The Old Roof Est Mort.No, the old roof's name is not Mort. I am assuming that you are all linguists or have very refined skills in making meaning from context.
The roofers are gone. All that's left is this neat pile of corrugated iron on my front footpath.
All my fears were not realised. In fact Geoff, the roofer, was in the tradition of old style craftsmen who eschewed nails in favour of dove-tail joints, who cleaned up after themselves and who had a fiercely understated pride in their work.
I asked Geoff whether he was going to seal the joins along the ridge-capping. He was agast. 'Beware of roofers who overuse sealant' said he. 'It's not gunna leak, mate. Guaranteed.' he said.
I liked him. I believed him. I gave him a carton of beer to show my appreciation.
Crikey you'd think I'd offered him a 50% share in a gold mine. He was totally taken aback. He thanked me three times and thanked Andrea, independent of me, another three. Perhaps customers don't say thank you as often as they could. Or this was the first time he'd ever done a job deserving of high praise - nah, that's far too cynical.
Thanks Geoff.
Now I await the next lashing crashing thunderstorm to test my judgement and faith in him.
5 comments:
I think that you were very fortunate with your roofer, as we are with ours. Nevertheless we still tend to check for leaks when it rains, as you will do, and you and us are likely to be doing that for months to come!
We gave our builder and roofer almagnac for Christmas, to say thankyou for all the work they have done. Like your experience, they were taken aback. It would seem that saying 'thankyou' for a job well done is something which is missing globally!
It's a funny thing that - a carton of beer !- you made that bloke's week, month probably, and yet if you'd given him the $40 it cost you he'd have been insulted. Extremely insulted.
A gift is not worth it's monetary value. A gift's worth is in it's thought and execution. And its unexpectedness.
You're a noice man Steve.
Looks like your roofers did a nice job of piling up the old iron sheets. Well, it's good that your roof is all so good now. Even storms won't have a chance on that roof! Hehe!
Heh, I'm sure your roofer did a good job with your roof. No need to wait for thunderstorms and rain to fall down on your roof. I'm sure your new roof is ready to take on the weather.
Glad you found a good roofer. The carton of beer is an awesome token. No wonder Geoff loved it! How is the house coming together? Would love to hear some updates. :)
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