How Young Were You When You Started Out?

I found this photo and thought of you guys that were practically born on a roof!

Most likely 12 or 13. Like the rest, carried nails, starter shingles up the ladder to my dad. Most of the projects were dairy barns, with a few houses sprinkled in. Most of the work was done evenings and Saturdays, in between farming activities and in addition to my father's full time job. Many nights finishing up a barn roof by the light provided by the pickup headlights. Moonlight was appreciated . . .

About 22 - Started on a tear-off crew, on a Naval Base housing re-roof project,(BUR).....at about 25, passed state exam/acquired contractor license - went into business.

I was 14 before I started doing any work on the job, but then it was on like donkey kong. My Dad's plan, other than to show me the value of honest work, was to encourage me to find an easier job. It worked for a bit, but I'm a glutton for punishment.

At 19, I'd moved on to being a computer network technician for the school district. One day at random a state official showed up at my Dad's job, took everybody aside individually, and drilled them about my Dad using underage labor. Too bad he didn't have the picture at the top of this post handy.

I was talking to an old friend today, and I mentioned that I remember that the day before he got married he was working on a bulldozer scrapping off top dirt in a plat for a bunch of houses. I was working with my dad and I remember dad teasing him about getting married. He asked me how old I was now and I told him 61. He said he had been married 57 years now. I guess that would have made me about 4 at the time. I know I had been on the roofs with dad before that too!

My grand daughter is just 4 now and I can't imagine her going on the roof with me. What was my dad thinking?

A fall arrest system? No idea what that was!

I do remember when I was about 5 working with dad and my older brother on a roof not too far from our house. It was a straight hip roof, about 4/12 pitch and about 22 squares. Dad had one of the original scissors truck that the bed lifted up on so the shingles were right at roof height. Dad and my brother nailed the shingles and my "job" was to open the bundles and carry the shingles. They were the old Bird and sons shingles that had the thick butts, so they were flipped over every 9 shingles. For you older guys to remember, the bundles had cardboard wrappers with 2 wires tying them up that I had to break with a pry bar.

I carried all of the shingles to dad @ 9 shingles at a time and set them on his knee as he set and nailed them. I remember I was ahead of him and he left about 2 or 3 shingles off from the top of the roof so I could nail some on. I do remember that I got them on, but they were crooked and he had to take them off and straighten then out. So, I carried 22 squares of shingles in one day when I was 5. I guess that is child abuse!

.......23? :dry:

Started out in the summers when I was 8-10 yrs. old throwing up water bottles for 3 dollars a day.

Advanced to human ladder elevator not long afterward.

This led to a personal demand that I immediately be taught how to nail on shingles or I would quit.

Soon afterwards I reached the 3 sq. an hour plateau.

Several years later I would go backwards and learn how to be a good laborer. Tearing off and such.

Then, wood work and chimney flashing among other things were added.

Next thing you know, the shingler had turned into a roofer!

I was a relative geezer compared to you guys. I was 19 and wouldn't drive one of the company trucks because it had a "re-elect the president" (Nixon) bumper sticker on it so it had to be '72.

OS, bet you didn't even have a fall arrest system on! Do they even make a harness for a 4 yr.old :lol: - like you said, now a days, a father would get arrested for having their child up there.

Parents have a pic of me up on a roof with my grandfather smearing roof cement around at 4 yrs of age; now what more can a kid ask for than a trowel full of 'black goo' :woohoo:

That picture could literally be me. I can never remember not being on a roof. I know that we have home movies of my brother and myself on the roof of our house when dad was roofing it. I was about 4 years and 4 months old then, late 1956, and I had been on the roofs a long time by that time. My mom who was taking the movies never jittered the camera when I walked to the edge of the two story roof and threw off some junk. I suppose they would call that child abuse now.

I nailed the ends of the shingles and picked up stuff for a few years until my older brother was old enough to shingle by himself, maybe 8, and then I took over nailing in front of dad till my younger brother was old enough to do the same. Shingling with the crew when I was 8 also.

Gosh, that means I have been shingling for over 57 years now.

I was probably about 14 I believe. My Dad and his cousin had started roofing on the side to help pay the bills. I started by cleaning the ground and carrying up half bundles at a time. Eventually they got so busy that my Dad quit the truck driving job and went full time into roofing. I worked with him a lot for about 5 years but he died unexpectantly at age 42. I kept roofing for a while but left it for a few years. Of course it was in blood by then and I went back to it, finally started my own company at 40. Should have done it sooner.

You know, this would make a good "Question of the Month". The one you have up there now is lame, who would have asked a dumb question like that any way? :laugh:

I have no idea how old I was the first time dad took me up. I remember going to look at roofs with him, but age... too young to comprehend.

First job was at around 5/6... would go with him to help break drip edge metal in the evenings. I was just heavy enough to pull the lock lever down on one side and to be of assistance lining up an edge, saving him a lot of trips back and forth across the break. A lot of it, I think, was just to be able to spend some time with me.

At 8, he started bringing home caps and a pint of paint for homes that they would be blowing insulation into. I'd paint the caps for a nickel each. Not bad for a kid to be able to make $5 a night in the early/mid70's.

I started roofing at age 16 as a regular job.

18. 30 years ago..

14 years old in Ohio