You can say what you want, but there is nothing more delicious in this entire world than silky, bouncy toddler pigtails.
It’s just that I’m completely powerless against them. WHY DIDN’T ANYONE WARN ME ABOUT THIS?!
The cuteness drains me.
If I was a real blogger, I’d have a good transition here so you felt like the pigtail pictures relate to our new roof, and not just that I went to edit photos of our roof and got distracted by these pics of my little one. But we’re running a pretty rough-shod operation around here, and the call of the pigtails was strong today.
We got a new roof! The old one was about four seconds away from rotting through and basically disintegrating with the next light drizzle.
And it looked sad, old and dreary. Here it is when we bought the house:
And with a few years’ more wear and tear:
Doesn’t that break your little heart?
It’s okay, dry your eyes! The ugly duckling has blossomed into a beautiful swan.
That roof has been a long time comin’, and we had to fight for it. A couple years ago there was a hailstorm which caused a lot of roof damage in our area. After the storm, the roofing companies came out of the woodwork, and one by one, every one of our neighbors got their roofs replaced and paid for by their home insurance companies. But OUR insurance company was all, “NOPE! Your roof looks SUPER DUPER FAB! The storm must have gone around your yard.”
We fought them and they ended up sending us a little money but nothing near what it cost to get a new roof. So we set that money aside, patched some of the damage and quickly changed insurance companies.
Then a few weeks ago, after another hailstorm, a roofing company approached us, and coordinated with our new, improved home insurance company to get a brand new roof approved and paid for by insurance! We have to pitch in $1000 for our deductible, but this is something that we absolutely needed to do – years ago – and we were thrilled to make that trade.
We negotiated with the roofing company to get a free upgrade to architectural shingles. So we got to trade these boring flat shingles (called “three-tab shingles”):
for architectural shingles, which are pricier, more durable and long-lasting, and look more beautiful and interesting. See how much more textural they are?
Secretly, I was just excited about how much better it made our house look. But my dad is a home inspector, and he came over right after we got our roof installed, and you would’ve thought we won the lottery. He was all, “Oh this is AMAZING. CONGRATULATIONS, you guys! Your whole house is so much better now! This changes everything!” –so then I started getting excited because apparently this is a major upgrade in the life of the house or something.
But let’s talk about how it looks some more.
There’s this new thing in roofing called a drip edge which hangs over the front of the house in order to keep rain from dripping down and rotting out the fascia boards. I don’t know if it’s a new invention or whatever, but it’s a new code requirement, at least here in Georgia, according my dad. I think it makes things look super sharp by outlining the roof with thick black line.
See it?
It’s like eyeliner for your house! It makes everything look so snazzy! Also, allegedly it is functional.
In case it’s not incredibly obvious, we opted not to DIY this job, because:
1. My klutziness on a roof would be a death sentence.
2. It would take us six years.
3. We are not masochists.
A crew of about eight very hardworking men took the whole old roof off and replaced the new one over one 12-hour-day, and all I could think was, those guys are underpaid. I have so much respect for roofing installers.
Also, have I mentioned I love Mila’s pigtails?
Let’s do another before and after!
Also, can we back up and talk about how GIDDY it makes me to see our landscaping actually growing in? Check out the difference between those last two pics. It’s starting to look like real grown-ups live here!
Don’t be fooled.
Have you ever had to get a roof replaced? Should I just start posting pics of Mila’s hair and skip the house stuff?
Hi, I'm Kelly. Glad you're here! This little blog is where I chronicle our efforts to fix up our beaten-down home on a tiny budget. We're not there yet, but here's a peek at the view along the way...
Kelly your house is SO beautiful! I love what you’ve done with it since you’ve moved there. The new roof color compliments your house colors so well, perfection! We have moss growing on our roof…..probably a whole community of fairies living up there the moss :garden: is so big. It definitely has a sad face 🙁 But baby pigtails!!!!!!! Thank goodness for those! Mila is getting so big and so adorable!!
Love pigtails too, so sweet. And your house is a beauty, but it was gorgeous with the old roof too in my opinion
Well the new roof is great, but hot dog, the landscaping! It looks Excellent!
Now I want a new roof and I want eyeliner on my house too! Wow, this looks amazing! I definitely wouldn’t DIY a new roof… it’s tough stuff and something you really want to hold up. Pigtails are adorable, as is she!
but you have to tell us….what’s up with the stove in the front yard?
Ha! It was a washing machine. They were delivering a new one that same morning after ours broke.
My youngest niece has reached pigtail age and I practically melted into a puddle the last time I saw her. I would have stolen a million dollars for that kid if she’d asked me to.
It looks perfect with your home 🙂 Love it!
I mean the house looks good and all but I think this post would have been 100% better if your house would have gotten silky toddler pigtails. 😛
I can never believe the difference a roof makes. It’s like your house got botox and it’s young again. Look out neighbor houses.
Yay for house eyeliner!
So, dying to know… is that an appliance in your front yard?! (In the roof demo picture) Is there some special roofing-machine that has an uncanny resemblance to a washer/dryer/stove?? Or were you like, “Oh hey strong guys, while you’re here, could you just move this…”? 🙂
hahaha!! I totally should’ve mentioned what was going on there. Our washing machine broke right about the same time, and they were delivering a new one that same morning. It was complete insanity around here that morning! (But next time, I’ll try your method of “hey strong guys, we have some other DIY projects for you while you’re here…”)
Well, the pigtails are cute, but you know one can never see enough roof. My brother in law has a roofing business, and we are approaching replacement time. Even with a deal from him, we have to hope for a hail storm!
I couldn’t believe the difference when we replaced our roof. It looks awesome!
Looks amazing, Kelly! We had the exact thing happen with a hailstorm and we were able to take the insurance part of it and were able to stretch it to do the whole roof. Of course, our house is small so that helped! Sorry you had such a time with the insurance company. Your dad sounds like a champ and such a great resource!
Wow what a difference! I feel like we all overlook the roof until it’s really really beyond time to change it or until something like a hail storm happens. And yet it’s such an important, necessary part of the house and as evidenced by your pictures can be BEAUTIFUL! I LOVE the architectural shingles. Definitely on the list of things I want for our house.
Looks awesome!! I love architectural shingles- our house has them and all other roofs look flat in comparison. I *kind* of feel like our house doesn’t have this fancy drip edge thing though- I’m not sure and would have to actually look at our house to see. But we are in Georgia too- hmm. Anyway- looks awesome!! And toddler pigtails- looooove! 🙂
Those pigtails totally got me, but that new roof certainly is nice too 🙂 Love how much the plants have grown in. Looks so fabulous!
It’s amazing what little thing ( big things in your case) do to change they way our home looks.We opted for architectural shingles 9 years ago as well. No regrets. The Mr. told me last week we will be doing the drip edge as well. Seee… I want eyeliner too 🙂
Your home is beautiful!
Looks so great! We haven’t ever gotten a new roof. We keep moving just before we need one. But I’m not sure we can keep that up forever….
The piggy tails do have power. So do the pony tails that go straight up like Pebbles before you get enough hair to do pig tails. Also, the roof is such a small change (visually) but it makes such a great difference! My dad wants their roof replaced but for a couple years now he just keeps saying “I’ll replace it after the next good hailstorm.” Pretty soon, it won’t take a hailstorm to knock it out!
Your house is so pretty! I don’t know a thing about shingles but now I know architectural = awesome texture. Have a great weekend Kelly!
I was thinking as I scrolled down to the last two pictures how much the landscaping has grown in and how green the lawn is…and then you wrote the exact same thing! It’s amazing how something as un-noticeable as a roof makes such a huge difference when it’s replaced. Wow, such a gorgeous home! And kudos on the insurance paying for it!
I remember when I discovered my daughter’s hair was long enough for double pigtails…ahhhh, so sweet. 🙂
Total cuteness that little Mila!
We have had issues with our roof and have done some patching but haven’t pulled the trigger on replacing it yet. The house really needs to be painted first! Oh the joys and expenses of home ownership!
Our house is 90 years old. The roof looked good until it wouldn’t quit leaking when the new area was added. Investigation showed the the decking, made of various kind of boards like a patched together floor,was in really bad shape. The whole thing had to come off down to the rafters. Several incursions were made into the rooms on the second floor. It was quite a mess but it now keeps the rain out and it looks better, too.
I have a funny little story about our roof replacement years ago. Our dog Tyler was a black lab/Weimaraner mix (so he never knew if he should point at it, or go fetch it…he blasted through our screen door so many times, we finally gave up!) and on Invisible Fence. Thus, he roamed around the yard as our roofers tore off the old, and installed the new. Unfortunately, they left the door to their work van open, and Tyler helped himself to everyone’s lunch. Did it the next day, too! I bought pizza for the crew…..
Bahaha! I bet he was like, “Let’s get a new roof EVERYDAY!”
Haha I love your blog 🙂
Your house looks great too.
It looks terrific! I wouldn’t have thought the old roof looked bad, but in comparison, it’s a big improvement! We are getting ready to get bids for a new roof. I am amazed that yours was done in one day! Do the drip edges mean that you don’t need gutters? Our gutters are yucky and we’ve had to remove some because they were angled back toward the house and water would get trapped there and then freeze in the winter causing all sorts of problems. So… I am not a fan of gutters. 🙂 Anyway, looks great! Love the pigtails too. 😉
Thanks! Nope, you still need gutters. Ours are worn-down with holes in them so that’ll be another project soon!
YES! We had the roof done on our old house (that is now our rental house). We also got the architectural shingles and it made all the difference. After the process I was totally judge-y at every house we drove past since I knew the “options”. Haha. It’s funny how things stand out more once you go through it- like the time I researched painting our front door and I started noticing everyone’s doors!
roof post: http://www.createprettyblog.com/2012/06/off-with-old.html
Since then it was painted gray and got an aqua front door! 🙂
Love your new fancy pants roof! And those piggies…
Those pigtails are adorable. And the roof is pretty nice too!
Gorgeous!! I cannot wait to see that beauty in person!
Hooray for a fancy new roof!
We had ours replaced last summer. It looks fantastic, but we are *still* finding nails occasionally. I guess they weren’t very thorough when they went over our property with a magnet.
Love your blog and love the new roof! It looks amazing. We had our old house up for sale and the roof was less than impressive. We decided to get it replaced (out of our own pocket… where’s a good hailstorm when you need one?) and the FIRST people who saw the house after the new roof was in bought the house. Coincidence? I think not. 🙂 People go giddy over a new roof.
Your new roof is seriously awesome. The color and style you chose is killer. It’s just a perfect hair do for your roof. But not nearly as cute as your toddler’s hairstyle.
Even though you are both in denial, you two are so adults! Love the new roof. We had to get new soffits and gutters last summer. It was literally painful spending money on something like that. What are soffits anyway? I’m glad the hail didn’t go around your house this time and you got the roof. Well done.
haha! I actually have no idea what a soffit is. Sounds like the least fun way to spend money ever. 🙂
We had an epic hailstorm ourselves a few years ago and the same parade of roofers came through our neighborhood. One thing we learned, though, is that when there’s a major storm roofing companies will come in with salespeople from out of state to try to get your business. Hence why my doorbell was ringing three times a day waking my baby up from naps. We kept it local though and used a construction company that my husband does web design and management for. Our house at the time was fairly small so it didn’t take long at all for them to rip the roof off and put the new one on! I had the baby take his naps in the basement for the day and I just tuned out the hammering (it’s a skill I learned while on missions trips where I had to sleep in some weird places). Before I knew it they were done! We also had to have the roof on our current house replaced but that was done before we moved in.
Now we need to work on our landscaping like you guys…it’s pitiful…
Yes! You know you’re a mama when your main concern is that they not wake the kids from their naps that day! We cranked up the white noise and, by some crazy miracle, we still got naps and survived it!
Amazing what a difference it makes! I feel the same way about the pigtails, I can hardly handle the cuteness!
I am in love with your house and your brand new roof 🙂
Are pigtails appropriate for a 27 years old? (please say yes…)
Psh, no question. Rock those pigtails, sista! 🙂
Roofers are amazing. We had a big hailstorm a few years back and everyone in our neighborhoods ended up getting new roofs out of it. Unfortunately for the roofers, it was July in Dallas and 105+ degrees in the hottest summer anyone remembers. I felt so bad for those guys! We didn’t have significant damage so we waited until the fall so they wouldn’t have to work in such hot weather on our roof!
PS. Post as many pigtail pictures as you like. We don’t mind. 🙂
I would be just as excited about a new roof as you are! I never blog about this stuff because I’m afraid people will think I’m crazy. Well, I guess we already knew you’re crazy, so there was nothing to lose! ;P
It looks awesome! We got our roof replaced too and it looks so much better…we went with a dark gray sort of like yours. 🙂 Glad we didn’t have to DIY that either!!
Congrats on the eyliner! I love makeup for the house.
And yes to both. Pigtails and house stuff. Can’t get enough, yo.
YES, bouncy toddler pigtails are the BEST! Totally distraction worthy. Your roof looks fab. Isn’t it amazing the difference that architectural shingles make? Glad the second storm didn’t go around your house 🙂
Love the pigtails. My girl is too big (in her mind) for pigtails anymore. We have squeezed 7 years out of our shingles (not sure how long they were here before we bought the house) & are living on the edge where they are concerned. We are actually considering metal roofing, on top of what’s already there. I think that will give us a little more insulation. The roof is sound, but we have slowly lost a lot of shingles. Once we decide on a color, we will do the roof in pieces. The main (straight) part first, then the rest later.
Kelly, I have been parked on your blog for the past hour!! GREAT job! I love reading about all your projects. We are currently in the process of having our new roof replaced due to a hail storm. Do you mind sharing the manufacture and color of your shingles? Our homes are very similar in style and love the shingles you chose.