Over the last 15 years I have been walking my shake roof every year and replacing pieces as needed. This is a good day's job but it has kept the roof in good shape and stopped having to re-roof the whole thing -- which requires a city permit which means a nosey inspector, a permit fee and an increase in the annual property taxes. None of this if you just replace a few at a time.

I generally carry an armful of shakes, and drop one every time I see a loose or damaged piece. Then go back and install them. Not that hard to do.

Last time I was on the roof, I put up an antenna, got a little dizzy and did a couple of pirouettes. So I decided it was time to look into supervising from a lawn chair next time.

For these kind of jobs, the guy who comes out is different from the half-drunk feller who comes out to do the work. Or they send someone who can't understand the language with no translator. The one and only time I did this, the guy cut down a rose bush and a grapefruit tree. The bad part about it is that ten years later I am still hearing about it....

Anyway, I don't know where this is leading. Just a pain having to find someone without a referral I guess....

"Guv Bob" wrote in message m...
Over the last 15 years I have been walking my shake roof every year and replacing pieces as needed. This is a good day's job but it has kept the roof in good shape and stopped having to re-roof the whole thing -- which requires a city permit which means a nosey inspector, a permit fee and an increase in the annual property taxes. None of this if you just replace a few at a time.

I generally carry an armful of shakes, and drop one every time I see a loose or damaged piece. Then go back and install them. Not that hard to do.

Last time I was on the roof, I put up an antenna, got a little dizzy and did a couple of pirouettes. So I decided it was time to look into supervising from a lawn chair next time.

For these kind of jobs, the guy who comes out is different from the half-drunk feller who comes out to do the work. Or they send someone who can't understand the language with no translator. The one and only time I did this, the guy cut down a rose bush and a grapefruit tree. The bad part about it is that ten years later I am still hearing about it....

Anyway, I don't know where this is leading. Just a pain having to find someone without a referral I guess....

===

OK, now I remember..... (part 2).....

Overall the roof is still in decent shape, except for the first row of shakes along the gutter which are getting eaten up by termites. I'm wondering if it's worth tearing off and replacing the first row or two (as needed), instead of doing the whole roof?

If partial replacement is OK, I would at least need to spray all with termite juice.

Guvna:

Here's two ways that I've found people to work for me:

1. If I know how to do the work, and just need someone with more strength and energy than I have, I simply put up an ad in the local Safeway store bulletin boards. It's free and if you print your ad on coloured paper (available at any stationary store), it'll get noticed. You'll have a steady stream of 16 to 18 year old guys and girls phoning and wanting to work for minimum wage. Admittedly, working on a roof can be dangerous, but anyone 18 years old won't be scared if he's not working close to the edge of the roof, and in reasonable weather conditions.

2. Keep your old Yellow Pages Phone Directory each year when the new ones come out. 99% of new businesses are started by experienced people who previously worked for existing businesses. And, the most important thing anyone who's starting a new business has to do is get their name in the phone book listed under the trades they do. By simply comparing the listings from one year to the next, you know who's gone out of business (or changed their name possibly because of a bad reputation) and who the new start-up companies are.

Now, in the case of the latter method, you can be fairly sure that if you hire a new company that's just started up, it'll be the owner and CEO of the company that comes out to fix your shakes. Almost certainly he'll be fully knowledgeable about what to do and how to do it. That's cuz no one starts their own business unless and until they realize they're fully as competent as the guy they're working for and can do everything he can. But, the advantage to you is that anyone who's starting their own business is going to realize that the best way to grow their business is by providing the best service they can at a cost that's competitive and even attractive compared to the other companies in the business. The advantage to you is that the person doing the work knows that the success of his business rides on the quality of the work he does. With the well established roofing companies, the person they send out to do the work knows that he's going to get paid the same regardless of how good a job he does, so it's like pushing a rope to get him to do a good job. The guy working for himself doesn't need to be motivated.

So, there's a tremendous benefit to be had in keeping your Yellow Pages phone books from year to year because it tells you who's not going to need motivation to do the best job he can for you.

"Guv Bob" wrote in
m:

Anyway, I don't know where this is leading.

I think it's leading you into a long stay in a nursing home.

Please explain how the termites get to the shingles on the edge of the roof without eating anything on their way to the edge of the roof!! Sure sounds like you may have more of a problem than you realize.

nestork posted for all of us...

And I know how to SNIP

That's
cuz no one starts their own business unless and until they realize
they're fully as competent as the guy they're working for and can do
everything he can.


He/she THINKS they are as competent.

--
Tekkie

I still am waiting to hear how the termites get up to the roof to eat!!!!