Labor pool in your area

Can't find a roofer here...Haven't been able to, for a couple of years.

It's definitely a unique & perplexing situation we have here;

Work is relatively scarce. But there IS work. Yet, when one does land some work, it's impossible to find qualified help. When I say "qualified help", I'm not being overly demanding/picky here.

Here's the perplexing part; One would think if there was anytime to be a roofer, this is it! However, wages are cheaper than they've ever been and the work is going extremely cheap, as well. I can only conclude that this dynamic is linked to the fact Colorado lacks any state licensing, and any Tom, Dick or Harry, can & is a contractor...And, they're just installing the roof themselves for labor.

After visiting a jobsite yesterday, I have to go out Monday, to show my $20/hr. guy, how to install comp shingles! He's doing a good quality install...However, at a snails' pace....Looks like a homeowner doing it.....One row across at a time, materials scattered all over the place.....absolutely no planned efficiency what-so-ever. I'm paying pc. wk. on this particualr job; He could be making $300+/day....I just don't get it!

O/S: You know as well as anybody that small repairs pay quite well when you do them yourself.

twill: $100 per sq for nail down? You'd get $110 for 1 layer tear off and... or is that just to tear it off? If so I'm way low on my 1 layer tearoff price @ $65, which includes inspecting/prepping the deck & dump fees.

Well, due to the construction downturn, I believe a good portion of the illegal's have wandered off from these parts...There's still a bunch of the them here however; Mostly the extremely unskilled. We're now left with the bottom-of-the-barrel.

OS; I think I may have to agree with you....The notion of operating a residential roofing company in a small town/rural setting, with authentic employees/technicians/mechanics is becoming a memory of past days....A fantasy...I have to resovle to the facts; My "competitors" are generally half-az/unscrupulous, (either knowingly or just plain naivety to regular business practices/ethics),"pick-up truck" roofing contractors, who do most of the mechanics themselves.

If I had the notion to actually start-up again, I'd have to; 1)Move back to the city and stick to commercial/industial roofing, or 2) Move to a state with authentic state licensing, to escape the riff-raff....or, of course, there's always #3) Became a storm-chaser.

Not really a problem here,if immigration would do thier job we might have a problem here. But with all the illegal crews here and illegal companys taking work and bidding for nothing not a problem.

It is the labor pool......We hire out of the available labor pool....No matter what one "sells" &/or services one provides; That's the labor pool. I can and have performed any of the mechanical tasks of any services we provide. I just so happen to choose to be a business owner, rather than a mechanic. I would never provide a service, (or "sell" as some refer to it), something I did not fully understand &/or couldn't do myself. I've never really considered myself much of a "salesman". We provide sevices on our merits alone.

Kind of related.....

While hourly/piece rate compensation to employees hasn't kept up with the costs of living, the labor costs to employers has risen consistantly over the past two+ decades.

Case in point; We were discussing a project currenty underweay...I was asked if I had figured in the inclimate/winter weather factor....I had responded, "not really, it doesn't really matter, they're,(employees), so fricken slow/inefficient anywhow.....Now, if it were 20 some years ago, and I was out there, it would indeed make a signifigant difference".

So my wife responds....."So, labor rates, (costs), has increased over the years"....(?)

Good point......Which adds credence to the fact we're getting lazier.....

I'm in Iowa and having a terrible time finding any roofing labor at all! We can't even get folks who are unskilled but willing to learn. During our slow time I start gearing up for next busy season by recruiting new employees and crews. But there seems to be no-one interested in roofing. If you know of anyone looking for work please send them my way! :S

It would seem you feel your alone. Not so, our area is the same way. It's all foreign to me. I'm 67 yrs old. I would bring in people and ask "Are you a Mechanic?". Yes is always the answer. Then I would start,"Do you do shingles, slate, Metal standing seam. Can you solder, or do shop work for boxes, boots and collars?" No was the answer most of the time. I do flat roof torch down roofing. They don't even know how to run a kettle. I want cash, I'm collecting whatever. They are all helpers, not real roofers. Welcome to the new America.

re-hired a guy that had worked for us previously....yesterday, he asked if i was going to pay for his gas to drive back & forth to work, (shop &/or jobsites).... :silly: :silly: :silly: :silly:

Called another guy who I had let go reviously due to his marginal productivity.....he said he'd like to work part-time, but would like more $..... :silly: :blink: :S

What planet am I living on?....scheeeesh....

OS; I'm 54....Haven't worked on the roof full-time since becoming a contractor in my mid-20's. I understand your MO...I did things that way when I started and made a lot of $. Hind-site is 20-20...had I stayed at it that way, I could have retired very comfortably 10 -15 years ago....Instead, I went the 80 employees/5-6m/yr., ripped-off every which-way/burnt-out path....

Twill; Very similar experiences here...Guess it's tough all over?