If you have ever wondered what it was like to be on a roofing crew, we can give you a sneak peak of what to expect. We must warn you, it’s long hours and its high physical labor. Here is a typical day in the life of a roofing crew. Our days typically last 8 to 10 hours.
We start early. We work when the sun is up, so we want to be onsite as the sun rises. You’ll think us for this when the weather gets really hot. We usually start arriving onsite at 7 a.m. Our crew members will unload tools, setup ladders and place the tarps around the home’s perimeter to catch falling debris.
It usually takes about 30-minutes to complete the setup before we start tearing off and stripping away the old roof down to the wooden decking. This process takes around 2 to 3 hours. If there is more than one layer of roofing materials, it could take longer.
After all the roofing material is complete, we inspect the decking to make sure no repairs need to be made. During this process we look for exposed wood rot, soft spots, structural damage. If the decking is damage, we take the time to replace with new decking.
Once the decking is secure, we roll out the underlayment and secured in place to create a fully waterproof barrier. This usually takes about 60 minutes depending on the size of the roof.
After a quick lunch break, the crews are back at it. Our crew will typically start rotating tasks at this point as nail guns, shingles are brought to the roof surface. To manage fatigue with our crew, we will often swap tasks on a regular basis from carrying bundles of shingles to cutting at the ridge to laying shingles.
As you can imagine, putting the shingles on the new roof is a large task and can take the bulk of the afternoon depending on the size of the roof; this can take 2 to 4 hours. As the roof is installed the vulnerable areas of a roof like the chimney, vents, valleys are securely installed with flashing.
Once the shingles and the flashing are installed and secure in place, an inspection is down by the site supervisor to make sure the job is done properly.
Around 4 or 5 p.m. the ground team will run a magnetic sweep of the ground looking for stray nails from the grass and driveway. Once this is complete, the gear is cleaned up and packed away for the crew to use the following work day.
By the time the crews are pulling away, it’s 5 to 6 p.m. at night. Our crews are sent home to rest and be with their families. Then they have the energy to do it all over again the next day.
As you can see, a day in the life of a roofing crew can be exhausting, yet rewarding.
If you need an experienced local roofing contractor to help you with your roofing needs, call DownUnder Roofing today. We are local to Kansas City and have experience working with insurance companies. Down Under Roofing has a proven track record and is licensed and insured. Contact the team today to see how we can help you with your gutter and roofing needs.
