Shed Roof Replacement Project
This is my first experience replacing a roof. So I may be excessively meticulous in the documentation here. But in so doing, I hope to avoid many errors that would not be fixable once the new roof is finished. So, here I go…
Roof Description
I got started today on replacing the roof on our yellow shed in the back yard. The first step was to measure the roof. The roof is formed from four rectangles and two triangles. Two of these rectangles drape down the sides (we’ll call these drapers) and the other two, closer to the horizontal, form the peak on the top (we’ll call these peakers). There’s also an overhang that keeps rain off the front door (we’ll call these the umbrella triangles). Now, with this terminology in place, here are the measurements I got:
- The drapers are each 148” X 34”.Â
- At the bottom of each draper, there’s an additional row of shingles that serves as an ice guard. This row is 148” X 5 and 1/4 inches.
- The peaker rectangles are 148” X 49”.Â
- Each of the two umbrella triangles is 47” (base) X 50” X 16” (height).
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Shingle Square Footage Calculation
Now, we must calculate the square footage of shingles needed so we know how much to buy at the store this weekend. We’ll add up the square inches needed first, and then convert that result to square footage.Â
- There are two drapers. each one is 148” X 34”. This gives us 5032 square inches.Â
- Multiply this by two (since there are two drapers), and you get 10064 square inches for both drapers.
- There are two peakers, each one is 148 X 49. This gives us 7252 square inches.
- Multiply this by two (since there are two peakers), and you get 7252 X 2 = 14594 square inches for both peakers.
- To get the area of the two umbrella triangles, multiply its base by one half of its height. In this case, the base is 47” and the height is 16”. Thus the area in square inches equals (1/2) X 16” X 47”, or 8” X 47”, which equals 376 square inches. Since there are two of these umbrella triangles, we double the square footage of one (376 square inches) to get the total, which is 752 square inches.
- Next, add in the area of the second row of shingles we’re installing at the bottom of the roof on each side. The area of one row is 148” X 5.25”, which equals 777 sqyare inches, Add in an identical amount for the second row on the other side and you get: 777 square inches + 777 square inches, which equals 1554 square inches.
- Finally, add all the values together from the various parts of the roof, and you get 10064 + 14594 + 752 + 1554, which equals 26964 square inches for the entire roof.
- Convert the square inches total into square feet by dividing 26964 by 144, which equals 187.25 square feet.
- Add in a fudge factor of, ten percent (per this roofing book I’ve been reading), and the total amount of shingles we need is 187.25 + 19 (roughly ten percent of 187.25), which equals total 206 square feet (seven bundles).
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Materials Needed
Supplies needed include the following:
- A few pounds of 1.25” long roofing nails. We decided not to use staples since the nails give a stronger hold.
- 192.25 square feet (two square) of dark green shingles to match the house roof.
- 192.25 square feet of Roofing paper.
- Staples for fastening roof vent once the new roof is in place.
- Utility knife blades.
- Tarp, to pile old shingles on so they don’t get into the yard, and to cover the roof peak with between the time we tear the old roof off, and the time that we finish installing the new shingles.
- 5 pounds of 1.25” hot galvanized roofing nails. It takes five pounds of nails to fasten two square of shingles of the type we’re using.
- Roof vent.
- Roof cement, for edges.
- Chalk box.
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Tools Needed
- Ruler.
- Chalkline.
- Crobar.
- Roofing spatula.
- Utility knife.
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I hope to get to Lowe’s or Home Depot this weekend to pick up this stuff. If the weather cooperates, I hope to have this job by the end of the weekend.
Project Task List
Originally, I planned on just shingling over the existing shingles. However, my brother-in-law felt that it would be better to strip off the old ones, and upon further inspection of the existing shingles, I agree with him. The old shingles crumble when handled. So it’s probably a bad idea to lay a new roof over them. So, they’ll be removed. The task list for this project follows:
- Read through a good roofing do-it-yourself guide. DONE on 2009-10-04.
- Take measurements. DONE on 2009-09-25.
- Calculate square footage of shingles needed based on above measurements. The answer is 192.25 square feet. DONE on 2009-09-25.
- Round up required tools (most I should have already), and note the ones I must purchase. DONE on 2009-09-25.
- Make list of needed supplies. DONE2009-09-26.
- Go shopping for supplies and tools. DONE on 2009-09-27.
- Remove roof vent from the peak, being careful not to damage it; it will be reinstalled once the new roof is in place. DONE on 2009-09-30.
- Strip old shingles off of one half of the roof first. DONE on 2009-09-30.
- Remove any old shingles from the decking for this half. DONE on 2009-09-30.
- Inspect and replace any damaged underlayment plywood. DONE on 2009-09-30.
- Felt that (the first)  half. DONE on 2009-09-30.
- Strip old shingles off the other half of the roof. DONE on 2009-09-30.
- Remove any old staples from the decking for this half. DONE on 2009-09-30.
- Inspect and replace any damaged underlayment plywood. DONE on 2009-09-30.
- Felt that second half. DONE on 2009-09-30.
- Per Richard’s suggestion, add more staples to better secure the edges of the felt, to keep wind-driven rain from getting underneath it. DONE on 2009-10-04.
- Pick up shingles when the arrive at Lowe’s (on or around October 19th).  DONE on 2009-10-08.
- Purchase a new roof vent. Use the roll style that can be shingled over. DONE on 2009-10-08.
- Pound any staples applied to the new felt. Some are protruding too far. DONE on 2009-10-11.
- Install row of shingles for ice guard. DONE on 2009-10-11.
- Install all shingles on first side. DONE on 2009-10-13.
- Install shingles on the other side.  DONE on 2009-10-21.
- Install shingles on exposed area of the ridge. DONE on 2009-10-21.
- Cut out the roofing paper over the roof vent opening.  DONE on 2009-10-20.
- Apply cap shingles to all areas of the ridge that will not covered by the ridge vent. DONE on 2009-10-22.
- Get another piece of ridge vent and a joiner piece (that binds the two pieces together and provides a water tight seal between them). The piece we have is a foot short. So we’ll just add on to it. DONE on 2009-10-25.
- Then, immediately install the new roof vent  DONE on 2009-10-25.
- Check roof for leaks in the next drenching rain. No leaks. It’s bone dry inside the shed. DONE on the morning of 2009-10-24.
- Perform final trimming of shingles hanging over drip edges. DONE on 2009-10-25.
- Seal edges and any exposed nails with roof cement.
- Perform final cleanup. IN PROGRESS.
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Project Costs
- $23.32: Felt
- $245.82: Shingles
- $35.28: Ridge vent
- $5.65: Ridge vent ends and joiners
- $6.32: Roofing cement
- $10.60: Nails, 1.25 inch roofing, 5 pounds
- $0.82: Nail apron
- $31.77: Electric Stapler
- $6.30: Staples
- $4.20: Utility knife blades
- $8.99: Chalk line
- Cleanup
 Total costs: $379.07
Tom
September 25th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
On the shed roofing project: I drove a couple different sized nails into the existing roof to get an idea of how long the nails for the new roof should be. They must be long enough to pass through the shingles and penetrate the decking deeply enough to provide ample holding power for the shingles. However, ideally, they should not go all the way through the decking. If they do, their sharp points will protrude into the interior of the shed, where people could easily hit their heads against them, as the ceilings inside are rather low. It looks like 1-inch roofing nails will be the correct length, even though these do poke through the decking just a little. The next available lower size will be too short to adequately fasten the shingles. I think though that since we’ll be putting thicker shingles on than what’s there now, that the nails will not poke through at all. I hope. If so, I’ll deal with it.
Tom
September 26th, 2009 at 10:22 am
No work outside because it’s raining, and it looks like it will be drizzling for the rest of today. Hopefully tomorrow will be dry so we can get these supplies purchased and brought home, and then at least, strip off the old shingles. We’ll need some tarps to cover the shed with, just in case the skies open between the times when the old roof has been removed, and the new roofing has been applied.
Tom
September 27th, 2009 at 10:30 am
Ordered seven bundles of the 30-year shingles. This is one more bundle than my calculations dictated. However, Richard felt that we should have more extra than I actually figured, because of the way the roof is shaped and the way shingles must be cut to form the peaks. They’ll be here on or around October 19th. Also purchased an electric stapler and staples for tacking the roofing felt. Held off on buying the nails though, as brother-in-law Richard thinks he has an extra box or two of them at home. He also has the chalk line and chalk, as well as any tarps we might need. Total project cost incurred today: $311.41.
Tom
September 29th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Brother-in-law Richard brought over a big tarp this afternoon for me to pile the old shingles on. Now, all is in place to begin this project. On the next dry day, I’ll strip off the old roofing and lay the new felt down. Then, I’ll tarp the peak until the new shingles arrive, when we’ll apply them and reinstall the roof vent on the peak.
Tom
September 30th, 2009 at 8:13 am
Shingles on both sides of the roof removed, along with the roof vent. The vent has deterioriated to the point that it cannot be salvaged. So I’ll replace it.
The plywood decking lookd a bit damp throughout. But hopefully, it will dry in the sun today before I apply the new felt.
Tom
September 30th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Installed the roof felt on all sides. Since this is 30# felt, it should provide ample shelter for the shed’s interior until the new shingles arrive in a couple weeks. I worried as I was stapling it down that the one roll we bought would not cover the entire roof area. But I ended up with several feet of felt leftover, so apparently my square footage calculations were reasonably accurate. Phew!
Tom
October 1st, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Richard stopped by today to inspect my work. He said it was pretty good, although he did recommend that I put more staples near all transitions from one sheet of felt to another. This will keep the wind-driven, horizontal style rain out better. So I’ll do that additional stapling sometime over the next few days.
Tom
October 2nd, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Checked the interim shed roof for leaks, as we’re getting a lot of rain this evening. None so far. The roofing felt paper appears to be holding, and should do so until the new shingles arrive in a couple weeks. Keeping my fingers crossed. Not that I’m superstitions, mind you. But if there’s any chance whatsoever that such a ritual will help keep the roof leak-free, then hey, I’m all for doing it.
Also, before applying the new shingles, I need to go over all the new staples holding the felt down with a hammer to make sure they’re fully seated in the decking. Some of them are currently sticking out a little too far, which could make these spots potential leak sources in the new roof.
Tom
October 4th, 2009 at 7:39 am
Finished reading the relevant sections of the roofing book.
Added more staples to better secure the roofing felt.
Updated the above document to reflect current project status. Also added a few new steps I just thought of.
October 5th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Just received a call from Lowe’s. The shingles have arrived. I’ll mention this to Richard tonight and see if we can go up and get them.
Current plan is to pick up the shingles this wednesday afternoon, October 7th, 2009.
October 8th, 2009 at 8:51 am
I learned from sites on the Internet that two square of shingles will require roughly five pounds of roofing nails to fasten.
We’re picking up the new shingles and remaining supplies today.
October 8th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Picked up the new shingles a little while ago, and we read through their installation instructions. Not too difficult. Also, we bought some roofing nails, a chalk box, and some roofing cement.
October 11th, 2009 at 9:13 am
Pounded in all nails and staples that were not flush with the roofing paper surface.
Installed starter row of shingles (for ice guard) on both sides.
Installed first row of face-up shingles on both sides. However, I got a blister on the palm side of my right index finger. Ouch! Hopefully, I can hammer differently, so as not to aggravate this rather painful injury.
The second row will be 5.25” above the first row (course). All subsequent courses with the possible exception of those that go over the roof bends, will have the 5.25” spacing (exposure).
Second through fifth courses done, which takes us about half way up side one (the south side) of the roof. About a quarter of the way done.
October 12th, 2009 at 5:42 am
Doing the second through fifth courses on the north side of the roof this morning, so long as the rain holds off. DONE.
The sixth course and a new first course are complete on the north side of the roof. These took longer than expected because there’s an abrupt bend in the roof, and bending the shingles to fit it proved a bit difficult. But things should go faster tomorrow for this side.
October 13th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
All shingles on the north side of the roof have been installed. Next, I’ll install them on the south side.
October 15th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
No progress today, although the roof doesn’t seem to be leaking even though a quarter of it has not yet been shingled. From the sounds of the weather forecast, I may not be able to work on it until mid week next week, when temperatures are predicted to rise once more into the low 60s. That’s okay though because in the meantime, I’ll keep busy with the wheelchair ramp project.
October 18th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
The skies cleared this afternoon, revealing a brilliantly white and warm sun. This made working with the shingles less troublesome, and I completed one course over the most difficult bend in the roof. However, once shadows fell, the shingles became hard to bend without cracking. So I’ll complete the bend tomorrow.
October 19th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Laid approximately seven rows of shingles this afternoon. With the sun shining so brightly, the shingles softened a lot and could thus be bent easily to accommodate that difficult edge on the roof. Only around three more courses to lay. Getting close to completing this project!
October 20th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Added two more courses of shingles. All that’s left to do is the following:
* One more course on the south side.
* Two more courses on the north side.
* Then, I’ll install the roof vent.
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Finished all courses except those involving either the ridge or roof vent. These rows require trimming each and every shingle to the right width so that the nails that fasten them can be hidden beneath the vent.
October 21st, 2009 at 1:59 pm
All courses of shingles that surround the ridge vent hole have been installed on both sides of the ridge.
Applied the cap shingle to The front part of the ridge which is not covered by the ridge vent.
It turns out that the new ridge vent we purchased is at least a foot too small. It’s an 8-footer, but we need a ten-footer. I’ll work on getting that next.
October 22nd, 2009 at 10:26 am
01:26 PM: All shingles have been installed on the entire roof, including the exposed ridge cap shingles. Now, I’m in the process of getting another couple feet of ridge vent and once that’s installed, this job will be done; except for final cleanup that is.
05:00 PM: Brother-in-law Richard stopped by to inspect the job. He had a few suggestions to make it a little better. But over all, for my first roof, he said I did a good job. The shingles look uniform and straight. So apparently I learned to use the chalk line very well.
06:50 PM: Began final cleanup; piling the old shingles and garbage on the concrete slab on the south side of the shed. Doing this to clear the tarp that all this junk rest on at the moment, so we can get the tarp off the grass, which is already showing signs of dying from lack of sun.
08:30 PM: Added the costs of all materials and supplies so far for this project, to this post.
October 23rd, 2009 at 8:41 am
09:00 AM: Piled up all old shingles and other debris on the concrete slab on the south side of the shed, and moved the tarp off the grass. The grass underneath doesn’t look too bad but will need a couple weeks in the strong sun next spring to return to optimum health.
October 24th, 2009 at 5:14 am
08:00 AM: In a pelting rain which has been going on for a couple hours at least, I closely inspected the entire underside of the new shed roof with a flashlight. No leaks. Good news!
October 25th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
10:00 AM: Cut the new piece of ridge vent with a hack saw to the correct length of 21.5 inches, and installed it, using the ridge vent sealer to assure that no leaks happen at the place where the two pieces meet.
06:30 PM: Completed final trimming of the pieces of shingles hanging out beyond the drip edge.
November 1st, 2009 at 1:23 pm
03:30 PM: Picked up all tools and put them away, along with the half-bundle of extra new shingles, which I stowed underneath the east porch. There’s just a bit of sealing to do on the roof edges, and then this project will be finished.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:42 am
Figured out the total cost of this project, which is $379.07. Note that this includes no labor costs; I volunteered to do it for Mom. My labor is my share of contributions to this effort. She’s paying for the materials and supplies.
May 5th, 2010 at 1:05 pm
[...] PM: Visited with Mom and her male friend on the east porch. He complimented me on  the shed roof I replaced last fall. Then, we all enjoyed this wonderful weather today; warm, gentle breezes and the smells of [...]