Raise the Roof

I've written in the past about how windy it gets out here on the farm.  Yesterday was one of those days.  It was a strangely warm day...about 62 degrees.  That would normally be great, but it was raining off and on and there was about a 40 mph wind.  My outside buildings are in desperate need of a new roof.  I've just been holding the metal down with cinder blocks.  There's not much left to nail to.  One of the cinder blocks fell off of the roof into the mud below.  The wind was picking up the metal and flapping it back and forth and it would come back down to the roof with a loud bang.  There was no way that metal roof was going to make it through the day. 

I went down to the toolshed and got a bucket of roofing nails and a hammer.  I placed my rickety ladder against the building and climbed onto the roof.  The wind knocked over my bucket and nails went flying everywhere.  I gathered them all up.  Then I heard the ladder fall over.  Swell.  I had to just about lay on top of the pieces of tin to keep the wind from taking it away.  I got a few nails in and went around adding some more on the loose pieces.

I looked over the edge and there was my ladder laying on the ground.  No one around.  I jumped off the roof about seven feet to the muddy ground below.  Nice soft landing.  Then I took the ladder over to the chicken house to pound a few nails in over there too.

I've been gathering estimates to re-roof the two buildings.  One estimate was $12,939.  Another was $17,152.  The buildings are only worth $19,800 according to the county assessor.  That second estimate was from a neighbor who raises alpacas, and just started working for a roofer out of Fishers, IN (one of the hoity toity suburbs of Indy).  They replaced all of his barn roofs and they really looked nice.  That is until a big wind storm two weeks ago took off half the metal on the big barn.  It is currently covered up with a tarp.  He is scheduled to re-roof one of Dad's barns.  Dad has a few questions for the guy about warranties and guaranties.

Good grief.  All I need is two roofs that don't leak.  I'd do it myself, if I knew anything about roofing, which I don't. 

Dad has offered many times to burn down my chicken house.  Dad really likes to burn things.  I'd like to keep the old buildings.  I think they add character to the place.   

Comments

[Erica]

Obviously not the place one would want to hide during a tornado. And judging from the looks of the clouds, one might suspect that one is on the way. Or that Norman Bates is going to kill someone.

[hammer]

for that kind of money I would epoxy those cinderblocks to the roof and keep patching :)

[nora]

Hey Jerry,
I know a couple of dads that work cheap. We might even be related to them.
My did re-roofed the cow barn last summer. Metal roof and 100 degree days- yikkess!

[Eric]

... see, what you need to do is organize a blogmeet on your farm and hand everyone who shows up hammers......

[bad influence girl]

I can't say I know much about roofing, either, but from the looks of it, you just need some lumber, some tin, and some of them there roofing nails with the rubbery things around them. Pick a day when the wind's not gusting at 40 mph, and I'll even bring my own hammer! I love learning new skills on other people's property!

What's the worst that can happen? Half of it will blow off 2 weeks later?

[Rachel]

Sounds like you know quite a lot about roofing Jerry. You got up there and nailed some tin down! So what if you lost most of the nails, the bucket, and the ladder in the process!!

Those winds have been rough lately. One day here when it was really windy I thought about you and wondered if the grain bins were being pushed out of the barns!!

The other day I saw someone on top of the barn at the farm. I thought "I hope that's not Homer!" (the old man that gave you the hay). It wasn't him but Homer was below and his son was on the roof nailing down tin that had been flapping!

[GUYK]

I'd start by scabbing in some new rafters and then just tack down the galvanized that is good and replace the part that is bad..

[FHB]

Yea, I'd have a hard time spendin' that money, but I understand the connection to the place. I'd love to build a house that would be an updated version of my grandparents old place. All my cousins would bust into tears when they walked into the place.

[Ralph]

Jerry
First of all I doubt if I would have gotten up there. If I did and the ladder fell - I most likely would have spent the night. All this leads to the point, when your Dad is ready to burn that thing down let me know - I have a couple of drip torches and would be more than happy to help him.
Ralph

[cliff]

When you're here next July I've got some more cinder blocks for you.