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Thread: How I spent Memorial Day (and the rest of the week)

  1. #1
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    Default How I spent Memorial Day (and the rest of the week)

    A couple of members here have been asking me what I've been up to lately. Unfortunately it hasn't been hunting or fishing. But let me start at the beginning...

    Last week the weatherman said it was going to be well into the 90s with 100% humidity, so I called my two younger sons and said, "Hey let's tear off the roof on the old homestead and put on a new one!" And they, of course, said "Oh boy!"

    Jeremy and Daniel:


    As you probably know, first the old roof has to come off - both layers

    young backs are strong backs:





    notice how they are peeling it off in rows? it comes off easier that way. but we didn't figure that out right off the bat, oh no. we started by peeling it from top to bottom. much harder.

    front of house partly peeled:


    After peeling, we had to fix a couple of rotten spots where the roof had been leaking.

    I took this photo for my friend Duke, who sold me his prized 75th Anniversary Commemorative Limited Edition Milwaukee Sawzall when he moved his family to Ireland to become missionaries. It's still doing yeoman's work here in the states, Duke!


    Duke's Sawzall. Too bad because of the glare that you can't read the commemorative plaque on it. It's very impressive lol.


    Now comes tarpaper. If you keep it straight, it makes the shingling go quicker. These young men were all about quicker after a few days up on that blistering roof.

    D & J setting a new course of felt:




    Water and Gatorade were drunk in abundance. Daniel said that he drank 7 liters of water one day; I'd say that was about average. We were soaked with sweat by 7:30 every morning and it literally poured off us till 7:30 or quarter to eight every night.

    a quick water break


    and a quick photo op of me with my middle son Daniel. He'll be 21 in a couple of weeks! Where does the time go?


    After we got the front completely peeled, the neighbor stopped by and said, "Have you seen the radar?" So we turned around and said "Oh crap!!"

    front of house completly peeled. those clouds may be somewhat ominous, but the approaching thunderstorm behind them was a real rip-snorter!


    this is the direction the thunderstorm came from. this photo was taken a couple of days later - obviously there was no time for me to fart around and take pictures with the lightning and thunder cracking all around!


    Well you never saw three guys tarpaper a roof so fast. We were completly soaked - it was actually hard to breathe it was coming down so hard; a real frog-choker - but it sure felt good after being fried in the unbearable heat all day.

    Of course the next step is shingling - that's the fun part. It's really great to see the fruit of all your efforts. We've got about 1400 sq ft done so far, and plan on doing another 600 monday. I'll post photos when we're done. And I think that will be it for this year because I have run out of money (actually I'm over budget.) so the other 2000 sq ft will have to wait for a future week of scorching weather!

    bye for now


    Thanks for reading!

  2. #2
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    Nov 2008
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    Looks like your getting the perfect job! What better way to get a new roof than free labor! Nice going Guys.

  3. #3
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    Great job Jon!
    I didn't think you would be able to handle it without bringing in outside day laborers. You guys proved me wrong, and you saved about $9k in extra costs by doing it that way.

    WTG on the persistence.

    Fantastic story and pics, they symbolize the true pioneer spirit.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by lostatsea View Post
    What better way to get a new roof than free labor!
    Ha! as if.

    They are getting paid well. And they are earning every penny!

    Still saving several thousand bucks, as Rich says.

    Thanks guys!

  5. #5
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    Apr 2008
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    Ct
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    Quote Originally Posted by jonthepain View Post
    They are getting paid well. And they are earning every penny!
    It seems you are lucky to get them to help you, even with pay. It's so hard to get kids to help you with anything nowadays without them complaining. It's not like you are asking them to clean a sewer or anything. It does sound like you have raised 2 find sons. Thanks for sharing the pictures.

  6. #6
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    You all must have lost 10 lbs each in that hot sun. God bless, looking good.

  7. #7
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    Despite the weather at least you spent time w/ your sons thats great good kids.

  8. #8
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    it's good to have sons

  9. #9
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    Jun 2009
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    I'm next!

  10. #10
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    Great story and pics. I could feel the sweat dripping from me as I read it.

  11. #11
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    Mar 2008
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    Great tribute to Dad for memorial day. Good story,

  12. #12
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    Bringing this back to the top for Memorial Day. John has always instilled good family values in his children. Thanks for sharing the stories, pal.



    "Many men go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after." -Henry David Thoreau.

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