How to Replace a Roof If it Rains

Tarping the Roof

• 1

  Place a tarp over the damaged area of the roof. Stretch the tarp over the ridge of the roof and down the other side.

• 2

  Roll up the end of the tarp near the damaged section of roof around a long 2-by-4 piece of wood. Nail the 2-by-4 to the tarp then nail a second 2-by-4 to the top of the first 2-by-4. Nail the 2-by-4 and tarp sandwich to the roof with 16d nails.

• 3

  Take the opposite end of the tarp and roll it around another 2-by-4 piece of wood then nail it to the eaves of the house. You may need to cut the ends of the tarp so the edges will be pulled somewhat tight.

• 4

  Place 2-by-4s over the sides of the tarp and nail them to the roof with 7d nails.

Replacing the Roof

• 5

  Wait for at least three days of clear weather before replacing your roof. If you've never worked on a roof before, you may want even more time, or you should consider hiring a professional roofer since you're working on a tight schedule. Enlist capable friends to help you during the roofing process.

• 6

  Place a dumpster below the roof where you're working to catch the shingles as you pitch them off the roof. Place tarps in the area around the dumpster to protect your lawn.

• 7

  Pry up the tarp from the roof with a pry bar. Sweep off any debris, such as leaves and sticks. Pry off the old shingles with a shovel and throw them into the dumpster as you work. Remove the felting paper and pry off the flashing.

• 8

  Inspect the decking. Look for areas that are warped, soft, sagging or rotten. Pry off these damaged panels. Ordinarily, you might try to cut out damaged areas rather than replacing entire panels. This would save you money. However, it is probably faster to replace entire panels since cutting out portions of rotted paneling requires you to install additional rafter braces, and you have a limited window of time to work in.

• 9

  Purchase as many pieces of plywood paneling as you need to replace the sections you removed. Plywood paneling comes in 4-by-8 sheets. Purchase roofing-grade paneling of the same thickness as the original paneling. You will also need to calculate the area of your roof to determine the quantity of shingles and felt paper you'll need. For a standard gable roof, multiply the height of one slope by its width to find the total area of one side then multiply this number by two to find the total area. You'll need to convert the area of the roof into a metric called "squares." In roofing terms, one square equals 100 square feet so divide the area of the roof by 100. You will need to purchase enough felt paper and shingles to cover the entire calculated area, plus 15 percent extra for loss. Shingles are sold in bundles, and on average three bundles will equal one square.

• 10

  Nail the new paneling into place on the roof. Nail the panels into the rafters with 10d nails spaced every 6 inches on exterior sides and every 12 inches throughout the interior of the panel.

• 11

  Nail the drip edge to the roof at the bottom edge of each slope. Space the nails 10 inches apart. Overlap the drip edges by 1 inch where two pieces meet.

• 12

  Install roofing felt paper by rolling it out from one end of the roof to the other. Cut the felt paper with a utility knife once you reach the end of the roof. You will need several courses of felt paper to cover the entire roof; overlap each course, according to your local building codes.

• 13

  Nail down the drip edge over the felt paper on the gabled sides of the roof with 4d nails. The gabled sides are the sides that don't end in a slope and form a 90-degree angle with the wall beneath it. Space nails every 10 inches and overlap two pieces of drip edge an inch.

• 14

  Install roofing shingles. Begin with a starter strip at the bottom of the slope; this should overlap the edge of the house by 1/2-inch. Use 4d nails to nail the starter strip in place. There should be a nail at each corner and two nails spaced evenly through the middle of the strip. Place the next course of shingles directly over the starter strip then nail each subsequent course so that it overlaps with the course beneath it.

• 15

  Shingle both sides of the roof before nailing the ridge caps to the top of the roof with 4d nails. The ridge caps should overlap each other by 2 or 3 inches as you proceed down the ridge.