His journey to find the perfect shingles became a bit of a local quest. The Local Timber Yard

Just out of curiosity, he took a drive to the local . In the back aisles, he found bundles of cedar shakes. They were convenient and perfect for the birdhouses he built in his spare time, but the pro at the desk was honest with him: "For a full roof, we’d have to special order the volume you need. It's often better to go through a roofing-specific wholesaler to ensure the 'lot' of wood matches in color and quality." The Final Choice

His first stop was , a local staple where the air always smelled of sawdust. The manager, a man who’d seen more storms than Elias, shook his head. "I can get you cedar, Elias, but for a whole roof? You want a specialist. Local yards are great for a patch job, but for a full shake roof, you need to look at the big suppliers who source directly from the Pacific Northwest." The Specialty Suppliers