then putting up new cladding, sealing it all up with a waterproof superhero membrane, and then of course new siding. Oh, and let's not forget the cameo appearances of 40-year-old windows that are shot and done, and a balcony door that's definitely beyond the point of repair. So in replacing them, you open up the walls more and the project turns to new insulation, and wiring, and a million little details that reveal themselves along the way.

To put it mildly, my house has decided to throw a renovation party of its own, and it's kindly asked (forced me) for a helping hand to restore its vintage charm without breaking the bank (or my sanity). I'm halfway through this epic saga of turning a tired historic house back into the marvel it deserves, and this was an unexpected plot twist I didn't see coming.

So, here I am, hat in hand, kindly asking for your support to raise $4,500 to cover the costs of rescuing my front facade from the clutches of water damage and time. Every little bit counts — whether you can donate, share, or simply send good vibes, it all helps in this adventure of turning challenges into triumphs.

Let's make sure this old house gets the TLC it deserves, and together, we'll turn this renovation saga into a tale worth telling. Thanks for being a part of my journey and for helping me keep the charm alive!

And waterproof.