Shingles (roofing, not the illness!!!)
This past month, I took on a job shingling a roof for a customer that by all logical means, I should've turned down. I quoted him in the spring, before I really understood quotes very well. And he didn't ask me to do it until the fall! Technically, according to my quote, it had expired and I could've re-quoted him. However, due to my "please everyone" attitude (that will someday be the death of me), I told him I'd do it, even though I had underquoted my labour costs by 75%!!!
So, I got my brother to come and help, and we started ripping off the old shingles. Well, due to a few events that I did not forsee, such as the steepness of the roof as well as there being TWO layers of old shingles, it took us all day to simply rip off the singles on ONE SIDE. Being that this was a second job for me at the time, I only had weekends and evenings to work. So, by Wednesday, I noticed that I was not going to get this roof done before the weekend, which was Thanksgiving.
My wife and I lived near Edmonton, Alberta. We had moved from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan just two years earlier. That meant that almost every long weekend, we travelled back to see our families in Saskatchewan. Now, Thanksgiving was a big weekend! And, by the looks of my roofing situation, we weren't going to make it. It was fall, and the sun was down by 8pm, giving me only 3 hours to set up and work every evening before the frost started forming on the roof. I started to despair, knowing that I wouldn't get the roof done in time, and knowing that I was going to disappoint everyone by not being able to go home for the weekend! So, I prayed.
I really didn't know what I expected God to do. Would He miraculously shingle the roof without me? Would he "hold the sun" so I could finish before dark? Would he give me "Superman" strength that I would work extra hard, extra fast and not fatigue?
I went to work that Wednesday evening depressed. How was I going to get out of this one? When I showed up at the site, the roof was still staring at me with it uncompleteness taunting me. But what was I to do? Before my brother left, he managed to get about 12 feet of shingles ripped off the one side, so I had to get that covered in case it rained, or worse, snowed! So, I set up and started working, grumbling about why I had taken on this job in the first place.
Now, I was not an experienced roofer. I ran a small handyman business which I had started that summer. but I had not shingled many roofs before. And the ones I had done, I would start building up in one corner, working up at an angle to the top of the roof. This was the only method I had ever learned. Now by this method, it meant that in my 3 hour time limit, I would not be able to get the entire section done that my brother had cleared of shingles earlier. I might be able to get half way. At this rate, I wouldn't be done the roof until well into the next week! But, nonetheless, what choice did I have? So I started working.
As I started, I decided to shingle slightly different that I ever had before. At the time, I didn't know why I was doing it this way. However, once I reached the end of a couple rows, I suddenly realized that by doing it this way, I could complete the entire section that was cleared without leaving anything open! It was amazing! Suddenly I realized, God had answered my prayer!
No, he didn't finish the roof without me. No, he didn't "hold the sun". And, no, he didn't even give me "Superman" strength! All he did was cause me to shingle in a different method than I actually knew! With this new method of shingling, I quickly did the math and realized that I would be able to complete the entire roof by Friday night working section by section, and we'd be able to get home for the weekend! Praise the Lord! Praise the God of practicality!
So, I got my brother to come and help, and we started ripping off the old shingles. Well, due to a few events that I did not forsee, such as the steepness of the roof as well as there being TWO layers of old shingles, it took us all day to simply rip off the singles on ONE SIDE. Being that this was a second job for me at the time, I only had weekends and evenings to work. So, by Wednesday, I noticed that I was not going to get this roof done before the weekend, which was Thanksgiving.
My wife and I lived near Edmonton, Alberta. We had moved from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan just two years earlier. That meant that almost every long weekend, we travelled back to see our families in Saskatchewan. Now, Thanksgiving was a big weekend! And, by the looks of my roofing situation, we weren't going to make it. It was fall, and the sun was down by 8pm, giving me only 3 hours to set up and work every evening before the frost started forming on the roof. I started to despair, knowing that I wouldn't get the roof done in time, and knowing that I was going to disappoint everyone by not being able to go home for the weekend! So, I prayed.
I really didn't know what I expected God to do. Would He miraculously shingle the roof without me? Would he "hold the sun" so I could finish before dark? Would he give me "Superman" strength that I would work extra hard, extra fast and not fatigue?
I went to work that Wednesday evening depressed. How was I going to get out of this one? When I showed up at the site, the roof was still staring at me with it uncompleteness taunting me. But what was I to do? Before my brother left, he managed to get about 12 feet of shingles ripped off the one side, so I had to get that covered in case it rained, or worse, snowed! So, I set up and started working, grumbling about why I had taken on this job in the first place.
Now, I was not an experienced roofer. I ran a small handyman business which I had started that summer. but I had not shingled many roofs before. And the ones I had done, I would start building up in one corner, working up at an angle to the top of the roof. This was the only method I had ever learned. Now by this method, it meant that in my 3 hour time limit, I would not be able to get the entire section done that my brother had cleared of shingles earlier. I might be able to get half way. At this rate, I wouldn't be done the roof until well into the next week! But, nonetheless, what choice did I have? So I started working.
As I started, I decided to shingle slightly different that I ever had before. At the time, I didn't know why I was doing it this way. However, once I reached the end of a couple rows, I suddenly realized that by doing it this way, I could complete the entire section that was cleared without leaving anything open! It was amazing! Suddenly I realized, God had answered my prayer!
No, he didn't finish the roof without me. No, he didn't "hold the sun". And, no, he didn't even give me "Superman" strength! All he did was cause me to shingle in a different method than I actually knew! With this new method of shingling, I quickly did the math and realized that I would be able to complete the entire roof by Friday night working section by section, and we'd be able to get home for the weekend! Praise the Lord! Praise the God of practicality!
posted by Scott at 8:42 AM
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