Do-It-Yourself Roofing

For the handy homeowner, installing a new roof yourself can save a lot of money. There are a number of different roofing methods including roll roofing, asphalt shingles, clay shingles and other methods as well. The method chosen will depend largely on a budget determined, and the climate plays a factor as well. This article deals with roll roofing, which can last as long as 12 years and installs more quickly than shingles.

Roll roofing
Roofing felt
Metal flashing
Hammer
Roofing nails
Utility knife and blades
Ladder
Roofing cement
Pry bar

Instructions

- 1
  Remove the old layers of roofing using the pry bar. Install the new roofing over the old if desired, but the problem is the inability to inspect the wood to check for damage. Remove any nails that are sticking up from the roof.
- 2
  Lay a strip of roofing cement along the length of the roof eaves. Cut a strip of roofing 17 inches wide and as long as the roof. Nail the starter strip in place with the hammer and roofing nails. Install the flashing on the edges of the roof and secure it with roofing nails. Hammer nails in every 12 inches.
- 3
  Roll out the roofing felt, starting from one side, and go across the entire roof. Nail the felt into place every 12 inches with roofing nails and the hammer. Cover the entire roof with the roofing felt. When starting a new row, overlap the row below it by six inches.
- 4
  Install the roll roofing on top of the felt in the same manner as the felt. There will be two courses of nails on each row. The first course will be at 4 ½ inches from the top of the course, and the second will be 13 inches from the top of the course. Place a strip of roofing cement at the edge of each row before laying the next row. This will help to seal the seams.
- 5
  When finishing the entire roof, place a strip of roofing cement over all of the seams and cover each nail head with the cement to ensure it seals.

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