Very Important Question... What's Your Favorite Part About Being A Roofer?

Great Question:

I got into roofing at the age of 14. My paper route wasn't giving me the money that I wanted to buy the motorcycle and 3-wheelers that I wanted. Since my parents never GAVE me anything and made me EARN my WANTS and not needs I needed a higher paying Job. My Dad is an electrician by trade but we didn't like to pay me the scale that I could get being a roofing labor. So, every summer and just about every Saturday I spent on roofs. Turned out I really enjoyed the work and the PAY. I did that until I could get into a legitimate roofing company at the age of 18. Around 24 I figured that I probably wouldn't be able to do this when I was 35 at the same speed without my body getting old to fast. I joined the military for 4 years. When I wasn't gone I was doing people's roofs on the side. Jackleg style, no registrations, lic., permits etc. I just needed the extra cash cause the military pays for crap... Once I got back I then had some business college under me but still went to the same company that I had left. They bought me a new truck, Crew and tools. I stayed with them till about two years before they officially went under. 27 years in business! 7 Million a year in Gross Sales. I have had my own company for the last 5 years and have worked hard in the uphill climb of a small 100% legitimate roofing company. So, my favorite part of being a roofer....... It has turned me into the man that I am today. It has allowed me to do other things in life with the blessings that has come to us through our industry. I love being apart of something that changes the landscapes of homes, to bring a smile to a homeowner's face when we are done with the project. Lately, I have enjoyed helping people through the storm chasing roofing companies that have flooded our market. I like being able to educate the homeowners to pick the right contractors for their needs. I love helping other Roofers do things right. My best phone call was from a roofing company that is now in their 2nd year, we discussed marketing, cashflow, lead generation and employee issues. Why would I help him? Because being a Roofer has enabled me to see the world from a different viewpoint.

I love being different than most others, and the satisfaction that comes when someone recognizes it, but the greatest satisfaction that I've gotten from this business is from the things it has allowed me to do outside of this business.

It payed the bills while I learned to be a better person dealing with HO's. Taught me loyalty, how to accept rejection. To be trustworthy in dealing with all my contacts in and out of the office. Character building business When something happens with someone's roof I know what it is over the phone. It is now teaching me how to give back. That's what I like about roofing B) :) :) B) Deep Down In Florida Where The Sun Shines Damn Near Every Day

tico Said: Twill, you didnt start your business, at least according to the top advisor so ya might wanna get rate cutting approval from those that did,lol:)

Yeah Barack should pay my OSHA fines.....

Knowing that I will always be able to provide for my family. There will always be roofs needing repair/replacement.

Satisfaction of providing a rock-solid product/service, for the best possible value, to our customer(s).

Always striving to be the most proficient amongst our "competitors".

natty....I agree

I love roofing but hate the roofing business. At least in North Texas, the business has been taken over by tin men, "insurance specialist" hucksters, adjusters, gypsies, opportunists, wheeler dealer profiteers and other ne'erdowells living off the backs of 3rd world refugees.

I got into residential roofing as a summer job back in the 70s and stayed with it because it was the antithesis of the corporatism taking over the world.

I love roofing because I love physical work, roofing is an art (under appreciated), it has a relatively short beginning to ending (not withstanding 10 man slap on crews one and doners), problem solving, its solitary nature, and freedom.

Twill, you didn't start your business, at least according to the top advisor so ya might wanna get rate cutting approval from those that did,lol:)

It used to be placing 5 nails perfectly into a shingle. Then "they" changed the paint line. And "they" raised the wind warranty and require only 4 nails put just about anywhere, comparatively speaking

Used to be spec'ing a better roof. Few care much anymore. It's either all Lifetime (chuckle) anyway or wait for the next Hailstorm.

I used to like the adrenalin from beating the darkness when wrapping up for the day. I'd be most productive the last hour of the day. Now it's fixing crap we can't afford to replace keeping me out til dark

So now my favorite part of roofing is the anticipation of OSHA crashing the party. I s'pose I can cut the crews' pay to keep us competitive in a tightening market After all in the government's view it is the quantity of jobs not quality that matters.

It pays decent.

The people!

For myself, i think there is a great deal of job satisfaction in roofing, but let's get down to brass tacksss here, it's got to be pay day. ;)

The satisfaction of seeing the job at completion . . . and years later. Just drove by a barn roof I installed around 1990. Every one of the T-Lok shingles still in place. Still seeing house and barn roofs we installed 30 years ago. Good quality materials installed with good workmanship . . . goes the distance.

Paper pushing in an office (as the owner, I do that also) doesn't begin to approach the sense of accomplishment achieved seeing a 14 pitch Tudor tear off, re-deck and install.

All of that, and the fresh baked coffee cake or cinnamon rolls at break time from appreciative customers . . .

Growing up. I grew up on A roof, I got my first real butt whuppin from A roofer. I learned integrity on the handle of A mop and kicking A roll of 90. Letting someone teach me how to set, lap and seal. How to cut metal and not get cut, how to set up and break down A kettle. Spudding it in the morning so it didn't look nasty going to the job, as it sat in someone's yard or shopping center. Ground and roof keeping was everyone's job. We were A unit, not A team! a unit. Like soldiers who knew our demise was at the hands of A weak link. People saying, hey call this guy. I took the things about life I'd learned from 9-21 into home building. I knew how big A roof was when I looked at it. I could measure in 10's and 3's. 10 foot sticks and 3 foot widths. Later in life I knew how to measure for sales because of this. I could draw A roof, count shingle tabs and 5 inch exposure to get field. Or tile, I would measure A field and hip tile exposure and then draw the roof. I can look at A roof and find the angle because I was taught to think walk. When you have walked them you think about the pivotal change points from 5-7, 7-9, and after that. I also know that the pitch doesn't as drastically change the rake as non roofing roof salesman think. I'm also very proud, when your selling, and they want you to run crews, you climb on the roof and the Mexicans laugh and make snide comments about A salesman not knowing dick about roofing, then my big dumb blonde ass speaks Spanish, and I go get my snips, bag, tape and hatchet, all of them mine, not the jefe's and I tell them I've ridden these tools longer than they've been alive. I'm A proud carpenter/roofer/pool builder/screen enclosure builder/ flat concrete finisher/airboat gator trappin redneck. I've taken punishment in this business. It's times like this that I don't feel so bad looking back. Oh yeah, I battled an addiction,yet never let it interfere with my work.