August 2018

Contractor’s Q’s
“ONE VERY IMPORTANT TOOL IS A
KNOWLEDGE OF CONTRACT LAW”
Andy King started roofing when he was 14 and used his experience and know-how to establish
A L King Roofing which includes a contracting and merchant business. He is also a past-
President of the NFRC and an ideal candidate for our Contractor’s Q’s...
10
questions for Andy King:
“Make sure you have
some capital behind
you for that rainy day or
that slow paying client”
TC: What was your path into construction
and to your current position?
AK: My path into construction was quite simple;
when I was about 14 and living in Surrey, my
friend’s father was a small builder carrying out
extensions, renovations and occasionally a oneoff
house and I worked for him some weekends
and school holidays. I enjoyed the work and
wanted to learn more about construction. At 16 I
went to Guilford technical college to study the City
and Guilds construction technician course and
passed parts 1 and 2. On leaving college I was
unsure what to do so my father suggested I got
some practical experience to go with the theory.
Having had part of our roof retiled he suggested
calling the roofing contractor that carried out the
work to see if he was interested in some extra
labour. Fortunately he was and I had an
interview on the 5th of April 1975 (my
eighteenth birthday) and started as a trainee on
the following Monday.
“Having had part of our
roof retiled he
suggested calling the
roofing contractor that
carried out the work to
see if he was
interested in some
extra labour”
As I mentioned, I enjoyed the work although it
was hard work – everything was carried manually
up ladders and lorries were unloaded
manually. I remember thinking at the
time that this line of work would not
be for everybody, so if I could stick at it
and learn the trade well, I should always
have work.
So I worked hard and studied my trade, with a
constant desire of starting my own business one
day.
Having gained a reasonable practical knowledge
of roof tiling and slating I became self-employed,
I worked as a sub-contractor for some wellknown
contractors in the area whilst trying to
build my own customer base until, in my opinion,
I had enough work to sustain me for a while.
Some people I worked for would buy the materials
and if I had to buy them I was able to use a credit
card, as with no trading references it was
impossible to obtain credit from builders
merchants or anybody else.
The business grew until it became obvious I
would have to start employing people to help me
as more work was coming in than I could cope
with. The business has continued to grow and in
the year 2000 I was able to start a roofing
merchant to help the contracting side, and sell
roofing products to other local roofing contractors.
The business now employs 60 people and has an
annual turnover in excess of £8 million with two
merchant outlets and a strong contracting
division.
Andy King, past-President of the NFRC and
Managing Director of A L King Roofing.
TC: What’s your one piece of
advice for those looking to start
a roofing business?
AK: The best advice I could give anybody wanting
to start a roofing business is make sure you have
some capital behind you for that rainy day or that
slow paying client. Another essential thing is
know your subject and learn what your rights are
regarding contract law.
“We are tasked with
completing eight
houses each week for
the next thirty weeks
with garages and
porches added in”
TC: Tell us about the current project
you’re working on…
AK: There are a few interesting projects we are
working on at the moment but the one that stands
out is one we are doing for Lovell’s in Bulford
near Salisbury, Wiltshire. This is one of three
developments being carried out by Lovell’s in the
area and it is for military personnel returning from
overseas. The main reason for this being an
interesting site is the pace of build. We are tasked
with completing eight houses each week for the next
thirty weeks with garages and porches added
26 TC AUGUST 2018