Commercial Roofing Installation Basics

A roofer, roofing contractor, or roof repair contractor is a licensed tradesman who specializes in roof installation. Roofers repair, replace, and install roofs of commercial buildings, with a wide variety of materials, such as shingles, gypsum, metal, and bitumen. They perform all these services in residential areas as well as on farms and ranches. Some roofers are self-employed, while others work for large companies that employ thousands of roofers.

Roofing companies often use roofers and contractors from two sources: one is a family member who works as a subcontractor and second is an off-site crew that arrives to perform work. In some cases, a roofer and contractor may be one and the same person, working in teams to complete roofing projects. If the roofer has a family member providing him or her with labor, that person would be the subcontractor. This is a common practice in rural areas where the population consists mostly of one or two families living in close proximity to each other. In cities, an off-site crew will arrive to perform the same work as the roofers.

Contractors will offer two different types of insurance to protect the workers they hire. The first is general liability insurance that will cover any injuries that happen on the job and any damages that occur. The second is special accident insurance, which will pay out if an employee is injured while at work and the cause of the injury was a defective product. The best warranties for roofers usually come with special training for the workers, which can help prevent injuries.

All roofers need safety equipment. Special protective gear such as safety glasses are available for roofers, as is a helmet. Some roofers even have the option of hard hats. If the roofers work outside, they also need to wear protective clothing, like rain coats. Lastly, all roofers need to use gloves when handling materials, as the materials used for roofing are quite abrasive and can easily scratch the hands.

As commercial roof installation projects continue to grow in popularity, it is important to hire experienced contractors who have the right tools and equipment. There is a difference between residential roof installation and commercial roof installation. When a residential roof is simply repaired or updated, the contractor does not need to be particularly concerned about safety concerns, as there is not likely to be any risk of falling debris hitting people in the head. However, when roofing contractors install roofs in commercial buildings such as office buildings, there is more risk of falling objects and more need for protecting the workers from injury.

Commercial roofing installation companies will often use one kind of roofing material - another type of roofing material will need to be used in their roof installation. When installing a roof, roofers will often use a different roofing material than what they intend to use on the roof. As a result, residential roofers may accidentally damage a different type of roofing material than they intended to. When roofers purchase materials for commercial roof installation projects, they should make sure that they are purchasing the same types of materials that they would if they were installing a residential roof themselves.