The deluxe shed is under roof!  The boys from up on the ridge recommended a guy who does construction work for a living to put the roof on the place for us.  I had no interest in trying to tackle that project and I am certain it was the best money I have spent so far.  But let me back up and tell you the story of getting to that point.

I called a local metal manufacturer to get help on what all I needed.  I talked to one guy the first time I called and he was super helpful and told me all of the measurements I needed to get.  I called back a short time later and a different guy flat out refused to help me with anything stating that he preferred to work with contractors rather than homeowners.  I was mad as a hornet and decided that I would not use the local company under any circumstances.  I so much wish I could name this company but I guess it’s better if I don’t.  I looked around some more though and found that they were really about the only game in town.  I called back another time prepared to climb up someone’s hind-end but I got another guy and he was super nice and helped me get the order in.

Initially, he told me it would be three days for delivery (which would have been perfect as I was planning to be at the property then).  Just a few minutes later, he called back and asked if he could deliver first thing the next day.  Of course, it was supposed to rain like mad the day I ordered as well as the next day, delivery day.  He assured me that it wouldn’t be a problem and that they had 4-wheel drive trucks and could get across my hay field (which does not yet have a driveway) to drop the metal right beside the building.  Of course, I got a call on delivery morning to tell me that they could not navigate the mud (which I had already guessed) and asked what I wanted to do.  I had no other option but to have them drop it by the road.

Now I have no worry whatsoever that the folks who live up there would leave it alone and would, in fact, try to keep an eye out on the pile for a week, but $800 worth of metal roof might be too tempting for some passerby.  I drove up that night in the rain and dark and proceeded to drag the metal pieces across the field to the work site.  Holy cow is that metal heavy!  It was pitch black and raining and muddy so I had quite a time of it.

Enough of the whining…the roof guy and his crew came out on Sunday and spent all day putting the sheathing and metal on the place and it looks good in the pictures I have seen.  I haven’t even been up there yet to see it in person but Emily’s grandparents and Susanna, our neighbor both sent me pics.

I know, white is not a typical color for a roof but we are all about the energy conservation at this place and the white roof has the maximum capability to reflect sunlight and heat back away from the place in the summer time when the energy costs would be highest.  It had to be metal because we plan to harvest rain water to fill our cistern.  We are not yet committed to a color of siding yet so we will need to find something that will go with the white roof I guess!  Caprilis asked in a comment a few posts ago whether we had considered adding skylights.  We did consider it but decided against any extra holes in the metal which would be prone to leaking.  It would be awesome though.  I guess we could always cut them in later if we decide we want them.  We’ll see…

We still have a little more work to do to have the place dried in for winter.  It is supposed to be nice (but cold) this weekend so we are hoping to get everything else in place so that winter can come.  I was in Beckley, WV on Wednesday for business and they are enough higher up in the mountains that the snow dumped pretty good.  They got a few inches in a hurry so winter is definitely upon us.  Just having the roof in place gives me a little peace during the evil they call winter.  I am off to hibernate…

See all of the progress on the cabin