Hi,

It's time to reroof my little (12 x12) barn. It's got one of those 3 angled roofs -- shallow slope at the top, steep at the sides, and flared out right at the bottom. (Yes, I know that there's a name for that).

Anyway, when I originally built it, 20 years ago, I didn't put a tarpaper layer on first. Mainly because my wife and I tried to muscle the roll up, and we couldn't do it. Even though that never leaked, I thought that I'd do it right this time.

Cleverly, I have now figured out that I should cut the strips to length first.
However, I am now in my 60s, and I'm looking for tricks to make it easier. I'll be doing it myself.

Any tips greatly appreciated.

 

Hire some young wipper snapper and have him muscle them around.

 

Pre-cut your felt paper about 14 ft long.
Measure and mark from your drip edge at each end of the barn the width of the felt. I think it is 36" but I can't swear to that. Snap a chalk line by anchoring both ends of the line with a nail. So now you have a chalk line running the length of the roof representing the top edge of the felt....
Take one end of the felt paper and fasten it at one end of the building as near to the line as you can with a roofing nail. Put the nail about 1 inch down from the top of the paper.
Carefully pull the rest of the paper up at the other end and line it up with your chalk line as best you can at that end of the building. Return to the first end you nailed and carefully pull the nail or just carefully tear the paper away from the nail. It won't matte too much if you have a hole in the paper within an inch from the top as you will be covering that hole with the next course.
Adjust this end to the chalk line and secure it with another roofing nail and then slap staple the paper in various points to take out the sag, being sure to keep the top aligned with the chalk line.
The end result should be a piece of roofing felt that is pretty straight (at least straight enough).
Use a utility knife to trim the ends of the paper even with the gable end of the roof at the drip edge (or leave 3/4 inch hanging over as some folks like to do.

I get a little verbose, so let me summarize:
Snap a line representing the location of the top edge of the felt paper.
Attach one end of the extra long paper as close to the chalk line as you can. Secure with a roofing nail (a staple is likely to fall out).
Pull the other end even with the chalk line and fasten with a nail.
Return to the first end and adjust the height to the chalk line.

'Course, if you could bribe your wife to help you a little bit by holding one end of the chalk line and holding one end of the paper close to the line, it'll be easier to get it lined up the first time instead of having to detach and adjust it.

Your second course of paper is likely to start on the lower-pitched portion of the roof and will be easier to apply.

These are called "Gambrel" roofs, by the way.

Someone else may well have a better way, but this is the way I have done it. Unfortunately( or fortunately, depending on how one views the matter) my wife cannot be bribed or bought.

 

I think the style is called dutch.

> I am now in my 60s, and I'm looking for tricks to make it easier.

Place staging around the edge of the roof or attach a plate and fall arrest lanyard to the peak of the shed roof. Reason, being your age, if you fall or slip even 6-8 feet to the ground you will likely break something, get crippled, or even die from a blood clot or some complication.

The 20 foot fall I took when staging collapsed ten years and walked away after landing on a wood floor, I would not want to take today when I am 50.

 

Thanks guys

 

How buckled, warped, or cupped are your old shingles? Are we talking about asphalt shingles?

If it hasn't leaked in 20 years, why not just overlay the roof and get another 20 out of it? You can "nest" in new shingles and get it to lay pretty flat.

Another option would be to consider overlaying the existing roof with metal panels. You can probably find a place not too far away that will cut the panels to length for you, and fabricate any transition pieces or trim you need. Then you'll just need to handle the much lighter pieces, along with some butyl tape, screws with EPDM washers, and a cordless drill.

 

Thanks F350-6,

They're not warped as such, but several have come torn through their nails in the last couple of years, Possibly because of cats climbing on the roof, and possibly because of winds, tree branches, etc. This has happened more than once.

I have managed to repair them, but I thought that it might work better if I did it the right way.

 

I recently started using synthetic underlayment and man, what an improvement over the old felt paper. It does cost more and I don't think you can buy it at lowes/home depot. But still an option to consider.

May not be an option for you because you'll have to buy more than you'll need for your job since it comes in large rolls 8ft in length. It is light though, similar to Tyvec house wrap.

 

After doing our 15'x~35' porch roof I vote for a coil roofing nailer...although you probably don't need one for that small a job, it does make it go so much faster If you have a friend that has one, borrow it, a lot less swinging of the hammer...