When the professionals get involved, hours of work takes mere minutes.

Over the past year, our team have been balancing office work with a different type of work, renovating an old-fixer upper we bought in the countryside for the dirt-cheap price of US$9,100.

After getting sidetracked with bubble machines and river explorations when left to our own devices, things have been moving along steadily after Imazu, a friendly worker from nearby construction firm Hobien, came on board to keep everyone on task.

So when our team became increasingly concerned about the state of the roof above the entrance, which was as unsightly as it was dangerous, Imazu was the first one we called to ask: “Hey, how can we get rid of this?”

As always, Imazu responded with the confidence and assuredness that we’ve come to expect from him, saying:

▼ “Let’s do it!”

Anything is possible with Imazu, who makes even the most difficult of tasks look easy. We’re glad we hired Hobien for the job, because they’re quick to respond to our calls and flexible with times, plus they know how to clean up after a day’s work, and even help us make money from it.

▼ When Imazu arrived, he immediately got started on the roof removal, using a crowbar-like object to figure out the best way forward.

▼ Then he hopped into his trusty Yanmar power shovel…

▼ …and thwacked the side of the roof off.

It was satisfying to watch, but Imazu wasn’t convinced that this technique would work well for the rest of the roof, so he got out his ladder…

▼ …and cut the metal part of the roof with a power tool, scattering sparks as he worked.

Then it was back into the Yanmar, where Imazu controlled the metal arm like a pro, twisting and tugging until…

▼ …the roof came away from the building, and was placed on the ground with a satisfying thwack.

▼ A quick time-lapse of the work from start to finish

The roof was removed in just 23 minutes! That was incredibly quick work for one man, and when it was done, the difference was remarkable.

▼ What a great result!

▼ This more moderately paced time-lapse shows how the end result was achieved.

Not only did it look neat from outside, it looked neat from inside too, with the sunlight now streaming in through the glass doors unencumbered.

The light made the entrance feel brighter and more airy, and best of all, it gave us the boost of confidence we needed to know that bit, by bit, bag by bag, we were making progress on the SoraHouse. 

▼ We were learning things along the way too, as Imazu told us these bags were called “ton packs” as they can hold a ton of weight.

Where would we be without Imazu? Probably up on the mountaintop behind the house taking deep breaths to destress from the stress of renovations.

Photos ©SoraNews24
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