New roof = real progress.

[OkeeDon]

We got new shingles on our house roof yesterday.

Big deal, you say, where's the excitement in that? Ah, well you see, they were the replacements for the shingles blown off 6 months ago by Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne. Believe me, it was a very exciting day to us. We've also had the new screen installed in our pool screen enclosure, and replaced the carpet in two rooms with laminate floors. Still have two rooms of carpet to replace, and still have some aluminum soffit and fascia to be replaced; still can't line up a contractor for that; they're all too busy. I'm doing the floors myself which with my health problems is pretty slow going. but laminate isn't really that hard to put down. What would take most people about two days takes me over two weeks, and that's only when I feel good enough to work. I hope you never have to learn how lucky I feel to be able to do it at all...

I also was out in Okeechobee today, after a couple of days of steady rain. I still had a big stump from a large pine tree that blew over in the hurricane, and I've been worrying it with the TC18's FEL. I figure I had it about halfway loose (it's way too big for the little tractor, but hey, it's fun trying). Realizing how soft the rain left the ground, I hopped up on the tractor and persuaded that stump to give up in about 20 minutes! I'm going to have to attach a chain and pull it; it's too big for my bucket.

Bottom line, we're making real progess in recovering from the storms. We may get done in time for the next hurricane season... /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[ronjhall]

<font color="blue"> I hopped up on the tractor and persuaded that stump to give up in about 20 minutes! </font>
Pictures!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Glad to hear you are getting out and doing things. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[wroughtn_harv]

It's good to see you doing so well Don.

I'll be doing some projects in the near future you'll appreciate. The kid that adopted me and my wife picked up a TC40 with quick attach FEL. I'll be building him a brush guard. I also went to a scrap yard and picked up three fork lift carriages and forks for building quick attach assemblies. One for another bud with a TC40, one for adopted kid, and one for Hayseed's Kubota.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I didn't mean to hijack your thread but I guess seeing you do so well made me want to share.

These are really pretty kewel and compact, just right for a smaller tractor. Plus the price was right, two fifty each.

 

[bczoom]

Congrats Don on getting your new roof on.

My BIL/SIL live down that way. They're still in an apartment since their house got a lot of damage from the same hurricanes. They're hoping to be in by this summer.

 

[OkeeDon]

Harv, I'm still cleaning up the commercial property I have to sell in order to get the $$$ to build the new house in Okeechobee. One of the last things I have to get rid of is an old fork lift. It's a 1948 Hyster Model 20, a small, 2,000 lb. capacity lift, powered by an air-cooled Wisconsin. It's one of the old Hysters with a single steerable rear wheel. The thing I like about it is that it has pneumatic tires; not true off-road, but enough to handle smooth dirt and low grass. The reason it's not running right now is a long story (involves the brakes), but the bottom line is that I guess I'm going to scrap it.

Before I do, tell me more about what you're planning. It's too much for me to get the lift assembly off it, but if I think it's worth it, I can get my s-i-l or a friend to help. The hydraulics were working when I parked it about 3 years ago.

The original plan was to restore it, because it's a fascinating piece of machinery and almost as old as I am, but nowadays I have to be more realistic about the projects I keep. According to one site I found, '48 was the year they introduced the 3-wheel lift trucks.

 

[DUMBDOG]

Glad to hear of your progress Don. We had the adjuster here yesterday and waiting to hear the verdict. Finally able to get started on the one tree down. Will wait on the screens until next fall when we come down again and contractors are more readily available and a little cheaper. The roofer is already arranged and will start in about two weeks after we get the final word. Took three weeks to get the adjuster out here.

What I cannot believe is the price of roofing, couple of years ago had to have my roof redone in ND due to hail, $120 per square, down here $200 per square and from what I have been hearing that is a good price. A lot of extra money for a little thicker shingle and a couple of extra nails in each. Maybe it has something to do with supply and demand. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Sure do miss the tractor down here, would be nice to dig out the stump with.

 

[OkeeDon]

My house roof cost $250/square including tear-off, for 30 year 3D shingles. The roof on my small commercial building, which is really a gutted and converted residence, will be $285/square for the same quality roofing from the same trusted, local roofer, because I signed that contract several weeks later and the prices had started to go up. He honored the lower price for the house even though he wasn't able to get to the job for 6 months. Prices in this area are even higher now, with some folks getting quotes of $400/square or more, and at least one permit recorded for which the price was $1,000/square; not sure what the roofing type was. Shingle prices are still high, and shingles are still in short supply. My roofer bought a truck so he could drive to the factory and pick up the shingles by the truckload. Most of the non-fly-by-night roofers in our area have done the same. $200/square is a pre-hurricane price around here, and would have been a bargain even then. Screening is up to $1.50/sq ft; it cost almost $2,000 to have our pool enclosure re-screened at $1.25/sq ft because I'm friends with the re-screening guy. The insurance company estimated $.79/sq ft, but they quickly sent a check for the difference when I sent them my invoice, because everyone is facing the same problem. My re-screener waited 3 months to get enough screen to get to my job; most of the screens haven't been touched, and if the enclosure structure is damaged, no one is getting any repairs, yet. I was lucky it was just screens.

The attached picture was taken during the early hours of the first storm, before all the panels had blown out.

 

[aardvark]

What do you mean by per square? Surely not per square foot, as in $1000/sq ft. Is it per square as in per package of shingles? I couldn't even get people to come out and do an estimate six months ago. Not even four months ago either. I've procrastinated a little now and need to have someone come out before the wet season comes in again. The good news is both my neighbors scheduled roofs last month and both roofs were completed within two weeks of them scheduling. I need to call and see if anyone is taking appointments. I suspect the roofers in Palm Beach have less work than the rooers in St Lucie.

 

[DUMBDOG]

The roofer that I will be working with appears to do good work, he has done eighteen homes in the subdivision where we are located. Guess up here the $200 is the going rate for 30 year 3D shingles in the outer areas, including the tear off. More towards Orlando the prices are higher.

Your screening prices seems to be lower down there, been watching since last year as considering added a roofed in area by the pool and rescreening it, was 1.25 last year according to the ads in the local paper.

It sure would be nice to know the contractors, but only being down here 2-3 months it would be hard to get to know a lot of people.

However I will note that the people down here are a lot more freindly than up north. That is how we received the name of the roofer, a freind of a neighbor, etc.