The Roof Over My Head

Having a "roof over your head" is an idiom for having shelter--a place to be.  A home.  Safety.  A soft place to fall.

I purchased my little house-on-a-slab here in Plainfield, Indiana, in 1992.  At the time of purchase, I required a new roof from the sellers.  I got that.  Whoever put on the new roof put the new layer on top of the first.  I guess that's common with roofs that don't leak.  And, although it seems like the roof was new just yesterday, the roof over my head is now 27 years old and growing moss.  It doesn't leak, but it looks bad...made worse by the moss on the ground that has gravitated to the roof.

I have come to understand over the years that my bungalow needed a new roof.  I inquired quite a long time ago of some family members in the construction business just how much I could expect to pay for one.  I was told that it could run from $8-$10k...and that scared the waddin' out of me.   I had no savings and a bad credit rating back in the '90s.  The new roof was going to have to wait.  Wait for what, I'm not sure.  As long as the roof over my head didn't leak, I was okay.  Still am.

Four or five years ago, we had a nasty hailstorm in Plainfield.  The next day--and for weeks thereafter--roofers and construction companies were hungrily rubbing their hands together, going door to door to sell their services.  It seemed that many houses in my neighborhood were getting new roofs because the roofers were more than willing to jimmy the estimates in order to help people get past their deductibles.  I've never had a claim on my house, but I did think I should call my homeowner's insurance agent to check things out.  The gals in his office asked if I wanted them to send out a construction guy that they often use just to take a look.  Sure.  Why not?  He came.  Nice fellow.  Looked things over and said I had a claim.  Said there was damage.  Maybe I was going to get a new roof just for the cost of my deductible?

WRONG!  State Farm (my company) sent an adjuster to take a look.  She walked around on my roof for a few minutes.  Came down and said that my roof needed "attention" but that it wasn't damaged from hail.  She estimated $700 worth of needed repairs--which is $300 less than my deductible--and denied my claim.  After that, two other roofer/construction dudes were up on the roof to tell me I had damage.  When I told them my insurance wouldn't pay, every stinkin' one of them said, "State Farm"?  In all of my 27 years in my little bungalow, I've never made a claim on my homeowner's insurance, yet the insurance rates have gone up yearly.  If my roof didn't have hail damage, it didn't have hail damage.  I'm not trying to cheat the system, but I'm the ONLY one in the neighborhood that desperately needed a new roof, yet seemingly the only one who didn't get one!

Last fall, when the mortgage was paid off, I changed insurance companies.  They sent out a fellow to take pictures of the house.  All was well EXCEPT they had a problem with the moss on the roof.  The company suggested that I have the roof pressure-washed to get rid of the moss, and gave me a deadline to get it done.  (Even **I** know that pressure-washing the roof isn't going to fix the problem.)  Thus, I embarked on getting bids from companies--one for moss removal only, and one for total replacement.  I figured that just having the information wasn't going to kill me, even though I dreaded to hear what they had to say.

I only got two bids.  Was prepared to get more but just decided to bite on the bullet to find out what I needed to do.  I was pleasantly surprised that the estimates came in quite a bit lower than what I had come to expect, and one bid came in considerably lower than the other.  Like $175 less on moss removal and $500 less on replacement.  Both are reputable companies.  My decision was made, but now I needed to figure out how to pay for it.

My mantra for a very long time has been "Nothing is ever easy anymore".  In this particular venture, I was wrong.  My mortgage has been paid off.  I have no car payment.  I have no credit card debt.  But I still worried about getting a loan for a new roof because it makes me vulnerable if turned down.  I approached my bank by phone.  Within an hour, I had approval...by phone!  It seems that my credit rating has improved significantly over the years.  So, all that is left to do is schedule the roof installation.  I'll be meeting with the roofer dude on Monday.  Woo-hoo!

Yes, I'll have a reasonable loan payment for the next three years, but the end result will be that my house-on-a-slab will have a new hat with no moss and another 20 years of usefulness before everything goes to crap.  I probably won't be around then, but my daughter won't have to worry about that one thing when the time comes to sell this little place.  Strange, isn't it, that the decisions we make this late in life have more to do with whom we leave behind than how things are with us??

This little house has been my home for almost three decades--the longest I have been anywhere in my entire life--a life seeking roots.  Over the years, I have made many improvements to this little place, as I could.  And now...at long last...I can assure that my bungalow will continue to provide a roof over my head, with a little help from me and the bank!