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roofing trades are regulated by the Chambers of Trades and Crafts. Carrying out activities related to the construction, maintenance, and repair of buildings requires professional qualification through:

a professional aptitude certificate: CAP roofer, CAP building and public works waterproofing, supplementary qualification (MC) in zinc work;
a vocational baccalaureate or a vocational certificate: BP roofer, BP building and public works waterproofing, vocational baccalaureate interventions on built heritage option roofing …
a diploma or an approved qualification of equal or higher level: Master's Certificate in roofing , BTS building, BTS wood construction systems and housing or BTS building envelope, facades and waterproofing…
In the absence of a diploma or approved qualification, it is necessary to demonstrate three years of effective professional experience as a self-employed worker or employee.

Here are some of the major steps to follow to launch your roofing business:

Validate your project: conduct market research and prepare a financial forecast.
Finance your project: first, identify your equipment needs, then seek funding. Various forms of assistance are available for starting or taking over a business; you can find them at http://www.aides-entreprises.fr/.
Choose a legal structure: this step is crucial as it has significant tax and social security implications. While there is a lot of information available on this topic, it is best to seek guidance from a Chamber of Trades and Crafts or a chartered accountant to make the right choice.
Complete a business start-up preparation course with the Chamber of Trades and Crafts to better prepare for setting up your business and learn how to manage it.
Register with the Chamber of Trades and Crafts.
Take out ten-year liability insurance.

It's a tricky subject, as there are as many practices as there are roofers, and needs can also vary from region to region. Here is Dimos' selection of the tools you'll need to start your business:

• For slate work: a slate hammer and anvil, slate pliers, a nail puller for renovation or remodeling, a nail bag.
• For zinc work: shears, at a minimum a sheet metal shear and a double-edged shear on the left and right sides of the edging pliers: flat or angled depending on habits, 100mm, 60mm and 22mm, a handkerchief corner plier to complete the set.
• For shaping: stuffing hammer, nylon mallet
• For soldering: soldering iron, DIPAG soldering kit, sanding file to clean the tip, bolt.
• For preparing the framework: marking tool, clinometer, zinc claw and pencils.
  Meters, ruler, square, false square, strings and powders, hammer stapler, saw.

It is possible to start with very limited equipment to limit investments, but it is difficult to start without a folding machine.

If there are alternative solutions, such as shaping at the distributor or sharing a machine, it may be worthwhile to consider purchasing a small 1m folding machine to gain autonomy and be able to work directly according to the needs on the construction site.

Dimos offers models available for under €1000 at the retail price. If that's beyond your budget to start with, you can also take a look at our used equipment!

If there is one investment not to be neglected when starting a roofing business, it is that of safety: a work stoppage could indeed jeopardize a young company.

It is absolutely mandatory to wear protective equipment when working at height to prevent accidents, regardless of the working height. Protection should be provided collectively by default, or individually if a collective solution is not possible.

But which security solution should you choose? Depending on the size of your company, the type of projects you plan to undertake, and your investment capacity, there are many collective or individual security solutions on the market.

For smaller budgets, Dimos offers steel roof scaffolding packages at less than €4,000 retail price for 6 linear meters.