Roof Roof & More Roof

Still working on the shingles, but it's getting there.

Cutting the shingles to fit around the dormer takes a lot of time and but we have it half finished.

The different colors in the wood add a great touch, this picture doesn't do them justice.

One side of the roof is almost completed just one more layer to go across the top on the left side. Still have to get the right side completed, then we can but on the wooden top cap.

Royce got the front dormer finished despite the challenge of nailing the shingles in place under the upper roof. It will be a while before we can work on the roof again. Next weekend, Mea is coming home from the University of West Florida and we have to go to Pensacola to help her move her stuff back home. Then the next weekend is Mother's Day, Royce is cooking dinner. I can't wait.

We Got Shingles

We sorta goofed up, but nothing that can't be remedied. Looking back we should have nailed the shingles onto the dormer before setting it in place. But we didn't have the shingles at the time and we really didn't think that far ahead. So now Royce has to nail the shingles on the dormer with very little space to swing the hammer. See the upper roof is in the way of nailing the shingles on the roof of the dormer.

I sorted through the different sizes of shingles, set them in place and Royce nailed them. We got the bottom layers done together as far up as he could reach without climbing on the very top roof, then I continued the rest, up to the peak.

While I'm working on the top . . .

Royce is on the bottom section of the roof working and hanging on.

We did a very fine job. Who would know that this is the first time we have ever done a wooden shingle roof. Hey, I could put this on my resume: Executive Assistant/Business Owner/Wooden Shingle Installer. Can you say multi-tasker...

A Little Boost

Ingenius! That's the only word I can find to describe this safety contraption. Or maybe one could call it a booster stand, you know booster chairs, well meet the booster stand.

I was having trouble getting up and down from the very top roof without getting splinters in my --- well you can use your imagination. Let's just say I was sitting and scooting down those rough shingles--- not pleasant.

So Royce decided to make my experience more pleasant and safe by creating this stand with a rail to hold onto. It really helps me overcome my vertically challenged limitations.

Maybe I'll name this contraption splinters be gone!

Nailing On Shingles

To give our family treehouse that rustic "woodsey" look we picked wooden shingles for the roof. The only problem being, Royce is still a little leary of heights. So that leaves me to get on top of things.

I nailed the shingles on the very top of the roof while he nailed them on the lower front roof.

It's like putting a puzzle together. No two shingles are alike. Some are narrow, some are wide, and some are inbetween. The idea is to overlap the point where the two shingles meet when you put on each layer of shingles. That way the rain doesn't run down through the cracks onto the felt and start leaking into the house. Sounds easy enough until you start trying to solve the puzzle.

It's really going to be a challenge when we have to cut the shingles to fit the dormer. I'll worry about that later. Today it's just nailing as many in place as we can before the cutting starts.

I found out the hard way that they have splinters. And we noticed that when the pine needles fall they like to stick to the rough surface. That may be a problem keeping them from piling up on the roof. I hate to think that we would have to get up there and sweep them off all the time. We got quite a few done today and I think these shingles will look great.

Taylor loves it!

Stephaney and Taylor hadn't been by to check out the treehouse lately. Taylor was anxious to check out our progress.

I think she loves it, atleast that's what her sign language says. She can't wait to be able to spend the night in it.

Support Can Be Beautiful

We decided to take a break from the roof and put the new posts in place. We removed the temporary posts one at a time and replaced them with our new large tree branch posts. These branches were heavy to carry up three flights of stairs and really awkward trying to get them around the corners.

I think they give the treehouse more personality and of course a more natural "treehouse" look.

It took us all day to replace the old posts. Royce had nailed them in place with a zillion nails. He went nail gun happy when he put the old posts up and pulling the nails out was quite a chore.

The posts had to be cut to just the right length, have a hole drilled in them and then each bolted into place.

Yeah that's me tightening bolts again, as if all those bolts in the stairs weren't enough, now it's tightening bolts in the support posts.

That's a fake smile . . . I'm not really that happy about tightening bolts. It's just one of those things that have to be done.

We've reached the end of the day and it's time to put all the tools away until next time. We are really tired but don't those posts look great!

I have a very good friend, Sandy, and it's her birthday today. I won't say how old she is . . . it just wouldn't be proper . . . but she's had 24 years of experience being 29 again. You do the math. . . HAPPY BIRTHDAY SANDY!