Over Your Head

During my days of "Gravely Therapy", I take advantage of the time I spend on my tractor to look for things that need improved upon or even replaced.
Since my wife and I bought our house almost two and a half years ago, I've made a mental list of things I needed done around the house, and prioritized them likewise.
One of them was the roof.  I noticed a shingle had pulled itself loose from the roof last fall.  No worries.  Just nail it back in place come spring.
Then came other projects.  Trimming hedges.  Weeding out overgrown vegitation.  Putting in a work bench.  Removing unused appliances.  The patio pad.  My daughter's swing set.  Remodeling the bathroom.  Fixing the A/C which chose to go on the blink in the midst of a heat wave pushing the mercury near 100.
Oh, yeah...the roof.
A couple more shingles came loose, I noticed.  I've got to remember to get that ladder from my dad.
Then a couple weeks later and a few very windy thunderstorms too.
Uh-oh.  Exposed wood on the roof.
We're in trouble now.  I could just feel dollar signs jumping in my head.
Fortunately, the former owner of my home is on Facebook.  I should also take this time to mention that not only did he meticulously care for this house while he lived in it, he kept meticulous records of updates and repairs he did over the years.
I sent him a message asking him about the roof.  He gladly replied and told me that what I was seeing was in fact a cemented-on panel 'for appearance only' over an older 'shake style' roof and that the shingles were part of the design.
Oh.
His email went on to tell me that he had the roofer who installed it to come out and simply re-attach the shingles.  It had happened before and there should be paperwork on it. 
I found the paperwork.  This wasn't so bad.  They came out in 2007 and reattached the shingles and resealed the roof, which according to the proposal, had a life of 15 years left on it.  Which would mean 11 now.
So I called the roofer.  He said the 11 years was probably a conservative figure, but it could last 15, more than likely. 
Bullet dodged.  What I estimated to be a $5,000 job would possibly end up to be $500 or less. 
Whew.
At least we can put that money we didn't have in the first place towards the tap-in for the new sewer line that supposed to go through this year or next.
Until something else breaks or is in need of repair.
Such is the life of a 'happy' homeowner.

NEXT WEEK:  Reunited