Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Sep 25, 2000 12:38pm | #22

   *
   I just spent a few days laying shingles. I was shingling my Huron house and can't seem to get even one square per hour. It is a 12/12 and I've installed all the flashings and ridge vents as I go. I'm using a dimenional 25 yr (265#, 4 bundles to the square) asphalt shingle
   by Certainteed.

   Am I slow, or do I simply have a wrong idea about shingling production.

   I think I'm slow. And I'm certainly not good at it. I'd probably fire myself if I thought I could get away with it.

   Incidently, I actually layed felt. Someone in here managed to convince me that the osb would not suck so much petroleum juice out of the shingles. I know the felt won't stop leaks, or they wouldn't have invented ice and Water Shield. I layed the felt as I went and didn't pay too much attention to proper lapping and things. If the shingles won't stop the water, I'm certain that the felt wont.

   Heres a link to a pic that I posted in the "roof Valley" discussion.

   http://webx.taunton.com/WebX?233@@.eea7408/8!enclosure=.eea7960

   blue

1. 
   Guest_ | Sep 01, 2000 04:01am | #1

   *when my buddy was young and full of p & v..he went out to CA and got a job roofing in the tracts..simple ranches , 4/12, matls on the ground... one man .. roof one house one day.. 17 sq...me.. with mob.. staging , metal, felt, shingle over ridge vent, shingling, take down staging, clean up, and demob..3 sq /man/ day..you can beat it... but you might not.....depends on what kind of records you keep....roofing companies would fire you for production like that ....but we ain't a roofing company..steven will have some very different numbers ... bettcha..

1. 
   Guest_ | Sep 01, 2000 04:52am | #2

   *Early 80's in California guys were paid $10/sq.The fast ones made $150/day but they killed themselves doing it. Glad I went into framing instead, but its not much easier on the back.

1. 
   Guest_ | Sep 01, 2000 04:54am | #3

   *p.s. I did notice when the G.C. wasnt around a lot of felt went into the back of pickup trucks instead of on the roof.

1. 
   Guest_ | Sep 01, 2000 12:49pm | #4

   *Blue,I wouldn't worry to much about it if I was you.I am considered pretty slow.Generally 1-2 square an hour----less if the !@#$%#$ flashing is being difficult,a little more if the roof is very easy.It depends if someone is humping shingles up the ladder,or running felt and drip edge for me etc.some guys will tell you they run 3-4 square an hour.You usually can't maintain that pace for long,and some one else is doing the cut-up work,moving scaffolding etc.Also,they probablly ain't laying them that straight.A couple of weeks ago my helper and I did a 24 square house.2 layer Tear-off,re-deck,icegaurd,felt,flash ,shingle.About 6 square a day(8-2:30) for 2 guys( one of whom mostly watched)BTW I don't pay much attention to how fast I go,I put more concentration into How much I can make and how early each day I can knock -off and preventing leaks.Speed is often not the most important factor in those calculations.good Luck All,Stephen

2. 
   Guest_ | Sep 01, 2000 02:13pm | #5

   *Steve... ((A couple of weeks ago my helper and I did a 24 square house.2 layer Tear-off,re-deck,icegaurd,felt,flash ,shingle.About 6 square a day(8-2:30) for 2 guys( one of whom mostly watched) ))that 's better than what i carry in my estimates.. (3/day/man) because it's also tear off..we usually figure the tear off seperate.. # of layers,, shrubbery , accesss to dumpster... i used to have a couple roofers on my crew, and i would use their numbers for labor...could never make a dime..went back thru my records and found .. yeh ,, they were right on for time spent of the roof , but they never carried all the labor of the WHOLE job.. they had the old TRADITIONAL outlook too, no homeowner is comming up here to see it.. so what does it matter... of course, someone eventually sees it, and word gets around.....now the word is .. you want it done... or do you want it done right....

3. 
   Guest_ | Sep 01, 2000 11:02pm | #6

   *mike ,I am afraid I may not have been clear. For the work described, we spent 4 calendar days times 2 workers.That is 2 of us on Thurs.,Fri.,Mon. Tues.Generally we started at 8:00,had it torn off and deck prepped by 9:30. Redecked ,felted,dripedge,icegaurd 11:45,shingled and gone 2:30.We do not eat lunch,drink coffee,smoke ciggarets or engage in any other time wasters.But we don't run around like chickens with their heads cut off either.About 2:00 or 2:15 I have my helper start packing up while I finish rooftop work(pack that laddder last please!)Work described was a 4/12 ranch with hip roof.I would love to post pictures but lack the equipment and brain power.I pay a trash hauler to clean up debris--very dependable at $7/sq.plus I usually pay extra.$7 times 48 sq. plus extraAdditional off roof work---Approx.1-1/2 hour estimating,1 hour ordering materials,1 hour phonecalls and book work.BTW the traditional outlook would have never worked on this job since the customer was a realative who will see it from rooftop.most roofers would probabbly consider the described work a pretty modest pace.Just for kicks in about a week ,if I remember, I will post the results of a 10/12-12/12 tear-off.I would give you my projections now but I don't want to jinx us. Keep your fingers crossed.

4. 
   Guest_ | Sep 02, 2000 02:10am | #7

   *Blue,What's that rake detail? Looks kindof neat.

5. 
   Guest_ | Sep 02, 2000 01:22pm | #8

   *Bob, the rake is comprised of a few pieces of stacked pine with dentils. I believe I started with 1x12, then a 1x6 with the dentils spaced at 5" intervals. I then projected out the rake 8" and finished with a 1x6 and 1x2. Heres a sligthly better look. If I manage to get up there, I'll take a closer shot. The dentils are simply 1x4 chopped up and stapled on. It's all rough sawn spruce, with a little rough sawn cedar mixed in here and there. I prefer the spruce because the of rouger texture left in the sawing process.blue

6. 
   Guest_ | Sep 02, 2000 01:31pm | #9

   *blue--second the "neat" on the dentils. Seems like a good way to do them. Gives the look without much fuss. Curious about what you used for ridge vent. I've used primarily Cobra Vent, but am looking at other systems for future jobs.Later. LJ

7. 
   Guest_ | Sep 02, 2000 04:28pm | #10

   *I didn't research the ridge vent amymore than asking my supplier what every one is using. I chose the more expensive stuff. It comes in 20 rolls and is covered with a fabric. I'll sheck the wrapper when I get up there again. I did like using it however and would use it again.Remeber LJ, I am a rough framer and this roofing stuff is kinda foreign to me.blue

8. 
   Guest_ | Sep 03, 2000 01:43pm | #11

   *Blue, Get a pic from some distance of that rake detail. Would like to see what it looks like with the whole house. Thanks

9. 
   Guest_ | Sep 03, 2000 03:50pm | #12

   *Here's a shot taken from a little farther away, Calvin. If I get any farther, the details are lost altogether. I'll experiment a little when I get back up there.blue

10. 
    Guest_ | Sep 03, 2000 10:42pm | #13

    *Not being a roofer, I can't compete with teams that tell me they can do 4-6 squares per hour on new construction. And it looks like it (not always good, either). I can generally do 1 square/hour by hand, 2 by air if all the shingles are up there. Sorry, but being old and worn out, I double that estimate if I have to haul my own shingles. Best pitch is 10/12, a little slower on 18/12 (last one), or 4/12 (kills my back!). But then again, it'll take as long as it takes to make sure it's done right.

11. 
    Guest_ | Sep 06, 2000 05:50pm | #14

    *I don't know about you fellas, but I get pretty disgusted listening to "roofers" bragging about how many sq. they can throw on per hour, as if this somehow has anything to do with being a "good" roofer! I would be a lot more concerned with making sure the roof will be watertight long after I climb down off of it and keeping everything straight and attractive. I'm about fed up with climbing up to fix leaks after some "3-4 sq per hour roofer" has stampeded over it on the way to get his paycheck. When I used to roof my motto was "I'm not the fastest, but I'm also not the slowest, and when I'm done, it's done."

12. 
    Guest_ | Sep 07, 2000 12:48pm | #15

    *I agree completely with you Mark.3-4 sq. an hour is near impossible to produce consistently with quality results.The slap-dash attitude it represents is to be expected when consumers and contractors try to purchase roofing services like a commodity---"how much per square".When the buyer is thinking "how much per square" it is pretty sure the roofer is gonna think"how fast per square".Of course I have heard carpenters here discuss how fast they can hang a door or install a window or frame a wall.Same attitude.Earlier in this thread I mentioned I would post the results of a an up-coming job .I finished it yesterday so here are the results.10/12 roof,2 1/2 story.Only 1 side of the roof was to be re-roofed.16 1/2'x30'----approx.5 sq.What I thought was to be a 3 layer tear-off turned out to be a 4 layer tearoff.Day one. A helper and I tore-off 16 1/2feetx16feet. Installed Dripedge,Icegaurd,felt,waste stack flashing,1 vent,shingle and flash one chimney(1 VERY rickety chimney).Time expended7:45 to 2:45.Day 2.The 2 of us tore off the remaining 16 1/2 ft.x 14 feet.Installed drip edge,icegaurd,felt,2 vents,shingles and ridge caps.Time expended 7:45 to 1:45.That was a filthy little job I had been dreading for some time.I am gonna reward myself with a fun job next.Today we buy slate for a job that will take us 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 days to replace about 60-70 slates.Work slow,price high---good luck all,stephen

13. 
    Guest_ | Sep 07, 2000 03:40pm | #16

    *"Work slow, price high"I love it!Rich Beckman

14. 
    Guest_ | Sep 13, 2000 08:38am | #17

    *Mike... 3 sq/man/day sounds slow compared to some of the other numbers, but 2 guys have been working on my roof (new) for 5 days and have put up about 34 sq so far (several of those were 6 hr days). But they are doing an excellent job, don't seem to be in a hurry, and actually look like they enjoy it. They quoted it by the square, and I will be very pleased with what I get for the money. The roof is 9/12 and the felt was already in place. Using shingle-vents; flashing is minimal (by design/intent).

15. 
    Guest_ | Sep 14, 2000 07:07pm | #18

    *Crusty, are they making any money? They seem to be averaging only 3.4 square a day too!blue

16. 
    Bill_Holroyd | Sep 24, 2000 02:45am | #19

    *umm, A 12/12 is difficult - I can with a helper put down 2-3sq an hour with nail gun and roof jacks. I just run the shingles 3 wide straight up. Wm P.s. take your time- a mid-winter up on the roof repairs are a pain

17. 
    Guest_ | Sep 24, 2000 01:35pm | #20

    *Ok Bill, you convinced me...I'm reallll sloooowwwww.I don't mind though.blue

18. 
    Guest_ | Sep 25, 2000 04:00am | #21

    *Bill.....Can you put 24 square down on average in eight hour days all week long all year round and manage to play golf or other recreational pursuits also sometime each week?near the stream, doing more like 5 square per man per day,aj

2. 
   Bill_Holroyd | Sep 25, 2000 12:38pm | #23

   *
   Jack,
   that would depend entirely on the conditions of the job. oh I don't play golf, I get a great workout just banging nails pol. a 12/12 pitch I/ califorina weave et.al. is time consuming.