Garage rot.... things look bad, and worse, and worse!

[jeffpas]

Well be glad you're not me. So here I am on a limited income, barely paying the bills. And I get hit with this.

First: I have this detached 1 car garage, which looks fine from MY backyard.
In our neighborhood, the garages form part of the fence between backyards, if that makes sense. In order for me to see the other side of my garage, I have to have all the impertinence of going round, walking through the neighbors front driveway, and going into their backyard to see it.
Needless to say I practically never do this, as its really awkward. And as I said it looks fine from my side.

Then one day we have a big storm, and a branch falls on the garage roof. Didn't really do much, except. I go into my garage, and I see several piles of 'frass', sawdust. On closer inspection, there are ant parts mixed in.

Carpenter ants.
The thump from the branch, apparently knocked some little piles of dust from them.

OK. So I don't SEE any carpenter ants in the garage, but I did see one on the driveway. But obviously they're in there somewhere.

So I go around to see the other side of my garage after so long, and am just like OMG. This is how it looks. How could it be so different from the other side?

Anyway I'm wondering what I could possibly do here. I can't afford a new roof. The old owner years ago had put a new roof on top of the old shingles, so its double heavy.
But look at the edge. For some reason on this side of the garage, its all rotted. Whats more, there was a vine growing on it, and its stuck into the shingles and leaves have piled up.
The roof isn't leaking yet, but this looks bad.

What can I do?
I mean I could put an aluminum drip edge in, to cover the exposed wood that is getting soaked by rain. But then I have to deal with the carpenter ants. And I don't know really the best way to do that either.

 

[Snoonyb]

Here is a link that may be of assistance for you; CDBG Programs - Community Development.

 

[ekrig]

I don't know how to deal with the carpenter ants, and I'm curious if someone could anything on that front.

I wouldn't get on the roof of my house, but the slope on that roof seems gently enough and it is only 1 story high. If the structure is still sound, replacing the roof is just still within the limits of what I consider DIY with the help of a friend. You would need a container to dispose of things plus materials so it would still cost a couple of grand, if that's an option.

 

[Sparky617]

You might try checking with Habitat for Humanity. Our local chapter has a program to help seniors and others of limited means with repairs. Another group to try is Rebuilding Together. I've volunteered with them and my son did a year with them through AmeriCorps. They also do this type of work for people of limited means.

 

[HandyOne]

Also, local churches often have outreaches that help the community. My mom had the end of her double wide home redone at their expense and labor. It was an outreach group from a church my friend was a member of. Mom and I were not a member of the church. So, that's is another option.