Roofing Woes

A few weeks ago we lost a shingle off the church roof, exposing the wood beneath. With winds and storms on the way, I called and got it fixed with a quick patch (thank you, Borks!). And then two weeks later we lost another shingle. So here's the dilemma... Do we continue to fix the roof one square foot at a time, or do we accept the inevitable and re-roof the whole enchilada? 

There are days I sort of wish a tornado would take out the whole thing, just carry off every last brick, so we could start afresh. Surely new builds are easier than retrofitting old ones. At the Tiny Home Show in Ancaster two weeks ago, we saw a really cool housing solution with individual units raised on tall pillars screwed into the earth. They were raised enough you could park your car beneath them, and you could link them together like townhouses. Imagine being above the ground where no water issues could torment you. If the creek rose or the deluge came, the water would just swirl and flow beneath you and you wouldn't care. Water has been a constant theme at this church -- fixing the basement, fixing the roof, planning the septic, finding a plumber, arguing about flood plains with the conservation authority, always about water. And the last thing I need right now is water getting in this little spot on the roof.

I have visions in my head of those old movies where a giant thermometer is posted in front of the church, red slowly rising as the "raise the roof" fundraisers bring in money to save the church roof. Remember seeing those? Do I keep it zoned a church and start passing the plate? Because seriously, this thing is gobbling money like there's no tomorrow.

Then again, with the current state of the world, maybe there is no tomorrow, so the roof doesn't matter.