In the middle of winter last year a couple of shingles from the roof fell away. I wanted to fix the issue myself, partly out of male pride and partly out of cost saving, perhaps I was even a little bit curious. Thankfully I had most of the tools which I needed, yet I read that a nail gun and some coil roofing nails was required. Given that I didn’t have a nail gun I pressed on without, and opted for a hammer instead, the old school way. Unfortunately however I was quickly reminded of why it is so important to get the right tools for the job, and not just ‘any’ tools.

Further Damage

Ultimately the point of getting the right equipment is so that the job is done right first time and therefore you avoid any further issues with the project, this was something that I quickly learned. This is because 3 nights after I ‘fixed’ the roof, we once again had a storm and the result was that the piece which I had attempted to fix once again flew off, and so too did another large number of shingles. This happened because I didn’t get the right nails , nor did they go in far enough, which of course a nail gun would have sorted out. Ultimately I had to get someone in to fix it, which cost more than it would’ve done the first time around.

Safety

The day that our friend came into fix the roof she told me that if one more shingle had fallen away during that second storm, it would have been very likely that the water would have seeped into the electrical circuit in the home. This petrified me to be honest and I have to say that the thought of causing a fire or anything like that, simply because I didn’t get the right tools or the right support first time, was a very worrying one indeed. Thankfully nothing did happen but it does go to show the damage which could be done if you don’t get the right tools for the job.

Fully Functioning

The point of all of this is that you want to ensure that the project which you are working on is one that you are able to complete to a high standard. This is after all the reason for doing it in the first place. Over the years experts far smarter than myself have identified what works and what doesn’t and so it would be remiss of me to therefore decide that I somehow know better than they do. I have learned that ultimately it is cheaper, it is better and it is infinitely safer to first ensure that you get the right tools for the job, and only then can you go ahead and take a look at repairing or creating something in the house.

Don’t make the same mistake that I did with those roofing nails!