A Roof Is Like A Bra

Let’s face it, as a homeowner putting on a new roof is kind of like buying a bra- you don’t really want to spend the money on it, but you know you need it because if you don’t everything will start sagging.

For the last two years, our kitchen staff can attest that almost weekly they would hear me say, “Mama needs a new roof” when trying to find a way to save money or taking on a third catering gig on a weekend.  (Third catering gigs are a big stretch for us to fit in.  The staff was starting to give me the evil eye when I would tell them we had three events to do during the weekend in addition to being open.  Trying to fit all the food needed in our refrigerators for a weekend packed with events had made all of us Jenga experts.)  Even some of our regular guests would hear me say jokingly, but in all seriousness, “Thank you for coming in and eating with us this evening.  You are helping us buy a shingle.”

The new Malarkey roof from Pell Roofing & Siding.

Roofs are expensive.  Back in the day, Andy would put on our roofs.  Of course he was younger then and our roofs were not 10/12 pitches.  He also had more friends then that he could get to help.  Just ask him about the summer he put on six roofs because his friends helped him put on our roof and then he had to reciprocate- lol.  Since we are both 56 years old, we were in this funky place where if we went with a traditional asphalt roof, we would, in all likelihood, have to put on another roof before we kick the bucket.  And who wants to put on a roof when they’re so close to Heaven?

Since we decided we wanted to make this a “one and done” event, we were leaning toward a metal roof.  However, we didn’t want a metal roof that looked like a barn.  It wouldn’t fit the look of our house.  We were looking at the metal roofing that looks like asphalt shingles.  Well, we were until we got the price.  The first quote was $140,000 and the second quote was a real cost cutter at a hair under $100,000.  Man, would we need to slice a lot of cake to make those numbers!

But one glorious Sunday in July, 2024, when it was a bit slow, Brad and Barbara Pell sat at Table 6, you know the 2 top by the big window that couples like to sit at with the best view of the lake (and our hot tub-lol).  That was right after we got the quote for the $100,000 metal roof.  Since Brad owns Pell Roofing & Siding, I decided to ask Brad if Pell’s did metal roofs and if so, would he give me a quote.

The conversation started like this:

  Me:  “Hey, Brad, we need a new roof.”

  Brad:  “I noticed that when we came in.”  lol

  Me:  “Does Pell do metal roofs, not the kind that looks like a barn, but the kind that looks like asphalt shingles?  We want this to be the last roof we put on.  We’re in our mid-fifties and don’t want to do it when we’re old.”

  Brad:  “ We do, but I have something better.  It’s called Malarkey.  We have put it on commercially for years, but they just started a residential line a few years ago.  Malarkey is the owner’s last name.  He started the company in Oregon, but they are starting a plant in Indiana.  They have warranties for up to 50 years.” 

Brad went on for a bit about the benefits of a Malarkey Roof.  To be honest, I didn’t really listen too intently about wind rating and how it would lower our insurance costs, blah, blah, blah.  All I focused on was “Malarkey-Indiana-50 year warranty”.  I wasn’t even factoring in that “up to” part in the “50 year warranty”.

Brad came out the next day to get on our roof, take some measurements, bring some Malarkey samples, and give us an estimate.  Unlike most home owners, we have lots of fun cuts on this 1/10 slope of a roof like a huge exhaust vent and fan in addition to the regular things like the chimney, and toilet vents.

The samples Brad gave us looked like real asphalt shingles.  They also came in the same color concoction of our original roof, which we still liked because it went so well with the sage color siding.  Plus, the real beauty was the quote which was half the price of a metal roof, and just $10,000 more than the traditional asphalt price with a 20 year warranty we had gotten the year before.  From then on, we were on the road to Malarkey with Pell’s.

So, we spent the next year booking up our calendar with catering gigs, special events, baking cakes in addition to serving our dine-in guests on weekends to save up the money for the roof.  Then after coming home in June after a storm and seeing some roofing laying in the driveway, we decided to contact our insurance agent, Chad Schopmeyer at Farm Bureau, to see if he thought we could have a claim.  He said to have a roofer come out before calling the adjustor, so up went Brad again onto the roof.  Yep, sure enough, we had wind damage. 

Praise Jesus!  And thanks to Farm Bureau, because they came through.  The wind damage we had was significant enough to warrant a claim.  It didn’t pay it all, but with the money we had saved, we had enough to call Toni at Pell Roofing & Siding and tell her to put us on the schedule.

So, in August, the Pell Roofing & Siding crew came and put on our new Malarkey roof.  They were absolutely great.  It was fun having the commotion and working with Brad.  They cleaned up every single piece of roofing and debris.  Plus, it was nice working with family and reminiscing about our Pell loved ones who had shaped so much of our lives and work ethic.

We absolutely love our new Malarkey roof that Pell Roofing put on.  We like to show it off and tell people about it, unlike that that bra that is in other ways so much like a roof.  😊