And it couldn't have happened at a better time. Turns out that we're in for a deluge of rain which should dump an entire years worth of water in the span of a few days.
I gotta say I was so happy once the roof was completed, and in record time (2 days.) This is also an exquisite example of when to know your limitations, and when to hire a contractor.
I mention this because in previous posts, I enumerated about the prior state of the roof. The few rains that we had before we were able to get the contractors in, showed both me and my husband how shoddy of shape it was in. There were several indoor waterfalls that we discovered during those cloud bursts.
The reason we decided to go with a contractor rather than attempt to do it ourselves was:
1. My 70+ father in law and 75+ aunt were far to eager to do the work themselves.
2. My Brother-in-law insisted that he was a "mighty-mighty stage hand" (his words, not mine) once, and therefore heights and danger were in his second nature.
3. The 2 story height from the ground was just high enough to create broken limbs, or other possible broken bits.
4. No one in the extended group of family or friends who wanted to help knew the complete process for building a roof, as they had only done bits and pieces of the actual repair or construction.
...That and my mother-in-law, my mother and I were all in agreement. Too risky, too long to complete with novices, so get a contractor.
Contemplating the cost/benefit breakdown it was the smart decision. Here's our calculation:
1. Demolition of the existing roof:
a) We do it: Cost ~ $300- 2K. Time line for completion: 2 - 4 weeks
b) They do it: $2k - 6k. Time line for completion: half of a day.
2. Putting on new plywood
a) We do it: Cost $ 200- $400. Time line for completion: 1-2 weeks
b) They do it: (same as above, and included in the price) Time line for completion: the second half of that same day.
3. Completing the roof, including felt, shingles, flashing and tar.
a) we do it: cost $2k - 3K. Time line for completion: 4-6 weeks
b) they do it: cost $4k - 6k. Time line for completion: the 1 day.
The math is generalized, and you shouldn't use it for anything other than just guesses. But the numbers won me over:
a) We do it it would cost anywhere from 3- 6k. Approximately completed in 2-3 months
b) Contractor does it, could be anywhere from 12k - 22k. Approximately completed in 2 days.
Yep. Contractor, no doubt.
You know I think that's an important lesson - knowing when to call in the cavalry. I do wish I had learned it much earlier in life.
ReplyDeleteit was a bigger fight than I thought it was going to be. My In-laws were really keen on doing it themselves, being a bunch of farmers in their youth they were bound and determined to do-it-themselves. Against all better judgement.
ReplyDeleteI wish you posted some pictures of the roof for us to see how the roofing contractor did! And it is true that, if you think the work is beyond what you can do, it would be better to let a reputable roofing contractor do the work. That way, you won’t have to worry about the quality of the work, and at the same time, the fear of accidentally falling off the roof.
ReplyDelete@Mary Martin