Roofers are Like Onions.
It’s not that roofers come in threes wearing orange fishnet, or that roofers smell strongly and turn brown with age but they do work in layers. Every building needs a roof and with unpredictable weather and changing technology comes the need for a wide variety of different roofs.
Covering, repairing, removing and replacing existing roofs calls for many practical skills and the use of specialist tools. From the simplest home flat-roof relaying job to the Millennium stadium opening and closing spectacular roofers are in all year round demand just like onions.
If you are thinking of becoming a roofer the one attribute you cannot do without is a head for heights, unlike onions.
Felt roofers put the felt on roofs, uncannily enough. Like onions this is usually in several layers bonded together, to form a watertight shield and keep the weather outside. It is a skilled occupation that needs specific training.
A good basic education to at least GCSE standards with the ‘3R’s essential. IT, Information Technology, will be helpful for the calculations, measurements and theory. You need to know your onions! Roofers work outside in all conditions, just like onions.
Apprenticeships are the normal access route to this career and enable you to earn while you build the skills. Entry to an apprenticeship scheme will usually involve a selection test. As an apprentice, you will study towards NVQ/SVQ Level 2 in built-up roofing. You’re not qualified without them.
The Institute of Roofing offers its own qualifications to build skills and safety within the industry. A good basic wage is available and can be added to by the incentive schemes that many companies offer.
Employment as a built up felt roofer is also a good stepping-stone into supervisory and managerial roles, and, with enough experience, you could even independent and self-employed.
Lead sheeters do it with lead as a weatherproof finish on flat and sloping roofing. Today it could involve working on a house, the next on a cathedral spire that's entirely waterproofed by lead.
Liquid waterproofing systems are very varied, but all are specially formulated for roofing and applied to a certain thickness. The first coat is reinforced, often with polyester or a glass tissue membrane. It’s those layers again and guess what the roofers who specialize in this are called?...Yes Liquid waterproofing systems operatives.
Mastic asphalters use this material made from a mixture of limestone and bitumen. When it is heated up it can be spread and formed, returning to its original state as it cools down again.
Roof sheeting and cladding is a lightweight covering that's fixed to a building's framework. It's made in large units using metal, plastic or fiber cement.
Roof slaters and tilers create a waterproof covering for a building by applying individual slates or tiles to a basic timber framework, most common in the huge domestic market.
Single ply roofing is applied to buildings in sheets. These sheets are made in the plastics and rubber industries and delivered to construction sites in rolls. It's the single ply roofer's job to fix them in place to protect the building.
So, like onions, roofers are many and varied. Like onions, roofers work in layers and do their stuff outdoors. Unlike onions a good roofer will prevent tears coming to the householders eyes.
|
