Dean Weintraut -- WORKING

HE IS

Definitely not afraid of heights

KING OF THE WORLD

Dean Weintraut just can’t stop insisting on how blessed he is and that

he has the best job in the world.

He gets a view of the ocean as a roofer who works in such areas as

Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, a job that allows him solitary time at a

level closer to the sky than most of us are used to.

A residential roofer of eight years for Crank Bros. Roofing in Costa

Mesa, Weintraut mostly loves that his job involves people who are happy

to see him.

“Because usually when someone calls the roofer, it’s because their

roof leaks and that usually is a problem for them and they’re usually

pretty happy to see me,” he said. “And when I leave the job, their house

usually looks 5,000 times better than when I showed up.”

ROOFS R US

Weintraut, 40, doesn’t discriminate when it comes to houses and roofs.

They’re all different and call for different saving touches, which is

what he likes about his job.

“It’s like seeing a doctor,” he said. “You don’t do the same type of

operation all the time.”

But roofing is a pretty solitary task, according to Weintraut -- one

without foremen and bosses peeking over his shoulder. And for lunch,

he’ll even just picnic on the roof.

AU NATURAL

The Mission Viejo resident pauses at how good and, in a way, how easy

he’s got it. He fell into roofing about 20 years ago through friends who

knew the business. He never wondered about his profession nor what he was

meant to do. Today, he’s confident he can die a happy man.

“I’m blessed, I swear to God, I don’t let too many people know my

secret, but every day I have a smile on my face,” he said.