# Most efficient way to run a crew



## White87

I'm trying to figure out the most efficient way to run a crew I have a 8 man crew and we are not meeting our man hours I'm open to any ideas to make my crew run more smoothly and faster all my guys are MSA certified by certainteed any ideas will help


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## lukkychucky

How are you running it now? How many guys are roofers and how many are laborers? How good are they? What do you use to haul away the trash? Etc. Etc.


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## White87

I'm running a crew for a company we have 10 guys 5 shinglers 5 laborers we have a equipter to dump trash my company I ran a six man crew with myself on the roof now I have 10 guys and I'm supposed to be on the ground all day


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## Sambeiler

On a crew that I worked with a few years ago I noticed it really helped assigning the guys to what they where good at.. For example if someone was really good and fast shingling he was the first one with a nailer (once there was a section tore off). Or if there was a guy who liked and was good at felting he was the first one to do that.


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## Grumpy

I've said it before and I will say it again. 8 men is way too many guys for an average residential job. If you are commercial, that's another thing. With 8 men on a 20-30 square job, the helpers end up with helpers. There's just no room and in most cases completely unnecessary. A good 6 man crew, 5 roofers and 1 laborer, should be able to knock out a 30 square 1 layer tear off and install walkable in 1 day 10-12 hours. 

Let's start with the obvious, are your man hours bidding realistic? What makes you think you are bidding proper man hours to start with? What kind of production do you expect in a day?

let's assume your man hour bid is realistic. Where are the bottle necks slowing you down? Do you see guys standing around? Are you having your roofs loaded before you tear off then you have to move all the materials, then move the materials again? Are guys taking smoke breaks, cigarette breaks, gatorade breaks, bathroom breaks? 

This is how I always TRY to run a crew. On the job READY TO START WORK at 7am. Meaning you are working when the clock clicks 7am, working not standing around. Your first break is when the tear off is done, NOT sooner. Tobacco use I frowned upon greatly, it costs the boss alot of money and is messy as hell on a job. Cell phone use is prohibited except by the foreman or if there is an emergency. Bring your gatorade on the roof in a cooler so you don't have to climb up and down the ladder to get it. If/When climbing up and down the ladder there is ALWAYS something that can go up or down, make sure your hands are never empty. 

You may have to fire someone to prove your point. 

What is your job, to stand on the ground and lean on the truck? I hate to say it but your position is unnecessary and would be the first one I would eliminate. I expect my foremen to WORK as much as they do lead the crew. Nobody gets paid to stand around and watch. 

Why does each roofer need a helper? Just what are the helpers doing? I usually figure 1 helper per 2-3 roofers. But heck if you are putting all the trash into a dumptruck right next to the house, you can lower that to 1 per 4. 

Are the roofers too princess to do the helpers job? Do they ALL tear off? Do they send the helpers to go get something and they sit idle waiting for Junior to bring more staples or nails? I just gotta think there are alot of guys standing around throughout the day. Where do you put all those guys on a 20 square job?


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## John's Roofing

Agree with Grumpy...I've had up to 8 on a roof.....Including myself...but to me the crew size of 4 or 5 is more efficient for your man hours. Do you share with the crew how long it should take? 
Sure some jobs turn into more of a project, but you should be able to come closer to your estimate hours to be profitable. Like I tell my crew....there isn't a job that each of my crew is above doing. I consider myself lucky...Have a great crew that works together.


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## lukkychucky

I'm with the others. YOU are the leader and they are the followers. I can't imagine supervising a roof job from the ground. They are simply following your lead which is to not do much. Im not trying to be an arse. Its good to be optimistic, not so good to be pessimistic, but best to be realistic. With that many guys you could just sit on the ridge and direct traffic and do 40-50 sq. of walkable 1-layer a day. The best way is upon starting a job have all the guys tear off the hardest area of the roof and enough where the laborers will be able to stay ahead of the roofers for the rest of the day. Nothing a roofer hates worse than having to tear off in the morning, finally get started roofing and then have to tear off again. Your boss would be better off to split those 10 guys into 2 crews.


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## White87

The way I do it is my lead Shingler starts as soon as a section is prepped we use a equipter for our trash its like a portable dumpster they drive around the house and lift to the roof my 6 man crew was smashing jobs out but I was working ill put 30sq on a day by myself my lead Shingler can only do 20 the company I work for frowns on foremans being on the roof they want us to keep ppl with ropes tight safety glasses on basically in charge of safety and keeping the job running smoothly I think it's these young kids who want to shingle but don't know how to do any technical stuff


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## Billy Luttrell

So many variables.

A walkable 1 layer rip with 5 men around 30sq should be done and cleaned up by 2 pm with a 7am start.

Everyone tears off, everyone blacks in, everyone cleans up. 

The more proficient guys do the details, flashing, tricky stuff. The others blow on the field.

A lot of difference can make in what equipment is being used. A crew hand toting up a ladder as opposed to a roof top delivery or a laddervator is going to be much slower.

Dump trailer/truck access can be huge as well on the clean up and tear off end. 

Is the crew properly equipped? Gas compressor, all nailers have properly functioning guns? laddervator? Dump trailer or truck for debris?


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## Grumpy

White87 said:


> The way I do it is my lead Shingler starts as soon as a section is prepped we use a equipter for our trash its like a portable dumpster they drive around the house and lift to the roof my 6 man crew was smashing jobs out but I was working ill put 30sq on a day by myself my lead Shingler can only do 20 the company I work for frowns on foremans being on the roof they want us to keep ppl with ropes tight safety glasses on basically in charge of safety and keeping the job running smoothly I think it's these young kids who want to shingle but don't know how to do any technical stuff


What does your lead shingler do while the area is being prepped? Assuming prep means tear and felt, does he stand and watch that happen? If so, hand him a pitch fork. Him standing around being too princess to tear off is lost production. A guy who used to work for me went to work for a buddy, he was so slow at tearing off my buddy started having him come in at 9am instead of 7am. Princess roofers. 

I know what an equipter is, that's why I can't imagine you needing so many guys. Maybe if you had to throw the garbage on the ground then pick it back up and wheel it 40' like in urban roofing you need a few extra ground guys. But with your equipter/dumpster against the house, why need so many guys? The math doesn't add up for me. 

If your boss is telling you stay on the ground and is willing to pay your wage to hold up the truck, and it's factored into the job, then good for him. We can't then factor in your hours into the time it takes to install the roof. I'm glad to see you have a safety plan in place. 

So you have 8 guys up on a 25 square roof all roped off and harnessed? Wow, that's got to be a cluster phuck when you add in 3-4 compressor hoses. That's lost production right there. 

Maybe you hit the nail on the head. too many green horns. Shingling is all about production, muscle memory, turning off your brain and going on auto drive. If they don't yet have that muscle memory and experience no way you can expect them to output half of what you do. I would think it would be your job to teach them how to stage their bundles, lay out the roof, to maximize efficiency. You can't do that from the ground, and if not your job then whos is it to teach these newbs?


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