Many people tend to be confused with roof plumbers, roofers, and roof contractors. What really is the difference between these three types of roofing professionals? Below are the definitions of the three terms.

Roof Plumber

A roof plumber is someone who is trained in installing gutters, downpipes, rainwater tanks, and flashings on both residential and commercial buildings. They can also install wall cladding and roof sheeting. They have the ability to read and interpret technical diagrams so they can install roof drainage systems of different angles in houses. They also make sure that water tanks capture the maximum amount of rainwater by calculating the correct pitch and size of roofs.

Roofer

Roofer is a term used to describe anyone who works on roofs. So a roofer can be someone who is a licensed roofing contractor, a general contractor who can also do roofing work, an unlicensed roofing contractor, or someone who works for a roofing company. Before you hire someone, it is important that you clarify whether or not he or she is licensed. A licensed roofing contractor may bring an unlicensed roofer to assist him in his work and that is acceptable. But you should avoid hiring an unlicensed roofer to work on his own. Before you hire a roofer, you must first ask for a copy of his/her driver’s license and contractor’s license.

Roofing Contractor

Roofing contractors possess a government-issued license that certifies that he/she is skilled and trained to fix, repair and replace roofs. Most of the time, roofing contractors do the work themselves. In some cases though, they hire a subcontractor to the work for them. Some roofing contractors work as employees of a roofing company. Roofing contractors also rarely work alone. They usually bring a crew composed of other trained and skilled workers.