Summer is a time when you want to lounge outside . . . unless you're a roofer. We talked with Horacio Serrato, a 31-year-old Garden Grove resident who works summer's worst job.
Is it hot up there?
It's hell. You're usually up there all day, coming down only for lunch and some breaks. But the more breaks you take, the longer you stay up there.
What do you do to lessen the heat?
There's really not much you can do. I wear a hat and sunglasses. Sometimes, I'll wear a long-sleeved shirt so I don't get burned as much, but then I get super hot, so I'll usually take it off. I always like to take a water cooler up there so I always have water around. And, after work, my partner and I like to get drunk.
Do you ever drink on the job?
I know other construction workers who do, but not roofers. No way. You get dizzy, you're dead. If a carpenter drinks, he might smack his head on the wall.
Who has it harder: roofers or guys who lay asphalt?
Roofers all the way. We have to carry all our material up the ladder—tiles, shingles or bricks, the stuff to seal the material to the roof and all our tools. All asphalt guys have to do is lay the gravel then wait until the steamroller presses it down. That's not that hard.
But all that asphalt reflects the heat . . .
And that doesn't happen with roofers? Dark shingles are hell on the skin—you can't imagine the smell they make when you first put them on a roof. Then there's the adobe-style tiles—they get really, really hot, and since they're shiny, they mess with your eyes, too. And how do we get the tiles or shingles to stick on roofs? Asphalt.
How about drywallers?
Please. They work inside. They wear masks. That's nothing.
Whenever you do a job, do the homeowners help out a bit more than they would, say, with a plumber?
Most of the time, the homeowners go off to work so I don't see much of them. But a lot of them are very nice. In the morning, they'll offer me and my partner bottles of water, and do the same when they return. Some even open up the backyard if it has an umbrella or shade for our breaks.
Is it easier to lay roofing in the morning, when it can be overcast? Or how about days when it's cloudy?
Not really. Maybe the sun isn't out or it's still not so high in the sky, but it's still going to be hot during the summer. Sometimes, overcast days are worse because it can get so humid. And even if it's a cool day, you still have to do the job—and that's never an easy thing. And when the sun is out, I don't care how much water you have—you'll burn.
Do you ever just lie down on the roof and relax?
No way. That doesn't help anything. You just bake more. If I'm tired, I'll just get off the roof and find some shade.
Pools. Roofs. Ever cool off by jumping into one?
[Laughs.] That's a dream of mine. But I can't. I don't think the homeowner would be happy finding a dirty roofer swimming in his clothes.
