Antler Properties.com

Roof Replacement Project - Section #1

The first section that I replaced is on the rear of the house. I decided to start on the back so that I could refine my skills without the "learning curve" being visible from the street.

To prep for the job, I visited the local library and checked out a few good books - Black & Decker's The Complete Guide to Roofing and Siding (ISBN 1-58923-154-6) and Creative Homeowner's Roofing: Step-by-Step Projects (ISBN 1-58011-149-1). I recommend both of these books due to their easy reading and extensive diagrams and figures.

I have a pretty extensive tool collection, so not much was needed in that department. I picked up a cheap air nailer and a long hose from Harbor Freight Tools for about $100. Two pairs of adjustable roof jacks came from Lowes and cost about $30. In the safety department, a climbing harness and associated gear from REI set me back about $60.

With the tools taken care of, it was time to buy the supplies. The section of roof that I started with is about 13' wide and 16' long, making it about 200 square feet. Roofing and siding jobs are usually bid out to the closest 100 square feet, with each 100 being referred to as a "square". So, this section is also known as "2 squares". For the shingles we picked out, 3 bundles cover 1 square. I bought 7 bundles just to make sure that I didn't run short.

In addition to the shingles, we bought 1 roll of 15# (15 pound) roofing felt (tar paper), a bucket of 3,000 cap nails (great for roofing AND bandit signs), a box of coiled roofing nails, 3 caulk-tubes of roofing cement, aluminum drip and rake edges, a 6"x50' aluminum coil and about 100 pre-bent flashing strips. A later trip (because I always forget something) saw a few new fascia (gutter) boards and a 2x10 plank for the roof brackets. All told, about $350 worth of supplies.

With all the supplies bought, the work could begin! First off, a few pictures of what I was dealing with.



The picture below was taken while straddling the peak of the roof. Notice how there are completely missing roof tiles and others have shifted off their retaining nails.



Since the air conditioner compressor is below the roof section I started with, a scrap of wood was placed on it to prevent damage.



Getting the tiles off was pretty easy - in fact, easier than regular shingles since the slate hangs on the nails as opposed to being fastened down by them.



All I had to do was hook a crowbar under the edge of the tile and pry it up...then watch it skid down the slope and crash into the ground.



As the tiles came off, I peeled off the old tar paper so I could inspect the sheathing underneath. I was happy to find that while there was evidence of leakage, none of the wood had actually rotted except for a small section under the window. You may also notice that I removed the siding from the dormer. This is because the old flashing was nailed in behind the siding, and there was no way to get it out without prying off the siding. On the dormer, I simply removed the siding. Against the main house, I used a circular saw and cut off the lower 12" of the siding.



All to old paper was removed, and any remaining nails were pulled out. It's important to get out all the nails, (or hammer them down flush) because if any get trapped between the sheathing and new roof they will make it appear uneven and maybe perforate the shingles and cause a leak.



With the tearoff complete, new gutter board and the lower drip edge were installed. The purpose of the drip edge is to prevent water from wicking back up under the shingles. After the drip edge was installed, the first course of fresh tar paper was laid down.



Darkness snuck up on me and all I was able to do was finish laying down the remainder of the tar paper before calling it a day. The next morning, I awoke with sore legs and a back, and took it easy for a couple of hours while ibuprofen and caffiene did their thing. When I got started on the second morning, here's how things looked.



The next steps were to install the rake edges up the side of the roof. The tar paper was trimmed to slightly overhang the roof, and the edge was nailed through it. Take note that the drip edge goes under the tar paper and the rake edge goes over it. With the edge installed, the started course of shingles was nailed in place, upside down.



After the five courses of shingles were installed from the ground, roof brackets were nailed in place and the 2x10 plank laid across it. Once the plank is in place, it is *so* much easier to work! Also, as I worked my way up, I added many more of the cap nails to secure the tar paper. I should have used many more during the initial install, but once it got dark the night before I just slammed in a minimal few to hold things together. If there had been a forecast of high winds or rain, I could not have taken this shortcut.



When fastening the shingles, nail them in just below the seal-line. Use one nail at each end, and one above a gap that forms a tab.



As you work up the roof, you can either install another set of brackets, or use a simple ladder as shown below.



Here's a picture of how the shingles are installed in a row. On a wide, flat roof it is quicker to work in a diagonal row while installing the shingles. Because I had a dormer in the way and rarely was going more than 2 shingles across, I used a vertical pattern. Notice the carpet shears in the picture below - they work great for trimming shingles to fit.



In fact, in this tight section 2 full-length shingles could not be placed side-to-side. The right side of every shingle needed to be trimmed to fit. Instead of measuring each single to be cut to length, here's a simpler method. Turn the shingle around so that the bottom is now facing up. Line up the shingle and see where the overlap occurs. The use the shears to trim it to fit. In the picture below, I am trimming the right side of the shingle to fit. Since it is upside-down, I'm cutting the left side (which is really the right side). Then flop it back over and nail it in place...except don't put in the nail closest to the edge quite yet!



Under each of the shingles that butts up against an edge, flashing must be installed to prevent water from getting in. In fact, many leaks are cause by improperly installed or missing flashing! The strips are simply slid underneath each shingle.



Slide it up far enough up so that the self-adhesive strip is not covered, and fasten the shingle below it with a nail.



Once they are all in place, the row of flashing will force water to continue down and off the roof.



The final step for this section was to install tar paper where the siding was ripped off. Notice that the paper goes over the flashing that was just installed so that no water can get behind it. I plan on doing all the roof sections first, then coming back and installing all the new siding at once.



Come back soon to see how the next section of roofing goes - I'll be sure to include more pointers that I haven't put in this page!