You know the economy is bad when you see....

[laurend1985]

My parent's neighbors are fixing their own roof. I'm not kidding, the husband and wife are on their roof trying to repair it. I hope they don't fall off. What have you noticed?

[bjl584]

I helped put a new roof on my Dad's house a few years back, and we reshingled my cousin's house around the same time. Last summer I also helped my Dad's friend reshingle his roof.

It's something that I know how to do, so why not do it and save some money? It's ALOT cheaper to buy materials and do that kind of work yourself than to pay a contractor.

I've also helped build decks recently.

Currently, I'm helping my Dad instal new windows in his house.

If your neighbor has the know-how to do his own roof, then good for him. It may not have anything to do with the economy at all.

[laurend1985]

@bjl584

I agree but they are learning as they go. They have been working on it for 10 months now.

[Like2Plan]

I agree but they are learning as they go. They have been working on it for 10 months now.

That's quite a learning curve! DH and I installed a roof on our house shortly after we moved in 26 years ago (we knew we going to have to replace the roof when we bought the house). We started the project shortly before Veterans Day and finished on Thanksgiving Day. We did get some comments from the neighbors who saw us working on the roof. It was a very difficult job, but we were younger then. We saved a bundle of money. No leaks in 26 years. We just replaced the roof in March again and we gladly paid someone to do it.
10 months! I would think they would incur damage inside their house if the roof was leaking in all that time. I can't imagine how that would save them any money if they have more repairs to do inside.

[woodie96]

10 months.....Now that is being meticulous.....

[laurend1985]

I think they have no money, they buy parts, fix the roof, cover the roof until they save money to buy parts and then the process repeats.

[feh]

Somewhat tangential to the original post, but I think it's good that folks are becoming more self-reliant. There are lots of things that can be done around the house without calling a contractor.

My grandfather had experience in construction. When I was a kid, if a family member needed a new roof, the family would get together and tackle the job together. Some really fond memories, actually.

[bjl584]

@bjl584

I agree but they are learning as they go. They have been working on it for 10 months now.

Yes, that's a bit extreme. That job shouldn't take more than a weekend.

[adpiterp]

I don't know if this is because of the economy or that people are starting to get on a health kick, but I have noticed more people riding bicycles.

I have definitely noticed this too!

[LivingAlmostLarge]

My in-laws did it twice. My DH helped when he was a kid. But he wouldn't do it now it's dangerous. If you fall off you could be disabled or die.

My friend's nanny's husband fell from a roofing job and broke both legs. So it's not without risk.

[shengmei]

We put a metal roof on our house. No repairs. No worries. We put the cheap gray one, but I noticed that some of the modern ones look just like terra cotta.

[bennkar]

10 months? Sure you aren't (weren't) my neighbor? I took a number of months (probably 5) one year to redo my roof. Money wasn't the reason for the long time (though I was unemployed at the time), but as I was doing it myself and as cheaply as I could (though I bought good qaulity shingles), I was not using any nail gun, I was removing all the old shingles, and the roof was extra steep (45 degrees). I would get too hot up there and have to quit after an hour or two (that year seemed like an extra hot cloudless summer), so it was slow going.

That said, I did the roof in small sections, removing old shingles and replacing them right away so the roof was never open to the elements. When I was near finished I had a contractor walk by and tell me he was amazed how good it looked since I did it all without chalk lines to make sure they were all straight.

[elessar78]

As someone said, could they be just learning to be more self-reliant? At the outset, the "training" you put yourself through (learning on the job) costs more but a) you learn to do it and b) you gain a better understanding of your house.

I wish I wanted to learn how to fix my roof, I'm willing but I also want to do other things with my time. Some couples like to watch tv or read books next to each other—maybe they just like taking on big, hard projects?

[tinktink]

LOL if they know what's good for them they'll charge some of their neighbors to do it for them!

[laurend1985]

They haven't finished yet. I should take a picture and post it here.