Our old roof was going on 35 years, so we felt really sensible and proactive having new one put on before there were "problems."
Ha! Never underestimate the power of a hundred-year-old-house to surprise. Sure, there weren't any visible leaks, but the Seattle rain was still doing its insidious work over the years. Little did we know that the south side of the house was slowly rotting away over our heads.
Daylight coming through your roof is not a pretty sight. The original siding boards under the eaves were crumbling to dust beneath the pretty blue paint. The plywood on top was rotting away too, taking with it some of the main rafters. Soon the yard turned into a construction zone of hideous ripping and gashing sounds while the mess was wrenched off and thrown to the ground.
But we are lucky. I am so grateful to my friend Tim for his recommendation of Metropolitan Roofing Company. The job foreman said he would "make it right." He would never install their beautiful (guaranteed not to leak) product on a rotted base. A less reputable company might have just slapped on new shingles and called it a day.
When you feel sorry for yourself about how hard you have to work, go out and watch a team of Hispanic roofers for a few hours. Lumber was quickly hauled in, and the sawing and banging went on until 9 pm. That's over 12 hours of heavy, hard labor.
Sure, this extra work extends the project and the cost, but how much better to find out about it now, instead of a dark day in January when wet plaster rains down on our sleeping faces?
What falls apart soon comes together again. It is raining this morning and I'm propped up in bed nice and dry because those good men must have covered the holes before they left last night, about the time we were going to bed. I sure hope their wives had a nice supper waiting.
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