HKC Roofing Builds Roof-Training Facility

The roofing industry today has found itself in quite a predicament. Almost all of the skilled tradesmen have either past away or now are reaching retirement, leaving behind a young and typically unskilled work force. In addition, asphalt shingles have taken over the steep slope roofing market as an inexpensive and easily installed roofing product. It should be fair to say that 95% of roofing contractors today are not really roofing contractors but rather, are asphalt shingle installers. Their knowledge doesn’t go any further than asphalt shingles and ice guard underlayment because that’s what the market is demanding. The men who once specialized in slate, tile, and an array of sheet metal products were no longer able to put their skills to use. Therefore, a lot of the highly skilled craftsmanship has been lost, never making it to the next generation of roofers. At HKC Roofing, we truly are different from the majority of roofing contractors. We strive to find those clients who need skilled craftsmen to restore their home or building to its original charm. We are passionate about adhering to the exact techniques used by the original installer to ensure a long-term and watertight system. This is not to say that we don’t perform asphalt shingle work. Asphalt shingles are still the majority of our steep-slope roofing portfolio. But in order to complete traditional roofing methods we need skilled workers who understand the processes. That’s why we’ve built an in-house training facility with nearly every detail we run into on a steep slope roof application, including historic built-in gutters. This has allowed us to not only to train our workers on asphalt shingles, but also on slate, tile, cedar shake and numerous metal roof systems. This also makes for a nice mock-up when clients would like to see what the new roof is going to look like. In addition, we use the facility to practice fall-prevention safety practices to better educate our staff on the dangers presented in the field and how to avoid such hazards. This is just one more way that HKC strives stays committed to quality and safety through training.