09-VII-2016.
Today just a smaller team came, only majstor Mile with his sone and his regular assistant of Lika. The roof construction on the shed and the ladder booth was already done. For today they brought the extra stuff and went up in the attic. First they built the rear gable, on a shelf they poured the day before. Until it sets, they moved to the frontside, to fix the roof support.
What was the malfunction in the first place? Well, from the gutter to the rooftop there's some 7-8 meters, because the floor is rather wide. The rooms are 5x5, then there's the 2,5m wide hall around them, and three 70cm wide walls, plus the eaves. Beams that long simply don't exist, so they were extended. When extending, the regular procedure is to cut each connecting end to half thickness, for about 70cm, and then tighten them together with bolts and nuts of at least 12mm, with washers. Not here, they were cut like grafts, at an angle, and then the cuts were put together with 10mm nails. Plain nails. So it held by friction alone, and held while it held.
They replaced nothing, just put it back into position and nailed planks on the side, just like they did with dad's roof three years ago. It took them several hours, but in the end the iksna lied true and didn't leak rain anymore. Took me a few seconds to remember what iksna was - it's the piece of sheet metal that plays the gutter in the corner, where two sides of roof meet. Why iksna? Because they meet like that, X-wise.
The next day they were extending the neighbor side wall. The new roof stands a bit higher than the old, so there's a gap now.
We made more rakija while they worked. We don't overlap much, as I can't get there before I'm done with my work, and by the time we come they're close to done or already packing.
Next day, 12th, the roof was in place. The old salonit boards they stacked by the old stillery, brought new ones, screwed them neatly, all like new.
On fourteenth called Mića to come see what to do with wiring there. He didn't know exactly how to find the place, so he waited for us at the exit from town. I couldn't resist mocking him a bit, like what kind of priest is he if he's wearing shorts. What do you mean, priest? Well, what do I know, you drive a black audi, grew a beard... it all fits.
We picked the first tomatoes. The majstors are in full swing, plastering the shed, which is now dark again. It'll get ligher when the mortar dries.
On 16th he came to fit the wires under the new wall - one outlet on the new wall, two LED reflectors on the beams. For that he ran a new cable through the attic, so we don't fuck with the old man's wiring from sixties. We saw how solidly it was built, better not to rely on wiring. Made more rakija. Pulled over, during the trip home, to shoot some weird clouds.
On seventeenth, she went on with painting the yellow room.
Around this time the AC repair shop called to offer... well get lost, I got a guy who maintains mine (of course, Mića), I got nothing with you, and if you continue dialing me, you should know that you broke the advertising law, and if I sic a rabid lawyer on you it'll cost you at least forty thou, scat there.
On nineteenth, they were mortaring the old wall, below the new gable. The old mudspread and lime fell off in many places, the old adobe or even bricks in some places were showing. The thing was patched at the bottom. The electricians were done already and their wires could now be covered. Mortaring the neighbor side wall. The neighbor isn't there, he should be a Montenegrin from Besni Fok, bought it to retire here. Never saw him, though.
Mentions: majstor, majstor Mile, Mića the electrician, rakija, in serbian
26-V-2023 - 11-XI-2025