It’s another big milestone in DIY building because (1) it means the house shell is almost dried-in and (2) at least that decision is done! Choosing shingles was almost as hard as choosing windows. And I never even thought about roofs or shingles before! For weeks, I looked at every house I drove past, watched videos, looked for samples and examples. I practically slept with the brochure. I even wrote directly to a major company for answers I couldn’t find on-line.
It’s a series of choices. First, what type of roof: asphalt, metal or shake? (I chose the most common one.) Type of asphalt shingle: traditional, architectural or premium? (I chose the middle-ground. It’s labeled “designer”…to make me feel better about the cost, I suppose!) Length of warranty? (When you’re past 60, this doesn’t matter as much.) And then the color! It needs to complement the siding, which I haven’t bought yet. (I’m down to two choices.) And what you see in the brochure or on the web won’t be what you see on your roof.
Being a nonconformist, I chose a rare color which my dealer doesn’t remember ever selling.
Does it matter, really? Maybe I made it harder than it had to be. But when you have a steep roof like ours, it will be a significant part of the overall look. A-la-carte building is fun, but the frequent choices are stressful. I’m glad this one is behind me. Photos and captions below as work continues in the far-north while I cavort in the Caribbean and catch up with Navy friends.
This is Landmark Pro, a popular choice of shingle, in a color called Shenandoah. It’s a combination of black and brown. If you start looking at roofs, you’ll see mainly shades of brown, or black/gray. (Red became popular lately.) Jeff and the crew started on the north side.
You can see more of the brown in this photo, as the south side goes up. Multi-dimensional shingles look different depending on the lighting and angle. Because we have 72 feet of porch, there’s a lot more shingling than you’d expect for a small house…23 squares, 10×10 per square.
The east-facing porch will get done last. Putting up shingles is a young(er) man’s job, and I’m so grateful Jeff has help. (Not that he’s old…far from it…but no longer young, anyway!)
Interior walls are going up now. Once the roof is up, you can do “indoor” work even when it rains. Staircase, plumbing, electrical, insulation, all still to come. Jeff has begun using his headlamp to work inside on dark days, so electrical is important!
The day I left, we took down a few more trees to the east of the house, facing the water. (That remaining maple will have to go, too.) Jeff moved Roscoe’s doghouse so he still has shade.
And where was Mary during all this? Under water! I’ve been diving for 30+ years, close to 400 dives by now, and love it as much as ever. It’s the only activity that completely calms me. (It has to do with the slow breathing that helps air last longer and keeps you steady in the water. See how I’m hovering inches from the bottom?) This trip to Honduras has been on my “must-do” list for decades. Most of us think of Honduras as a small and poor country somewhere in Central America, if we think of it at all. The island of Roatan, which is part of Honduras, is about 40 miles off the mainland and offers world-class diving.
The trip had its challenges — because most gifts come with some kind of cost, don’t they? Our first room had many problems. After a few days, we were upgraded to a suite on the water and this gorgeous sunset…but it was too hot and muggy to stay out and enjoy it! I also scratched at sand fleas a lot. Still, a great trip! You just have to roll with the (expletive deleted). 😉
Traveling with girlfriends is a joy. Susan (lower left) also joined me for the Boat-and-Bike in Holland last spring and we’ve shared several dive and ski trips. Anita recently returned to diving after many years–good for her! I left them and Honduras early for a Navy reunion/conference on the East Coast. (No photos available of that, maybe because we are mostly gray-haired now! 😉 )
Back at home in northern Virginia…relief from that Caribbean heat? NOT! 😉 At least the humidity is less here. I tell myself I’ll be back up north soon and will remember these hot days fondly.
For Many Moons 