We have plans for other projects, including building a set of bunkbeds in the BBQ porch.
We are also beginning a “Cabin Log” so that future members can have more information
about cabin upkeep and the history of the fraternity.
With a new roof, the cabin will be a warm, dry place for future members to gather in
the years to come.
About Roofs
Shingled roofs generally have a twenty to thirty year lifetime when properly installed. While we have no way of knowing the roof’s exact age, there are many indications that the cabin roof is due for replacement. Many of the shingles have begun to warp, allowing water to leak in and damage the underlying wood. Dryrot is visible inside the cabin, particularly in the places where two roofs come together (a valley). In addition, metal edging and flashing, designed to direct water off the roof, was not installed, shortening the lifetime of the roof.
The shingles available now are of much higher quality than before. They are designed to last thirty years or more, and they offer much better fire protection than before.
Roof Notes
This is a list of visible places where there is dryrot coming through to the inside of the cabin. There is almost certainly a significant amount of dryrot between the roof boards and the shingles which has not yet become visible on the inside of the cabin, but will become visible when the old shingles are removed, these boards will need to be replaced as well.
[All links are to a schematic of the roof. —Eds.]
-
 Dryrot along entire edge. These boards need to be replaced alternating between two, three, and four joists back, to maintain roof strength. The second joist is 30” from the edge, the third joist is 21” further, and the fourth joist is 19” further. This edge is the worst, but other edges require some board replacement. Edges that run in the same direction as the boards should have the two boards closest to the edge replaced. Also metal flashing needs to be added around the entire edge of the roof to avoid this problem in the future. Outside boards are 5 3/8” x 3/4”.
-
Worst of the dryrot that comes through to the inside. From the inside it appears that 8 boards need to be replaced each at a length of 72”. Again, when the shingles are removed it may reveal that the dryrot covers a much larger area. To avoid this problem in the future metal flashing needs to be put in the valley right above the dryrot area. Inside boards are 7” x 3/4” tongue and groove.
- Dryrot all around the chimney. 7 inside boards 48” long need to be replaced. Again when the shingles are removed it may reveal that the dryrot covers a much larger area. Also metal flashing needs to be added around the chimney to avoid this problem in the future.
- Dryrot similar to that in number 2. Here two inside boards 96” long need to be replaced as well as three inside boards 72” long. Again when the shingles are removed it may reveal that the dryrot covers a much larger area. Here too metal flashing needs to be put in the valley on the outside in order to avoid this problem in the future.
-
The tree has grown into the porch roof here and caused some breaking and also bad dryrot. Some of the roof should be cut away to allow the tree to grow without harming the roof in the future, also six outside boards need to be replaced at a length of 48”.
FixPic.
- Large dryrot area in the Barbecue porch. One sheet of plywood needs to be replaced.
FixPic.
A Treasurer’s Concern
[The Actives’ presentation of the above report at Alumni Weekend, their request for funds, and most of all, their sincere, considered offer to do the work themselves stirred pride in the hearts of those alumni present. It had been at least twenty years since any group of Actives showed such initiative, motivation, and commitment to the care of the cabin. As a result, the alumni, your treasurer included, immediately agreed to fund their efforts. In doing so, the general fund (used to pay for the publication of the Oak Leaf) has been depleted and requires immediate and heroic donations.
Jim’s letter below was written several weeks after Alumni Weekend.]
 James L. Ach ‘63 #565
To bring you all up to date on several subjects:
Cabin Roof: Matt ‘Cruiser’ Cohen is raring to go on replacing the cabin roof, and in accordance with my conversations at the Brunch, I have advanced him $3,000 to that end. So far he has purchased about $2,500 worth of materials, and carted them all up to the cabin. He sent me a work schedule which indicates about 6 weeks work to get the roof replaced. I strongly urged him to keep moving on this project, not to let it slow down, and he said he would. He did get a building permit, and agreement from the rangers. I suspect this project will end up costing about $5000 (or more), but there’s no doubt that the cabin needs a new roof.
Cabin Electricity: Matt got a quote from an electrician to bring cabin up to code: $800 to $1,000. I think we should have the work done but it’s less critical than the roof. We can hire the electrician whenever we have the funds, but Matt and his cohorts are only available this summer to do the roof work.
Financing The Cabin Roof—And More: If we don’t get special donations to cover this work the treasury will probably not be able to cover the cost of the next Oak Leaf. [That’s this one, brothers and sisters! —Eds.]
—Jim Ach
Cabin Repair ‘98: Status
[These two letters are excerpted from the
NAP Network
and highlight the conclusion of the work efforts
of the Actives.]
Adam Davis ‘98 #1146
<![CDATA[
From: Adam Davis <adamgdavis@hotmail.com>
Subject: Contact Info.
]]>
All is well here. The cabin post-roofing cleanup is nearing completion, thanx to
our garbage chute o’ death.
[We're getting more info on this "chute." Expect a report in the next
issue of the Oak Leaf! —Eds.]
--Adam
email: email_deleted
Adam Doerr ‘97 #1136
<![CDATA[
From: adamkd@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: howdy, checkin’ in/up
]]>
Don’t know if you’ve been in touch with Cruiser or anyone, but the roof is
finally done and most of the trash is gone. The roof looks
great and will hopefully last a long time. The interior is still messy
from the project, but we’re working on it—or the Actives are—I don’t have
quite as much time anymore, but I help when I can.
--Adam
email: email_deleted
Cabin Repair ‘98 Background
[Before the 1998 Alumni Weekend, a lot of Actives put their hearts into the cabin. That means they did a lot of work at and on the cabin itself. That means that they did a lot of “political” work garnering alumni support and confidence.
Here is a letter written in December 1997 by Cassie Gruenstein who would shortly after this letter was written become Nu Alpha Phi President. (It was during her tenure that the Actives finally earned the trust of the Alumni and funds for the roof were released.)]
Cassie Gruenstein ‘98 #1142
As a perpetually confused freshman at Pomona, I wandered around the campus as if it were a prison, feeling lost and alone. Though it was a group of close knit friends and companions I was looking for, I also craved freedom from a landscape that seemed as jumbled as I felt. Though I now recognize Pomona’s mix-and-match landscaping as beautiful, I have never accepted it as “natural.”
At the beginning of my sophomore year, I found a group to whom I could related: the members of Nu Alpha Phi fraternity exhibited a sparkle, intelligence, and creativity that I loved, and I decided to cement my budding friendships with the vows of brother and sisterhood. One of the aspects of Nu Alpha Phi which I enjoyed being a part of was the Wash, but it was the other entity that characterized the fraternity that helped heal my spirit. The cabin. The first time that I went to the cabin, it was night. I remember sitting on the bench outside, looking up at the stars, and breathing a deep sigh of relief. I felt as if I had been travelling in a strange land, and had finally found my way home.
The cabin has changed in the years that I have known it, and just recently Brother Adam Doerr ‘97 #1136, Brother Matt “Cruiser” Cohen ‘98 #1139, and Sister Sarah Moore ‘98 #1178 have revitalized the interior with new wiring, new paint, new seat cushions, curtains, new placement of the beautifully re-varnished bar, and a thorough cleaning. Daffodils that were planted on the hillside two years ago are growing as a result of the rains, and the work on the trail that was done this fall has not been compromised by El Nino.
The cabin is also in desperate need of roof repair, especially now that the rain threatens to damage the restored interior, and reverse the hard work that has been done so far.
I have been an active for three years, and have heard numerous complaints from alumni. At a recent event to welcome advisor John Seery into the fraternity, instead of meeting new people and enjoying interactions with the alumni, I was intimidated by a group of alums who complained about we Actives and our supposed lack of responsibility and lack of respect for the cabin. To many of us, the fraternity cabin is one of the most valuable things that we have gained while in college. Ironically, it is in the cabin that we are truly aware of our connection to the history and traditions of the fraternity. If the cabin were lost, this connection would be erased, and the gulf that now exists between the Actives and the alumni would be immeasurably widened.
At this semester’s initiation, one of the new initiates turned to me with an immense smile on her face. “The cabin looks marvelous,” she said. In fact, variations on this theme were repeated all night. When we have so much else on our minds a majority of the time, it is exciting to see such a look of complete happiness expressed on the face of one’s friends. I hope that the alumni can come to understand that the cabin is as important to us as it is to them, and instead of being a source of conflict, it could so easily be a source of alliance between the alumni and the Actives. I hope that in the future we can work together to ensure the survival of our mutual interest, the Cabin.
[Despite your editors’ inability to publish a second Oak Leaf last year wherein this letter might have persuaded some Alumni that the current Actives are worthy, Cassie’s eloquence and depth of feeling are still worth publishing. Our hope is that you will consider that like clings to like and that she is not unique. In fact, the Actives have proven it several times over with the reroofing last summer. —Eds.]
An Alumni’s Commitment
[While he’s not the only one to do so, Bill was the first to send in a check. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have much company! Of course, this isn’t all your fault. We editors could have been a little more diligent about publishing an Oak Leaf more quickly. Folks. Follow Bill’s lead, not ours. Send cabin money in as soon as possible.]
Bill Tweedie ‘38 #175
Enclosed is my check for the Cabin Fund. This is specifically to go toward the repair work the Actives hope to do this summer/fall as described at the NAP brunch last Sunday during Alumni weekend.
I was quite impressed with the dedication of the Actives and their care for the cabin. The cabin obviously means a lot to them as it does to all of us.
It is hoped the alumni can come up with most/all of the necessary money to cover the repair work, estimated at $5000. This is particularly true with the Actives planning to do most of the work themselves. Hopefully the attached check will serve as “seed” money to get the repair work started.
I haven’t been to the cabin for over fifty years but I have many wonderful memories of the cabin—work sessions, rush parties, dates, etc. there. The cabin is one of the wonderful focal points of NAP and a living tradition of our fraternity over the years!
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