Great! We need a new roof!

[velochic]

Part rant, part question.

We need a new roof. Originally we though it could be an insurance claim, but the adjuster told us that the roofing contractor was yanking our chain... there is no wind damage and therefore no claim. To make matters worse, the roofer didn't even patch the roof as he said he was going to... and charged us $350 for it. I am soooo sick of shady contractors (and that one makes the 4th one we've dealt with in the past 3.5 years!) Rant over.

So, we've gotten estimates and it looks like we'll be laying out $4k - $5k for a new roof.

We have a healthy savings (nearly a year of expenses), but I am a little concerned about even taking that much from it. We were planning to take a trip to see dh's family this summer. It's expensive (overseas) and by the time all is said and done, we'll have depleted our savings of $10k by July of this year.

I put off going on the trip this winter break because dd was soooooo into Santa (6 at the time... and please let's not debate Santa here) and she just did not want to miss Christmas (which you do, if you are in a Muslim country). I don't know how I can put off going again.

Do you think we should just go and get it over with? We'll probably have the same issue this Christmas as we did last Christmas, so really going in June is a better plan, even if it is HELLA HOT there without A/C. Although we are not religious, our Christmas holiday is STEEPED in tradition in my family. I hate being in Turkey for Christmas and so does dd. It's almost depressing.

On to my other question.

When did your kids stop believing in Santa (dd is an only child, so she wouldn't get the info from an older sibling)? I wonder if she'll be over Santa by the time December gets here (she'll be almost 8 at the time).

Do you think this economy is going to be so far in the shitter by December that even if we *wanted* to go, we wouldn't because it would cost so much more than in June? What are your plans for vacations this year?

Other than to debate whether or not we should let dd believe in Santa, I'm open for any thoughts or ideas. My mind is just kind of all over the place on this. Dh is REALLY close with his sister and would be heartbroken if we don't go.

(Sorry for the rambling.)

[Usually Curious]

Would it be possible to bring his sister here for a few weeks?

[lunamama]

Sorry about your roof and the shady contractors....boo!

We live very far away from family so travelling expenses are a fact of life for us. I am very concerned about travelling this year because the price. We live super-rural so we have to drive quite a few hours to get to the airport anyways. BUT...it is something we just have to do. We have new babies over there and family that hasn't been seen for a year. Its part of our decision to move so far away. BUT, I do not really want to go this year because of cost and some of our other financial goals. It is a tough spot to be in.

Can you travel at thanksgiving instead of christmas?

All of my kids still believe in santa....10,8 and 4.

[Jenelle]

My son will be 8 in June and still totally believes in Santa. I have my explanation fully prepared as to why we have been lying to him all these years, lol, and thought we were close to that a couple times with his questions, but... Nope. He still *totally* believes in Santa.

We, too have to budget in a cross-country trip to see family. Frankly, we haven't been very good at it. It has been almost 2 years since dh has been back to see his grandparents, brother, etc. His mom has come here a couple times, but... We really need to make the trip out there this year. For us, it is one of those things that we would sorely regret if we didn't.

Good luck with your new roof. We had to have ours done a couple years ago, and while it does *stink* to see a large amount of money go all at once like that... I am so glad to have it off our minds. And was glad to have it done before it started leaking or caused any damage.

[mnnice]

Honestly, I think Santa's about over by seven. My seven year old doesn't believe in part because we were talking about it one day and he look my right in the eye and said, "Is Santa real mom?" and I didn't want to lie about it.

Could you to the tear off on the roof yourself and get a discount? Depending on the roof it might not be too hard. My house would be a no go for me because it's too high and I'm a big scaried cat. But I'll help next month when my folk reroof their house.

[velochic]

Originally Posted by Usually Curious

Would it be possible to bring his sister here for a few weeks?

Getting a visa is very difficult, unfortunately. I'd love them to come here. They are also afraid to fly, but that's another story.

[velochic]

Originally Posted by lunamama

Can you travel at thanksgiving instead of christmas?

All of my kids still believe in santa....10,8 and 4.

Can't go at Thanksgiving. It takes 2 days to get there to start with and at the cost, you really don't make it a short stay.

Thanks for the info about Santa. I thought that perhaps this coming year she would "get over" it. She has an active imagination, so it sounds like this could be an issue for years yet.

[polyhymnia]

I would just go ahead and do both. I was talking to a friend in the construction business this weekend and she was saying this is a great time to do home improvement projects - a kitchen remodel they just finished had been quoted at $80k last year, but this year they only paid $45k. People are desperate for work since remodels are down due to the economy. So maybe you can get a good deal on your roof.

To me family is very important. SO I would definitely go to visit.

[traceface]

On the Santa thing, I don't think it's like she'll stop having the excitement around Santa the same year she figures out he's not actually real. IME, the children who are really into it kind of force themselves to keep on believing for a couple of Christmases after they know.

Just laughing, it's so funny to have to factor Santa-believing into your travel & financial plans! This is life with children...

[SleeplessMommy]

I expect airplane ticket prices to continue to drop - we recently visited India for about 40% less (per ticket) than our previous visits.

[kittynurse]

Honestly, I'm a live for the moment kind of gal (thank you ADHD ) so I say do them both and as soon as possible.

The roof needs to be repaired before further damage is caused (ask me how I know that one .

Visiting family should never be delayed. Who knows what will happen between now and Christmas?

Warning - sad story ahead...


Fourteen years ago, when DH and I were dating, his whole family was planning on making the trek to the family farm in another province for the Easter weekend. He could have stayed home with me but he decided to go. That was the last time he ever saw his beloved mother. She was killed in a car accident shortly after.

To this day I thank God that he went on that trip and didn't think "oh, I can go anytime".

So, sorry to be a downer but I think you should go and you should go as soon as possible. Even if plane tickets are cheaper at Christmas, who knows what state the world will be in then?

And, on a lighter note, what are you doing asking *us* if the economy will be in the shitter? You're supposed to be the one leading us through the darkness j/k no pressure

Martha

p.s. You asked what our vacation plans are: we are going to Disney even though we can't *technically* afford it at the moment. The money is less important to me than what the trip will do for our family.

p.p.s. I pretended to believe in Santa long after I knew he didn't exist. I can't imagine not being able to celebrate Christmas.

[kittynurse]

I forgot to address your contractor woes. I know you've mentioned this in other threads and I feel for you. We have had our share of bad luck with contractors ourselves.

Do you have anyone at all who has worked for you that you trust? The way I started building up my stable of trusted contractors was to start asking contractors for names of other contractors.

So, when my heating and cooling guy is here, I ask him "so, do you know any good electricians?" and when the electrician is here, I ask "so, do you know any good plumbers?" etc. etc.

Come to think of it, my heating and cooling guy has given me *several* good leads! I guess that's why I've recommended him to so many people

I find the contractors seem to know who is good and who is bad in the business.

The other option is the Home Depot contractors. They probably won't be the absolute best in the business but you're far less likely to get scammed.

Martha

[polyhymnia]

Oh I forgot to say that we are still planning an overseas trip (to the UK) in September to see family. We got married last October but not all of his family could come, so we are going to visit them instead. I personally feel it is very important to keep up ties to family as I said before and this is one way we can do this. Things are going to be a bit tricky with finances but we are using some frequent flyer points to get to NYC, which saves a good bit of money since we just have to pay to fly from NYC-UK instead of the west coast - UK. It's not as convenient, but a lot less expensive.

[lunamama]

Originally Posted by SleeplessMommy

I expect airplane ticket prices to continue to drop - we recently visited India for about 40% less (per ticket) than our previous visits.

I hope so!!!!

[mumkimum]

Wanted to say bummer about your roof.

We got our roof done by someone recommended by our former landlord, who did a lot of work on his places himself & said this was the only person he ever recommended cause he didn't have to babysit him & make sure he was doing stuff right. So, landlords can be another good source for trust able repair-people if you happen to know any or have had any.

[karne]

I hear you about the roof. We're probably going to see 7-8K for our roof and some structural repairs this summer. Last summer is was 1800.00 for the barn roof. I hate roof repair.

10 y/o dd just had her first Christmas as a non-believer. Last year she was on the cusp.

[Leta]

*Flashes street cred badge: daughter of a non-shady contractor*

Not that you ever want to replace your roof, but here's the thing: roofs need replacing. It's just a question of when. Right now is a great time to have it done, because housing is in the toilet, and a lot of honest contractors are desperate for work and willing to bargain. (I'd PM with my dad's info , but he's in FL.)

I cannot give any advice about your family trip, but I will say that I heard on NPR today that airfare is the lowest it's been in ten years.

Don't screw around with your roof, though. Roofs and foundations are the two structural things that really should be fixed ASAP, because problems with either one of those things just spread and cost more money. For example, if your roof needed a patch that it didn't get (how nasty and irresponsible and scary), your fear isn't that your shingles are rotting, but that your decking underneath is rotting. Replacing the decking will add about 50% to the materials cost, and 100% to the labor. And the scary thing about wood rot is that it's just like fruit rot- it spreads. If your decking is rotting and it spreads to your trusses, you're REALLY in trouble. (Unless your trusses are metal- uncommon, but not unheard of.)

Something you may want to consider is a metal roof. It will cost you more in materials, but less in labor, and you'll never have to replace your roof again. If you are planning on living in this house for the rest of your lives, I'd go metal. Your DD could live their her entire life, and there's a very good chance she wouldn't have to replace the roof.

I completely understand about not wanting to drain your savings, but if I were in your situation, I'd try to just be greatful that I had the money to replace the roof and avoid a far bigger headache in the not-too-distant future.

[EFmom]

We had to have our roof done a year ago. I hate spending money on the house on stuff that doesn't really improve the way it looks because there are so many other things I'd like to do to make it nicer. But the pp is right, you have to do the roof. Make sure you check a bunch of references.

I hate to tell you this, but my dd believed in Santa until she was 11...

[mamayarn]

Replacing a roof is what savings is for.

Visiting family is what savings is for.

It's going to hurt to see it go, but work as hard as you can to replenish what you can and maybe it will not sting quite so much!

[Mama Dragon]

Can you do any part of the roof yourself? If you can lower costs of both, that might help. How long will it take you to build your savings back up?