Roof Cleaning

Marco decided the metal roof needs to be repainted. We want to keep it in top condition to avoid leaks inside. So far, we've had no leaks, and there are no telltale signs that anybody ever had any leaks in this house.

First step is to clean the roof. Arturo's son Darinelo came by early one morning at the end of May and said he was ready to start. Marco drove him to where he could borrow a high-pressure washer. (When the workers show up to work, they almost never have any tools, supplies, equipment. Arturo is an exception - he owns his own whipper.) If Marco doesn't have the appropriate piece of equipment or the worker has not arranged for a place to rent/borrow it, Marco drives partway down the hill to the local Comasa store, a vendor of construction materials, gardening supplies, tools, hardware, limited groceries, beverages, ice cream, bird feeders and so forth - and buys it.

So Darinelo climbed up onto the roof with the high-pressure washer hooked to our garden hose and began the process. It was simple and noisy - just water, no bleach or soap or other cleansers - but it took a few hours. The water coming off was filthy, as you can see in Marco's video.

Darinelo said he will be back to paint after we have 2 days without any rain, and of course the day he returns must also be rain-free. This weather sequence did happen just a couple days after he cleaned the roof, but one of those days fell on a Sunday, and almost none of the workers come up on Sundays. Last week we did have 2 rain-free days, but they were followed by a very rainy day. Maybe in March.