MAJ. GUY SERAPION
201st Regional Support Group
Georgia Army National Guard
Dobbins Air Reserve Base
Marietta, Georgia

I fancy myself a shade-tree mechanic and do-it-yourself handyman. My father had the old-school mindset of when something broke, you fixed it. He taught me so much and his lessons have aided me greatly in all the projects I have taken on over the years. YouTube has been another incredible resource. I have repaired cars, built sheds and treehouses and fixed a number of things throughout my household. Doing so has helped me save a lot of money, but the greatest feeling is raising my hands in victory after I’ve successfully repaired, replaced or built something and then rewarding myself with an ice-cold beverage. That is the epitome of YouTube Certified!

Recently, a violent thunderstorm damaged shingles on our roof, and my insurance company decided we should replace them all. I knew replacing shingles was a much bigger job than I was capable of tackling, but I could scrape and repaint the trim before the roof work began. That way, it wouldn’t matter if I spilled some paint or damaged the roof since it was going to be replaced anyway.

I initially gained access to the roof by climbing out a window onto the lower level. However, I quickly realized the roof was much steeper than it appeared from the ground. So, I went down to my basement, put on my climbing harness and grabbed some rope. This time, I decided to access the roof through the attic dormer. I anchored myself to the rafters in the attic and had my son provide tension on the rope as I moved around. For added security, I also nailed a 2x4 to the edge of the roofline for me to stand on and prevent sliding.

I made my way out onto the roof and proceeded to scrape and paint the trim. The harness was uncomfortable and awkward, but it gave me some peace of mind as I continued my repairs. I started low and then moved my way up to the dormer. As I worked my way up, I pushed more and more on the 2x4 that was nailed to the roof. Eventually, the pressure became too much and the 2x4 broke loose and shot off the edge. Gravity won again, and I followed the board and slammed into the roof. I grabbed the bottom of the windowsill and my son immediately put tension on the rope to prevent me from falling any farther. Unfortunately, I was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, and those hot shingles began burning the soft flesh on the underside of my arm.

With my son’s assistance on the rope, I was able to pull myself back through the window into the attic. At that point, I took some heavy breaths and contemplated the decisions I had made in my life. I started laughing and so did my son. I had escaped serious injury, but my close call resulted in a moment of clarity. Even though I was capable and my safety measures worked for the most part, there are some things you should leave to the professionals. I may be a YouTube-certified handyman, but I am not a professional. While there are a few things I will continue to repair myself, if it’s anything that can result in serious injury or death, I will spend the money to hire a pro.

 

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• 4 August 2024
• [EasyDNNnewsLocalizedText:Author]: USACRC Editor
• [EasyDNNnewsLocalizedText:Numberofviews]: 367
• [EasyDNNnewsLocalizedText:Comments]: 0

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