ReRoofing Project: Phase 1 Complete

The first phase of my reroofing project is complete. For phase 1, also known as utter destruction, I had originally asked the thatcher if he could get all the thatch off last week and said no problem. When I showed up to look at the progress Saturday morning I was pleasantly surprised to see even the roofing structural support gone. All that remains is the cement structure.

Standing upstairs in the loft where my bed should have been, looking out over the broken concrete onto Ciyanjano's hillside, was surreal. I wondered if this is what it's like after a hurricane or tornado.

Virtually all of construction is done here with concrete blocks. It’s simple, sturdy but not cheap.

Clean up is going to be long and painful. I’m sure I’m going to be cleaning up pieces of thatch for months to come.

Phase 2 will be installing the gable windows upstairs and the new gumpoles. So far this project has gone smoothly but now the more technical work begins so we’ll see how things go. I hope we can have a new roof structure in less than a couple of weeks.