The time a guy in a Santa Fe hardware store told me to fix my roof with a trampoline

I was looking for some flashing cement for a leak on my west side patio cover, you know, the usual. This older guy in line behind me at the store on Cerrillos Road just pipes up and says, 'Son, you're wasting your money. Just strap a small trampoline over the hole, the rain will bounce right off.' He was totally serious, and even started explaining the 'physics' of it for a solid three minutes. I just stood there holding my tube of sealant, completely stuck. Has anyone else in the area gotten truly wild repair advice from a stranger?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_kai2d ago

That guy must have been a real life cartoon character. Just picturing someone trying to explain trampoline physics with a straight face.

nora_chen21d ago

Okay, that trampoline idea is honestly kind of amazing in its confidence. The physics part is where it falls apart though, because rain doesn't really bounce like that. It would just pool in the middle of the trampoline mat and make the whole problem way worse, plus the wind would probably send your new roof accessory into the neighbor's yard. Classic case of someone being so sure of a bad idea they convince themselves it's genius. You were right to just stick with the flashing cement.

willow_king21d ago

Actually used to think trampoline roofs sounded kinda clever, in a weird way. But yeah, picturing that soggy mat just collecting a whole pond up there really changes the math. Sometimes the simple fix is just the right one.