Roof Installation and Maintenance

Roofers are specialists who repair, upgrade, and service the various forms of roofs found on residential and commercial buildings. A leaky roof can cause damage to ceilings, walls, and inner furnishings, and a roofer's main responsibility is to ensure that a roof is sealed up tight. Roofers repair and install roofs made from a wide variety of materials including tar, asphalt, gravel; thermoplastic or rubber; shingles; and finally metal. Depending on their specialty, roofers often have the ability to use most or all of the materials mentioned. In addition to the different types of materials, there are also two types of roofs—low-slope and steep-slope. Slope has to do with how steeply angled a roof is. Low-slope roofs rise four inches vertically per one foot horizontally or less, and are placed in layers. Steep-slope roofs rise more than four vertical inches per one foot horizontally, and are usually covered in shingles. Most industrial, commercial, and apartment buildings have low-slope style roofs, whereas most neighborhood houses have steep-slope roofs. Many roofers work on both types of roofs, and with many of the materials mentioned, though some jobs have a higher degree of complexity than others, and require specialty skills.