July 28, 2012

Good roofs make good neighbors: Gardiner contractors install new shingles for woman next door for free

Friends, businesses pitch in for materials, labor

Kennebec Journal Staff

GARDINER -- As she finished work Friday afternoon, Kathy Hanson got a call from her 23-year-old son. He asked her to come soon because their cat was stuck up on the roof.

click image to enlarge

A NEW ROOF FOR KATHY: Josh Lund, an employee with Mansir Roofing & Siding, nails a shingle while installing a new roof, free of charge, for Kathy Hanson on Libby Hill Road in Gardiner on Friday. Roofing company owner Don Mansir said Hanson asked for a price two years ago but the price was too much for her. "This is neighbors helping neighbor," said Mansir, who lives nearby. Along with Mansir's Roofing & Siding, Ahearn's Express and Ainslie's Market donated labor and materials for the project.

Photo by Jeff Pouland

When Hanson, 56, arrived at her house on Libby Hill Road, she didn't find the cat up there.

She did find something else: $2,600 worth of brand new roof shingles that had been installed for free while she was at work.

"I got home and I could have cried right there," Hanson said. "I got the best neighbors; you couldn't ask for any better -- they're great."

The neighbors responsible for Hanson's surprise new roof included Stephen Ahearn, who lives next door and owns Ahearn's Express, and Don Mansir, owner of Mansir's Roofing & Siding LLC down the road.

Mansir recalled that Hanson had priced out a new roof a few years ago, but she worked part-time and couldn't afford it. She has lived in the house for about 17 years.

"I kept watching and it kept getting worse and worse," Mansir said of the 25-year-old roof. "It was in real bad shape. The shingles were deteriorating."

When Ahearn mentioned the roof's condition again recently, he and Mansir decided something had to be done.

"Myself and a few local businesses got together and we all bought the material -- about $2,600 worth," Mansir said, saying the new roof singles should last for 45 years.

After Hanson left for work at Sam's Club in Augusta Friday morning, Mansir and others got to work on the roof, finishing both the job and cleanup by early afternoon.

That's when Hanson's son, Shane Austin, called her with the ruse about their cat.

When Hanson got over her initial shock, she hugged the roofers and thanked them profusely.

"It actually restores my faith in people helping one another," she said. "They're such great guys, and I'm really happy with it."

Mansir said he really enjoyed helping his neighbor, too. "It feels good to help somebody out who's really in need," he said.

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