Josh the Roofer

[Josh]

Well guys, this last week I did my first ever roofing job and man am I glad I am a computer nerd ;). Roofing is rough on the back and ankles.

I helped strip shingles off my dad's garage then we took the week to reshingle it. My hats off to you who are roofers, its a tough job. I like doing jobs like this every once in a while because it gives me more of an appreciation for what goes into building the homes we live in.

Coil nailer's are pretty darn sweet too. Much easier than a hammer.

Josh

[westcoastplumber]

Hi Josh,

Back in the day I used to do hot tar roofing, the contractor was to cheap to buy a wand, so we used to have to carry the 400 degree 5 gallon bucket of tar up the ladder, then , if it was a split level, walk it over and go up again.

The pea gravel, we would shovel it above our heads, up to the roof, if it was a split level, we would shovel it up more levels.

Some bad things, it was in new mexico, the summer was already 99 degrees, when we would get a freak rain storm, the water hit the hot tar and made it pop, good thing, the smell;) I love the smell of hot tar roofing;) worst thing, the burn blisters:D

[Woussko]

Have any of you ever made the bad goof of getting on a slate roof on a summer afternoon? Hint: You can fry a burger patty very well done fast on such a roof after the summer sun has heated it up. You can also fry bacon and that kind of smells good until it burns up.

What's wild is to see the first rain drops fall on it. PSSSSSS and lots of flash steam. Or spray it with water (Don't flood it or you'll bust slates) and watch the steam.

SAFETY: Never get on a hot roof. If it needs repairs only go on it during the first hour or so as the sun comes up.

Later in the day YEEEEOOOOOOOUUUUUUCH as you burn yourself and your shoes smoke.

[oldslowchevy]

i just want every one here know that i hate rooging i can't stand it, but the guy across the street from me here loves it(sick) in the avg week he can do 350 square tear off dry in and reshingle, i on the other hand i would be darn lucky to do just 20 square of new aweek, yes i hate it that much

[garager]

I'm 45 guys and I still do at least 12 roof jobs a year. I don't sit back and watch.
This is a good way of staying in shape w/out paying a gym fee. Punking shingles up that ladder then to the peak, makes a man out of you. But damn my legs get sore after that.:D:D

[wbrooks]

I have done a few roofs myself and until recently never given much thought to falling off. I just found out that one of the guys down the road fell off his roof and is now paralyzed and selling the property. Do you guys wear harnesses? Where do you attach them to on the roof?

[plumberscrack]

Punking shingles up that ladder then to the peak, makes a man out of you. But damn my legs get sore after that.:D:D

But what a manly pair of legs they are :rolleyes:

[garager]

Funny, PC.:):D

Yes we wear harnesses, attached to the peak. I usually got scaffold along the building or all the way around it. Place the ladder up to the scaffolding and go up the ladder w/the shingles. Once in a while I'll rent out to conveyor, but thats just to darn easy, no work out.

Just on the bigger roofs do I rent the conveyor. Then I let the kids punk the stuff around the roof. But these bigger jobs are harder to find these days, around where I live anyhow.:)

[hewood]

I hear ya Josh! ...My hat's off to roofer's too!

My boys and cut our teeth on our house roof...two stories, an addition, skylights, valley....~ 30 squares ...oye! Even in Rochester, NY it was so darn hot up there. It's a tough job fer shur.

I hope I'm too old the next time it needs it! :rolleyes:

I bought a refurbed PC nailer from Amazon, and resold it as "used" on Ebay when I finished...my total loss on the nailer was ~ $12....that was one of the few good memories of doing that roof!

[Tieger plumbing]

Hi Josh,

Back in the day I used to do hot tar roofing, the contractor was to cheap to buy a wand, so we used to have to carry the 400 degree 5 gallon bucket of tar up the ladder, then , if it was a split level, walk it over and go up again.

The pea gravel, we would shovel it above our heads, up to the roof, if it was a split level, we would shovel it up more levels.

Some bad things, it was in new mexico, the summer was already 99 degrees, when we would get a freak rain storm, the water hit the hot tar and made it pop, good thing, the smell;) I love the smell of hot tar roofing;) worst thing, the burn blisters:D


West Coast, I started off as a roofer as my Grand father stated a company in NYC around 1913 then my uncle took over and now my cousin is running it.

My father was a roofing contractor but I quit to join the Navy @ 17 to find myself ( I did in a boiler room)

I must admit there is no such thing as an easy day as a roofer either cold tar (roof cement /flashing) or BUR roofing with hot pitch in a kettle using Kerosene torch and mop and pulling the bucket of HOT up on a rope and yelling up on the hot look out.

Ever do "pipe smoking"?

Thats coal tar enamel and 15# felt placed over piping or just using coal tar with a dauber brush to water proof steel tanks and piping?

Nothing like inhaling bituminous as you start placing the gravel in HOT and swinging the mop is great for building up strong arms.

I especially like seeing my kettle going up on flames and rushing to close the cover and remove the torch seeing the smoke bellowing ... AH the good old days

To tell if it was hot enough we did not need a thermometer we just opened the kettle lid spit in the kettle and watch the soup bubble up at you.

It is amazing how things react as you can pour water on molten lead and nothing happens BUT put the molten lead over moisture and look out.

Yet hot bitumen pops right back at you if you put water on it

Remember chopping the kits of tar in the summer where you had to soak the axes in water and start before it got to hot of your wasting your time.

4 PLY BUR lasted 30 + years today your lucky with a torch down to get a 10 year guarantee.

The old pitch pockets and placing lead in the hot prior to installing the sheet copper 14 Oz under the gravel stop and scrapers to remove old gravel and roofing then using Pittsburgh machine to make the folds so we can inter lock the copper scupper box and then use cotton impregnated membrane with flashing cement on the parapet.

Hanging off a bos'n chair to drive the hooks into the brick joints to install a leader pipe with a leader head.

Koppers KMM and Tamco and so many state of the art failures with floating roofs and river rock for ballast with upside down roofs.

I never liked roofing as it is a killer job but then when I started specializing in cast Iron roof drain installations and was able to do the entire job including water proofing I found an untouched gold mine.

One never knows where the education may take them

[drtyhands]

Been there as well.Lot of humping of material in the setup.But once you start laying material down(Shingle,Torch-down,or tile)it really starts to fly.If a person is not ready for it the back gets a real work out.But at the end of the day you can see the rewards of a hard days work.

[garager]

And every year I keep telling myself, no more roofs for me. First job to do in the spring time, Yes of course its a roof. Never ending jobs, roofs.........:D:D:D