Roofing 101

Back in February we had a big old Nebraska snow. It was heavy and plentiful. The kind of snow that invites you to curl up on the couch in front of a window and snuggle under a blanket.

February Snow.

Unfortunately for us, this snow caused a branch to fall onto our roof and wreak some havoc. Thankfully it wasn't anything serious, but it damaged some shingles, dented the gutter, cracked some facia, and did some other not nice things that I can't remember. Fast forward a few months and you find us reroofing the house. Did you like how I phrased that - like it's no big thing? Ug. What a weekend!
 

The guys working hard at pulling up the old shingles.

 Drew had a big crew of guys to come help us out, starting with his dad and two of his brothers. Toss in a few friends, one of whom happens to be part of a roofing company family, and we had a fantastic group of guys helping. Because there were so many of them, I got to be in charge of food for the day. They started Saturday morning at 8:30 and worked crazy hard to get the old shingles off the roof. I should also point out that the temperatures reached the upper 80's Saturday. When Drew scheduled this project, we thought May 19 sounded like a beautiful time of year to roof a house. Not so much. However, by the time 6:00 pm rolled around, they had started laying the new shingels and worked to get the water and ice paper as well as the felt paper covering the entire roof. Good thing they did too because it rained 0.75 inches Saturday night.

Drew's Dad, brother Reid, and Drew working up a sweat.

We got up Sunday morning and called my dad to see if he'd be able to help us out. Being the rock star that he is, he gamely agreed, dispite having officiated the state high school track meet all day both Friday and Saturday. Due to smaller numbers on Sunday, I was promoted from food to actually roofing duties. We got started around 10:30 and worked hard all day so that we could finish the entire thing at 8:00 pm.

Shingles and Ridge Caps.

Holy stinking cow! Not to get all whiny, but my feet hurt, my calves hurt, my quads hurt, my hamstrings hurt, my back hurt, and my hands hurt. Talk about a workout! My legs were literally shaking when I climbed down the ladder. My poor husband was limping and gimping around. Turns out asphalt bits had gotten in his shoes and he was getting an exfoliation through his socks with every step he took. He was up there for two solid days and I think he's awesome.

The "Before" Picture.

While I don't forsee a future in roofing for him or me, I do have a sense of pride and accomplishment when I look at the house. The roof turned out amazing and I helped! A huge thanks to Larry (Drew's dad), Reid (Drew's brother), Kyle (Drew's brother), John, Josh, Jeremy, Jake, Frank (my dad), and Luke for all their hard work.

The "After" Picture.