Removing an Asbestos Roof

For those interested in what’s happening to my nephew and CPS: I’ve updated the post with new information (you’ll see the update clearly labeled near the bottom).

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The Small House Roof

There’s a house from the 1400s in our back yard, and we are slowly restoring it. We call it The Small House. A few months ago, when we were about to install a skylight, we realized there was a problem. The roof has two sides. One side is terracotta tiles. We’ve done some minor repairs on them, but they’re holding up great. The other side is big square slate tiles, set in a diamond pattern. There are metal hooks that hold the slate roof tiles in place. The tiles are in great shape, but the hooks? Not so much. Many of the hooks are still going strong, but others have rusted through. When a hook rusts and breaks, the roof tile falls and has to be replaced. It’s a steep roof and repairs are inconvenient.

So we had to decide: Should we replace the roof, or just make repairs once in awhile? We called in some expert advice, and learned there was another problem:

It turns out the slate isn’t actually slate. It’s an old type of faux slate that is made of ASBESTOS. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Learning that detail made the decision for us. It’s time to replace the slate side of the roof.

So that’s what we’ve been up to for the last few weeks. The old roof is down (carefully following our town’s asbestos protocols), and the foundation for the new roof is almost ready. The process is: 1) demolition, then 2) stapling on a fabric roof screening material, then 3) installing small vertical beams that keep the screening material in place, then 4) installing horizontal beams that will hold the new roof tiles, then 5) installing the skylights, and then finally, 6) installing the roof tiles. (We are currently in the middle of step three.)

Last week, we went shopping for new roof tiles. It turns out there have been manufacturing delays for slate, and we were told it would be many months (or over a year!) before slate is stocked again. So we’ve decided to use faux slate tiles that exactly match the old ones — except they’re not made with asbestos. Using faux slate is fine with me. I loved the way the old roof looked and had no idea it wasn’t real until a few weeks ago. And the reality is, it’s the only roofing material that’s currently in stock in our area. So again, decision made for us. : )

If you’d like to see a full photo-report on the roof work so far, head over to my Instagram page. There’s a highlight called Small Roof where you can find the whole story.

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Recently on Design Mom

A don’t-miss house tour featuring Elizabeth Deng. She and her husband and kids live in Nairobi, Kenya. Elizabeth is Nigerian-American and her husband is South Sudanese-American and they’re both as inspiring as their lovely home is.

Make this gorgeous Ombre Ice Cream Pie with Sugar Cone Crust. It looks impressive, but it’s quite easy to make. And perfect for a hot day where you don’t want to turn on the oven.

Make a Tablecloth with Bubble Wrap Printing. I love using unusual materials to “print” with. Bubble wrap makes a wonderful pattern. This method would be fun for other textiles too — like a duvet cover or a dishtowel.

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A Few Things I’ve Wanted To Share With You

-From FiveThirtyEight: “It was just abundantly clear to me that everyone was prioritizing this eight-week embryo over me.” Even Exceptions To Abortion Bans Pit A Mother’s Life Against Doctors’ Fears.

-From Jezebel: Just 3 Weeks Post-Roe, The Stories Emerging Are Worse Than Anyone Imagined. We knew it would be awful. We knew pregnant people's lives would be threatened. We didn't know it would all happen so fast.

-From the New Yorker: Is Abortion Sacred? Abortion is often talked about as a grave act. But bringing a new life into the world can feel like the decision that more clearly risks being a moral mistake.

-An article about me and my forthcoming book, Ejaculate Responsibly, in The Salt Lake Tribune. You can pre-order anywhere books are sold — independent bookshops, or Amazon, and everywhere in between.

-For German speakers, an interview with me in the German publication Zeit Magazin.

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That’s all for now. Feel free to comment on anything I mentioned above, or whatever’s on your mind. I hope you’re able to have a restful, happy weekend.

kisses,
Gabrielle

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Hi, I’m Gabrielle Blair and this is my newsletter. It’s completely free to access and read, but if you feel so moved to support my work, please consider a paid newsletter subscription: just $5/month or save money with the $50/annual sub. You can also go way above and beyond by becoming a Founding Member at $75. Or, some of you have let me know you’d rather send money directly via Paypal and Venmo (@gabrielle-blair). Thank you! Seriously, thank you. Support from readers keeps this newsletter ad and sponsor-free.