Trade Life: A Few Important Things You Need to Know About Becoming a Roofer

When it comes to the trade professions, you have a multitude of jobs to consider. Additionally, trade work can be found in a number of industries, and many of these jobs require specific training.

One trade job that can be quite lucrative and rewarding is that of a roofer. In fact, roofers come from all walks of life, and many learn the trade at a young age and go on to own roofing companies of their own. The roofing industry is also known to employ many veterans along with contractors who hold other construction industry jobs.

Life as a roofer comes along with stiff competition as well. And it’s not uncommon for a roofer to be underbid by another roofer trying to land a job, but along with this, there are several pros and cons about working in the roofing industry.

Here, we’ll outline a few important things all prospective roofers should know about the trade.

What’s Life Like as a Roofer?

This is a great question to ask if you’re thinking about jumping into the trade or starting a roofing business after retiring from the military. If you’re concerned with the latter, you probably already know what roofing is like on a day-to-day basis. But for those looking to get their feet wet in the trade, your work life goes something like this:

You’re going to need to wake up early and get to the job site, especially during the summer months. Because working all day on a roof in the blazing sun is taxing work. And this is where you’re going to spend most of your time.

If you’re just starting out, you’ll likely be running up and down the ladder, fetching supplies, and carrying equipment. You’ll do this as you learn to lay down roofing material properly, in a pattern that needs to be uniform in order to function effectively.

As you learn and develop your skill, you’ll move up the totem pole and be handed more duties dealing with installing different types of roofing material.

Roofing Tools

Aside from the typical tools that all roofers need on the job such as hammer, utility knives, measuring squares, and the like, you’ll also need harnesses and climbing safety equipment for some jobs that require installing roofs at awkward angles or on a steep pitch.

And aside from conventional tools, many roofers today are utilizing the digital space. When it comes to planning a job and keeping up with work-related tasks, contractors utilize some of the best roofing software in the business.

While you might need to draft diagrams for your work, for the busy roofer, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software tailored specifically for roofing can make your life much easier.

CRM software allows you to place all of your business contacts, job profiles, equipment manifests, and several other critical elements all into one central location, enabling you to access your company’s data from any smartphone, laptop, or tablet.

How Much Money Can You Make?

The great news about roofing is that you can make an honest, livable wage just starting out. In fact, the national average for a roofer is around $22 an hour or around $45,000 per year.

Depending on where you live, and the demand for work, you can make upwards of $70,000 per year as a roofer. But the real money is when you decide to throw your hat into the world of small business ownership and establish your own roofing company.

Salaries have been estimated to be around $70,000 on average and as high as $195,000 for a successful roofing contractor, but this is at the higher end of the average.

Roofing can be a great career for those military vets willing to put in the hard work at the beginning of their roofing career. And after a year or two, you’ll be well on your way to earning even more money as a roofing contractor, or by owning your own roofing company.