One By One

A few months ago, we noticed the grain in the granary had been getting wet. Opening the door and looking up, I could see cracks in the ceiling where the water was coming through. After telling Dad about it, he told us it was time to take off the old shingles and replace them with new ones. The granary was constructed in 2007. The roof that Trey had made had lasted for sixteen years! That is a long time.

When the time came to replace the roof, Samuel, Isaac, and I gathered up the tools we needed. We needed out hammers, our pry bars, roofing nails, and we also took our two biggest ladders. After climbing onto the roof, we began taking off the old shingles. 

It did not take long to remove them. Most of the shingles were rotting and falling apart. That made the job a lot easier. After they were off, the granary looked very strange.

Now it was time to put on the tar paper. This would keep out the water when it rained. We had a roll in the shop left over from building the back porch roof, so we used it. Starting from bottom to top, we laid out the paper on the bare roof. We also put a strip of flashing on the ridge of the roof where the tar paper would not be placed.

The shingles were made from cedar wood, and each piece was wedge shaped. Dad showed me how to put the shingles on. He showed me to work from bottom to top, the thick end of the shingle facing the ground, and the other end facing the top.

I put on the shingles one by one, working from right to left. When I got to the left side, I would measure and then mark a line, then start on the next row. I continued this repeatedly, and each time moving five- and one-half inches up, overlapping the last row. I did this over and over again. Finally, I got to the top! It took pretty much all day. I climbed down off the ladder and looked at the new roof. It looked wonderful. I took a little break, stretched my legs, and got a drink of water. After moving the ladders and tools to the other side of the roof, I went back to work. It was starting to get dark, so I put on two rows. 

I was exhausted, and glad that it was time to be done for the night. The next day I continued working on the roof, and that evening, completed it! It was exciting to see it finished!

Although it was a long and slow job putting on the shingles one by one, I had an enjoyable time doing them. It was fun to watch the roof slowly get covered, and I knew it would not only look good, but also help protect the grain on the inside. Now when it rains, it will roll right off the new shingled roof.

~Jonah