Tarpaper Roofing
The Tricky Projects: Rooftop Work Challenges
A lot of beginning roofers often struggle with the idea that they need to know all about what’s going on. The problems can start right away, when they realize that nobody planned for actually getting the materials up onto the roof.
I’ve been out on any number of projects like this: the project appears to have been plagued from day one. You get the contractors to dump the tarpaper, shingles, and everything else – and you’re looking at it from the ground floor, walking around the house, looking for the best starting point.
While you’re assessing the project, you may see that there’s no real access point from the outside. You figure there’s some place from the inside, a trapdoor or some kind of point to accessing the roof. But that’s not always the case, and if you do find an access point, that doesn’t always take care of the problem.
Frequently, you may come across the trapdoor, and determine it is inaccessible because of the way the residents of the home have used it. It’s behind a big pile of trash, or behind a wall.
That’s when you have to think about getting specialized machinery before you can even start the project. Unless your workers are incredibly strong, workers will not be able to carry all the equipment up on a ladder. What you need to do is hire a scissor lift or some other piece of equipment to quickly get the materials up top side. I’ve been known to ask clients about access points before I ever go to the site. I’ve also been known to bill them extra as a line item if I need to rent a lift. After all, it’s an extra expense for me, not to mention the hassle. To make the job easier for the workers, you may want to employ the use of an elevator, however in my opinion that cost is optional.
It’s also not agree with start out a job. Any ambivalence about how the project will start understandably gets the crew jumpy. On the starting day, they’re ready to get started – beginning a project gives it its own momentum, and interfering with that momentum is sometimes a recipe for disaster. Some might not think about how important momentum is on the job like this, but experienced professionals can tell you that there are some signs from the beginning of a project on how well, or not so well, it’s going to go.
Well, in the case that you are the person charged with the responsibility of identifying points of access, do some research before you start. Get involved earlier to avoid problems later, and be that point person everyone can depend on to troubleshoot the logistics of a project, so that everybody ends up happy. This is a skill set you will use often in the field, something you can rely on for greater profit and prosperity, and a general practice that you can find will give you greater peace of mind while you’re out on any job.
About the Author
Like roofers with a lot of years in the field, Scott Rodgers does a lot of talking about what it takes to get difficult jobs done . For more, try http://www.eLocalRoofers.com
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