Residential Tear-Offs

Stripping old roofing is few people’s idea of a good time. But it doesn’t have to be inefficient and unprofitable. In fact, if you’ve ever had a strong suspicion that there must be a better way than brute force applied to a shovel and hammer claw, you’re right. In search of that better way, we talked to roofing contractors across the country to find out more about the tools and methods they use for tear-offs. We heard testimonials for everything from roof saws to potato forks, and techniques that ranged from ramped scaffolding to “Look out below!” The answers we got were as diverse as the roofers we interviewed. Here’s a complete sampler. Setting up in the Suburbs Probably