What Do Roofers Do?
Roofers are people who repair or construct buildings’ roofs. Roofing Toronto | Roofing | Toronto Roofing Services | Roofers is a skilled tradesman who specializes in roof construction. Roofers install, repair, or replace the roofs of commercial buildings, with a range of materials, such as asphalt, shingles, wood, and metal. It may sound easy, but it involves quite a few complex and important processes.
Roofers perform a variety of jobs during a typical day. Some of these include installing roof shingles and repairing or replacing damaged roofs. They also perform maintenance work such as cleaning, repairing, painting, removing and replacing gutters, sealing and painting, and sometimes making minor modifications to make the building look its best. In order to perform these jobs well and to ensure that they get the job done right, roofers must be highly trained and have a lot of skill and patience.
A roofer is usually paid by the hour or by the project, depending upon the complexity of the job and the size of the roof. Asphalt shingle roofing, for example, usually requires one roofer to perform the entire job. When the roof is of a large size, more roofers are usually needed. The size of the roofing job also dictates the amount of training a roofer needs.
Roofers install asphalt roofs, wood shakes, metal roofs, slate roofs, and many other types of roofing. Different roofers specialize in different types of roofs, so it’s important to ask a roofer what type they specialize in. Some roofers specialize only in residential roofs; others only handle residential roofs. Some only handle commercial roofs. Whatever the roof type, a roofer must know exactly which type the building has in order to install it correctly.
Roofers also work on rubber roof installation projects. Rubber roofs come in all shapes, sizes, and textures, but essentially they are all the same. This is because rubber roofing is flexible enough that the roofers work with such small spaces that they don’t need a ladder. However, rubber roof installation projects can still be difficult for some roofers. It’s important to ask your roofer about their skill level before hiring them to do rubber roof installation.
It’s not uncommon for a good roofer to be a licensed contractor as well. Some roofers work for themselves and do their own roof installations. While this saves them money, it also makes it tough for them to know exactly what needs to be done to a building. A licensed contractor will have already studied the building codes and understand how to tackle different situations.
Roofers typically make use of a few different types of roofing materials when they install vapor barriers. One type of material is tar and gravel. Tar and gravel roofs are highly susceptible to leaking if they are not installed properly. If tar and gravels are used, roofers must be able to remove them if they get wet. They may also need to be brought up to the surface each time they apply tar or gravel to prevent it from leaking.
Another type of material is asphalt shingles. Asphalt shingles are highly susceptible to weather damage, especially in the rainy season. Asphalt shingles are made out of asphalt, clay or other materials that cannot withstand the extreme weather conditions that usually accompany heavy rains. The only real benefit of asphalt shingles is that they’re extremely cheap and easy to install – a great benefit for roofers who are working on a tight budget and can’t spend a lot of time learning new techniques.
Next, roofers have to choose between trough-mounted and steep-slope roofs. Trough-mounted roofs are more traditional than steep-slope roofs. Traditionally, trough-mounted shingles are used on flat roofs where you don’t have to worry about water seeping through. However, steep-slope shingles work great on steep hillsides or other terrain that’s not flat.
Roofers also have to choose between asphalt and bitumen roofs. Asphalt shingles are cheaper and more readily available than bitumen shingles. However, bitumen requires a bit of extra effort to install it, as it has to be mixed with the regular roofing product. When it’s combined with the regular roofing product, it becomes harder to cut through, so some roofers replace bitumen roofs instead of asphalt shingles.
Roofers also have to select from different types of roof. For instance, residential roofers will often work on roof repairs, replacements and extensions. Commercial roofers work on new buildings and other commercial buildings. For residential homes, the roofer works on roofs for the interior as well as the exterior. Commercial roofers also work on roofs in industrial buildings and warehouses.