A Roofers Attitude...

2ndGen

Arrogant, brash, certain, cocksure, conceited, confident, egotistical, hotdogger, hotshot, know-it-all, lordly, overconfident, positive, presumptuous, self-confident, sure, swaggering, swollen-headed, vain...yep.

That's me. I think that Roofers have to be like this. I'm not talking about Roofing Salesmen/Company Owners/Managers, or all non-actually Roofing personel, but the guys who actually go up on a roof and do the dirty.

You have to be cocky. It takes courage and assuredness to climb up in the air and work on slanted areas. I believe that these traits all contribute to the rare breed that is a Roofer.

We are the crazies of the trades (us and those damn Iron Workers who work on the high rises! I love those nuts!). You have to have a huge pair to be a Roofer. I'm in no way putting down any other trade, but Roofers are definately rare particular individuals.

There's nothing finer than seeing a Roofer working his trade...a Shingler flying through his courses in a rythm, the Torcherl nurturing a rolle with his flame, the Slater customizing his work to fit a detail, the Wood Shingler using his hatchet to size a shingle.

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"I've been up on the roof. I know what those guys go through.
My whole life has been about making that profession respectable."
Ken Hendricks
www.SolutionsRoofing.com

Patrick

So, what do you do in your free time, when your not telling everyone in earshot that your a roofer?

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Originally Posted by Celtic
Like I said...I'm sure you are very good at what you do ~ whatever that is and where ever it happens.

2ndGen

I get on Craigslist.

(PS, shouldn't that read: "Trade(s): Windows, Doors & Siding"?)

__________________
"I've been up on the roof. I know what those guys go through.
My whole life has been about making that profession respectable."
Ken Hendricks
www.SolutionsRoofing.com

Patrick

any luck yet?

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Originally Posted by Celtic
Like I said...I'm sure you are very good at what you do ~ whatever that is and where ever it happens.

2ndGen

Nah...the cops busted them.

http://blogs.ign.com/Gerry-IGN/2006/09/13/30795/

__________________
"I've been up on the roof. I know what those guys go through.
My whole life has been about making that profession respectable."
Ken Hendricks
www.SolutionsRoofing.com

big steve

What do you nail your shingles to?Probably plywood that someone nailed down so you would have something nice to stand on .Try running up and down the rafters before there is any ply on them.
Steve

Patrick

Oh, I check the skilled trades section, What YOU do is your own business.

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Originally Posted by Celtic
Like I said...I'm sure you are very good at what you do ~ whatever that is and where ever it happens.

big steve

2ndGen

Steven,

I've ripped off nice plywood, 3/4" decking, etc...to stand on from eave to ridge and re-installed complete roofs
(sometimes being the only mechanic on the job myself).

I've been decking roofs since I was 14 (25 years ago). 2nd nature.

I've sheathed-in complete steep pitched roofs that had no decking at all...just skip sheathing.

Nothing new...a Roofer is accustomed to installing decking.
It's part of the job for us.

I'm taking framing classes now so that I can begin to frame roofs from scratch in new construction and for additions.

Roofers are an extension of Carpentry. You can't be a shingle roofer and not know how to replace rotted wood or replace collapsed rafters or re-construct rotted eaves, fascia and soffit.

Now, I'm working more into Carpentry...a reverse progression for me. I want to spend the next 20 years working in Carpentry for fun (Roofing for money).

I'm not good enough at Carpentry to earn a living as good as I do in Roofing (easily making more money in a day as a Roofer than a week as a Carpenter).

Besides, I'll never stop roofing (as long as I'm physically able to do it).

Carpentry is very challenging...I like it. It's a new venture. Always done it "generally", but over the past few years, I've begun to work it specifically. Not consistantly, but I'm getting my training in.

__________________
"I've been up on the roof. I know what those guys go through.
My whole life has been about making that profession respectable."
Ken Hendricks
www.SolutionsRoofing.com

JonM

The other trades really appreciate you guy are up there...so we don't have to listen to you...

2ndGen

Hey...I'm not the self confessed whore here!


Besides, like I tell girls I'm with...if you don't like the answer...don't ask the questions!

lol

__________________
"I've been up on the roof. I know what those guys go through.
My whole life has been about making that profession respectable."
Ken Hendricks
www.SolutionsRoofing.com

2ndGen

Hey, someone has to man-up and do the hard stuff!

Just save us some donughts when we come down!

__________________
"I've been up on the roof. I know what those guys go through.
My whole life has been about making that profession respectable."
Ken Hendricks
www.SolutionsRoofing.com

JonM

I though you tough guys dined on "sh*t on a shingle"...

big steve

I just framed,sheathed,and roofed a nice one you would appreciate.Only about 10 square but 28/12.Nice it took me and 2 guys 5 days.
Stephen

2ndGen

Sh t is such a harsh word...we're modern now...Today, we use the word "crap"!

__________________
"I've been up on the roof. I know what those guys go through.
My whole life has been about making that profession respectable."
Ken Hendricks
www.SolutionsRoofing.com

2ndGen

That's sweet when you can frame your own roofs. I admire that.
(Not said saracastically, but with true admiration)

__________________
"I've been up on the roof. I know what those guys go through.
My whole life has been about making that profession respectable."
Ken Hendricks
www.SolutionsRoofing.com

Mike Finley

All the roofers I see you would need to add one more description :

Can't speak English.

(actually to be specific, the owners and salesmen speak English, but none of the guys on the roofs do.)

I had no idea those guys up there were such heros, good to know.

2ndGen

Oye! Que tu queires decir con eso?

It was the same deal with the Polish & the Italians when they came to this country. It just takes time to assimilate. But as long as no one's forcing them (us Hispanics) to learn and properly speak English or at the least helping them (by teaching them how to get free ESL classes), they won't. Fact is, most contractors want them "dumb". Easier to control. They just want them to know enough to get the job done, not enough to learn how to knock on doors and say "Hello Mam. I ken do jur ruuf berry berry cheep!"



Heroes? Don't know about that...we're all equal as far as I'm concerned, but you definately have to be odd to choose to be a Roofer when you can be a Carpenter and work all year round and have AC in the summer and heat in the winter.

__________________
"I've been up on the roof. I know what those guys go through.
My whole life has been about making that profession respectable."
Ken Hendricks
www.SolutionsRoofing.com

Brock

What makes him the hero is the fact that he could sub his job to the illegals, double his money, save his back, extend his life, and provide the same quality of craftmanship to his customer, but he chooses not to.

Slyfox

Iron workers make the top five for most dangerous jobs.
Roofers barely make the top ten.

Fisherman are in the number one most dangerous trade in the nation.


In my area "Youngstown/Warren, Ohio" two people lost thier lives in the 90's and three in the 2000's thus far,
2 framers,
1 electrician,
1 development supervisor,
1 brick layer.

Yeah it took balls to lean over a wall 7 stories high on the Norfolk Virginia federal court house buildings roof with my supervisor holding me by my feet so i could clean some hot tar off the marble trim,
but the window washer who showed up the very next week and walked over to the wall and sat a 78 pound weight on the roof, tied himself off to it and propelled down swining back and forth washing windows took just as much balls or more.

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