Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

Two roofers came out today and said very different (and much more expensive) things than the two who had been here before.

The tarp on the floor under the buckets leaked sometime last night or this morning (sometime after I finally managed to get to sleep, after the inflow slowed enough that I didn't have to empty one of the buckets every half hour). Maybe the last piece of plaster to fall down punctured it? Anyhow, the ceiling of the bedroom immediately below is damp, and I think the bed got dripped on. Bleah. Replacing the tarp later.

So ... dumping a bucket of Lysol (or bleach) on the roof to let it follow the same path as the rainwater did, so as to kill the mold that's probably growing in my walls and ceilings: good idea or bad idea?

I did eventually get up on the roof myself, and saw a great big crack near one end of the part where the tarpaper had blown off. But I also saw a dip over the place where most of the water comes in -- no obvious hole, but it looked like the material had been worn down a bit as well as the wood under it sagging. (Interestingly, the first two roofers said I didn't need to replace the wood because, among other diagnostics, "it isn't sagging". Did they just get distracted by the Big Obvious Problem and not notice the more subtle one that's letting in more water? Both of the guys who came out today said the existing asphalt needs to be completely removed, not just covered over; and the wood underneath inspected as it's uncovered, and replaced as needed on a sheet-by-sheet basis.

The dip I'm talking about is the dark spot near the upper right corner of the first photo in my post on the ninth.

Regarding putting plastic over the roof as a temporary measure until work can start, I was cautioned not to use nails. So my plan to use multiple tarps and overlap the edges (uh, shingle-style more or less) is out. I need a single piece of plastic long enough to span the length of the roof, front to back (and ideally side to side, though perhaps I can get away with taping a seam if it's parallel to the direction water will flow, instead of across the flow?). And I'll need to sprinkle bricks or rocks all over to keep it from ballooning up in wind. I'm supposed to be going out for a not-Valentine's dinner with a friend later, so while we're out I'll see whether there's an affordable sheet of plastic in suitable dimensions at one of the big box hardware stores. (If it's only supposed to last a couple of weeks, I can probably get away with the cheap clear stuff instead of the heavy blue tarps I'd planned to use if it needed to last any longer than that.)

I have a lot of towels to launder.