Up on the roof

Monday, January 25

If it makes you feel any better, the streets here in Harrisburg really stink, too.  Now that the snow at the curbs has turned to ice, it’s almost impossible to deal with. 

So today we’re going to look up, not down.  Up on the roof.

Where there is also a lot of snow.  Hopefully, not snow that is melting and leaking through your failing roof.

Because I am out of town, and can’t shop in Lansdale, today we are going to talk about one of those large expenditures you don’t make every day.  You make this expense perhaps once during your ownership of a home.

Because a good, quality roof lasts thirty years.

Now, before we get into the nitty-gritty of roof replacement, perhaps it’s time to lighten things up with one of my favorite roof jokes:

Dan has to go out of town for a while. He asks his friend Curtis to watch his house and take care of his cat while he's away. So after a few days Dan calls to see how things are going. Curtis tells him, "Hey, I have bad news.  Your cat is dead".

Dan says: "What?  You can't just tell someone like that! You have to break news like that to a person more gently.... like, right now you would tell me that the cat is up on the roof and he won't come down. Then next time we talk you tell me he doesn't look so good, but he just won't come down. Then after a couple of days, THEN you tell me he died....get it?"

Curtis says: "Yeah, I think I understand....um, by the way, your mom's up on the roof."

We put a new roof on a little over two years ago.  The old one was shot.  It was time.  But, boy, was it expensive!  Roofs will cost you an arm and a leg.

A good friend and neighbor almost lost his arm and leg.  When  he fell off his roof after going up there to try and fix it after a storm.  Lesson from that?  Don't go up on your roof - especially if it's in bad weather!  Hire an expert.

According to data from the department's Bureau of Labor Statistics, an average of 40 workers are killed each year as a result of falls from residential roofs.  This does not include homeowners who fall from their own roofs.  Youza!

So, when our neighbor mended, he had his roof replaced.  I asked if he would recommend the roofer.  And he did.

We talked to a few roofers, and decided on Dave Zeiger of Keys Renovation.  A local Lansdale guy.

He did a good job at a competitive price.   Just as he was recommended to me, I will recommend him to you.

My advice to you is to get you roof replaced before it starts leaking into your house.  

As John F. Kennedy once said, “The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.” 

We’ll overlook the fact that Kennedy used that as a metaphor in his 1962 State of the Union speech to urge congress to enact measures to stave of future recessions.

We’ll just act like he really knew about roofs.

So, today’s score:

ONE opportunity to shop/eat in Lansdale met (in the past).

Let’s see what today brings!