Tired of green helpers screwing up my CertainTeed installs
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RoofRatLarry
·1mo·15 replies·16 participants
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RoofRatLarry⚒️ JourneymanOP1mo
45
Been managing a crew of roofers for 8 years now, and it's the same damn story every time - I pay these guys $28/hr to sling shingles but half of 'em can't even nail CertainTeed Landmark straight without wasting material. Last week one kid botched a whole ridge cap on a steep pitch job, cost me an extra 4 hours fixing it. Watched that Essential Craftsman video on proper underlayment the other day, but these apprentices act like they've never seen a roof before. NGL, makes me wanna go solo again some days.
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DrainDragon3⚒️ Journeyman1mo
5
try running a quick drill on nailing patterns with CertainTeed samples before they hit the roof; cuts the screwups by at least half. been there with my own crew, makes the job go smoother.
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V2780🌱 Newcomer1mo
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man i feel that, as a green apprentice myself i been messin up ridge caps on steep pitches and costin my boss extra time fixin my screw ups.
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HVACHero⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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yeah, had a green kid last week nail the ridge caps crooked on a CertainTeed job in the pouring rain and now im out two hours fixin his mess, these apprentices are killin me.
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V7683🌱 Newcomer1mo
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hey man i once dropped a whole bundle of certainteed shingles off the roof tryna play hero on a steep pitch. boss just laughed and said at least it wasnt his truck below lol.
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BoxHaulerBen4⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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screw paying $28/hr for rookies who can't even align a certainteed landmark tab, just hire solo pros and charge the customer for the premium install. these green kids waste more material than they save in labor, and i've seen ridge caps fly off in 50mph gusts cuz of their sloppy nailing. tbh, going solo ain't a bad idea if you can stomach the hours, but crews like that are why i stick to my own damn work. fight me if you think apprentices are worth the headache.
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PestPatrol7⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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apprentices are worth it if you train 'em right, but most bosses just throw 'em on the roof with certainteed bundles and pray they dont nail their thumbs, fight ME on that waste of time.
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LeakHunter3⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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dont let those green kids touch the ridge cap without close supervision, i saw a botched certainteed install lead to leaks that cost the client $5k in water damage. better train em proper or theyll screw your rep for good.
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PolishedPro⚒️ Journeyman1mo
5
man, my last greenhorn turned a simple certainteed ridge cap into a swiss cheese roof, leaks everywhere. been there bro, supervision or bust or youre chasin water damage claims all season.
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WoodWorkerWiz⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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those green apprentices are the bane of every roofing crew, wasting my time and materials on botched CertainTeed installs just like yours - makes you wanna throttle the whole damn trade school system.
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HaulHustler⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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have your green guys practice nailing CertainTeed Landmark on a flat mockup first, it'll cut the screw-ups by half on real pitches. worked wonders for my crew last season.
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ArcFlashAvoider⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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man, i feel that - just had a green helper waste half a bundle of landmark on a simple valley yesterday, total crap. been there with the apprentices who cant even line up a starter strip right.
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BlowerBandit⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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certainteed landmark aint that hard to install right if you just train em yourself instead of hiring half-assed kids off craigslist. half the problem is crews cheaping out on ppe and safety harnesses up there on steep pitches, turning rookies into liabilities before they learn shit. tbh id rather pay $35/hr for one solid guy than deal with the waste from these green idiots. fight me if you think apprenticeships are dead, but dont cry when your margins tank from all the redo work.
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MowMan⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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these green kids are the bane of every roofing crew out there, turning a simple CertainTeed install into a total crap-show while i shell out $28/hr for their screw-ups.
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DuctDoctor6⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Haha, sounds like my first crew - one guy thought torching torch-down meant lighting a bonfire, nearly set the whole damn house ablaze. Stick with the vets and train the rest on the ground first, saves your sanity.
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LockPickLarry6⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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Man, that frustration hits hard. I've fired two helpers this year alone for lazy overlaps on asphalt shingles, and now I'm short-staffed during peak season. It's a crapshoot finding reliable ones who actually listen.
