The Honest Roofer

 So the roof at Villa Wifey is the original one, and the house was completed in 1997 -- so we're getting near the 3 decade mark. Though clay barrel tile roofs CAN last 50 years (in Europe some are nearly a century) turns out that if you get to 30 years, in our tropical climate -- you're doing pretty well.

Though the clay tiles look pretty and romantic, like the Italian Villa our house was copied from, they crack and move in storms. After Hurricane Wilma, I thought the roof only lost a few tiles, but it turned out every tile had been loosened. A few months later, a young fellow spent literally dawn to dusk refastening all of them -- and all's been well over the last 20 years.

Anyway, since it appears we WILL be staying here, I decided to get an estimate to re-roof. I want metal -- truly a lifetime roof , and wanted to learn options. They make metal roofs that look like barrel tile, but Kevin, the young roof maven, explained that those have issues -- the channels below the tiles tend to get blocked, causing leaks. Plus, the material, a stone coated metal, is much more expensive.

So Kevin said he'd go with standard metal, though doing so will technically change Villa Wifey from a Mediterranean style to "Island Style." And that's ok.

Kevin said the job would take 3 weeks, and then came the part I truly appreciated: he said that since the roof is still serviceable, I ought to wait until November -- post rainy season. He said if the roof was bad -- do it now -- but since it was still ok -- might as well wait.

I know the estimate is going to be between $100 and $200K -- wow -- most contractors would not be so have such forbearance. But Kevin reminded me that the Andrew Palmer who owns the company is actually Andrew III -- his grandfather started the company in 1920. They're honest and been around more than a century for a reason.

So next week I'll get the proposal, and some metal samples to pick a color. Then comes decision time. If indeed we're confident we're staying for at least 3 years or more -- we'll do the job. If not, we can hope the original roof holds up, and be prepared to offer a credit to a buyer. Great First World decision to have to make.

Meanwhile, D1 is do over later with her boys. We'll spend the afternoon and then they'll sleep over, so we can leave early tomorrow for Zoo Miami. She has another friend meeting us there. Wifey is opting out -- too early and too hot for her -- we'll see her after the adventure.

So this Grandpa gets to take his grandsons to the zoo. Pretty, pretty, pretty nice. It makes one happy to still be vertical in the world...