Roofers

Wages
In 2021, the average annual wage in Alabama was $36,210 with most people making between $28,330 and $47,970.
Wages by Industry
  • Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors $37,900.00
  • Residential Building Construction $31,480.00
  • Employment Services $32,260.00
Education Required
These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Common Majors
  • Roofer
About the job

Cover roofs of structures with shingles, slate, asphalt, aluminum, wood, or related materials. May spray roofs, sidings, and walls with material to bind, seal, insulate, or soundproof sections of structures.

What you'll do
    • Apply gravel or pebbles over top layers of roofs, using rakes or stiff-bristled brooms.
    • Apply modular soil- and plant-containing grids over existing roof membranes to create green roofs.
    • Apply reflective roof coatings, such as special paints or single-ply roofing sheets, to existing roofs to reduce solar heat absorption.
    • Attach solar panels to existing roofs, according to specifications and without damaging roofing materials or the structural integrity of buildings.
    • Glaze top layers to make a smooth finish or embed gravel in the bitumen for rough surfaces.
    • Install attic ventilation systems, such as turbine vents, gable or ridge vents, or conventional or solar-powered exhaust fans.
    • Install layers of vegetation-based green roofs, including protective membranes, drainage, aeration, water retention and filter layers, soil substrates, irrigation materials, and plants.
    • Install skylights on roofs to increase natural light inside structures or to reduce energy costs.
    • Install solar roofing systems that have energy-collecting photovoltaic panels built into roofing membranes, shingles, or tiles.
    • Punch holes in slate, tile, terra cotta, or wooden shingles, using punches and hammers.
Things you need to know
    • Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Abilities you'll need to have
    • Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
    • Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
    • Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
    • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
    • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
    • Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
    • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.