# Roofing a Cross Hipped Roof



## j_fricke (Apr 12, 2008)

I need to put a new roof on our house which is a L shaped 3 step ranch with a cross hipped roof (8 hips, 4 valleys). I will be doing a tear-off. We will be doing the work ourselves. I will be using Owens Corning Oak Ridge 30 Pro architectural shingles.
I have seen many examples of how to apply shingles, even on the shingle package itself. Unfortunetly these examples refer to gable roofs. I can't find any info on shingling a hip roof.

My question is: I'm not to sure on how and where to start shingling a cross hipped roof.
OC suggests a 6 1/2 inch offset
Do I start at the bottom left corner of the hip with a full shingle and lay the first course all the way to the opposite hip?
Being that the hip runs up the roof on a angle (45 degrees I presume) to a ridge, what would the length of the first shingle on the second course be and so on? This is what I do not understand.
I was told by someone I know that because I am using architectural shingles that whatever gets cut off at the opposite hip is the piece I use to start the next course. Does that sound right?

I have to do this job myself. I drive a readymix truck and have been out of work since Thanksgiving.
Thanks for any help


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## johnk (May 1, 2007)

You roof it the exact same way,keeping your step pattern.Just keep the bottom of each shingle 1"-1/2" from the hip and trim the top corner off.Hope that makes sense-John


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## Ed the Roofer (Jan 27, 2007)

Snap your chalk lines vertically from the apex of the top of the hip/ridge intersection. Snap the next chalk line at the increment suggested by the manufacurer for their designated offset, which you stated to be 6 1/2 inches.

If any of the hips intersect together at the same apex and that exact triangle is to be shingled, then snap your two lines from the highest point and the other one at the 6 1/ inch mark.

Hip roofs are more time consuming to do than gables and definitely have more of a waste factor.

Make sure the lines are perpindicular, from the eave edge upwards. You do not want a slanted starting point to work out of.

Now, with those two chalk lines snapped, it is the same as starting from a gable roof side, with the exception that the portion towards the remainder of the hip going down towards the gutter/eave edge will need to be installed opposite the normal direction and be filled in.

If you were more experienced, you could start much further down the hip, rather than at the apex, but this will guaranty you of the most accurate straight lines to start from.

Ed


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## j_fricke (Apr 12, 2008)

Thanks John,
So if Owens Corning recommends a 6 1/2" offset, then I would offset the first shingle on the 2nd course 6 1/2". That shingle would actually overhang the hip. Then the first shingle on the 3rd course would be offset 6 1/2" from the first shingle on the 2nd course. So then the first shingle on the 3rd course is actually 13" shorter than the first shingle on the 1st course. Right?

If that's correct then it looks like, at least on paper, that I can run this pattern 3 courses then on course 4 I would start the pattern over starting with a full shingle. Does this sound right?

Thanks again for your help
Jim


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## j_fricke (Apr 12, 2008)

Thanks Ed, 
I will have to read that over a couple more times but I think I understand what your saying.


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## j_fricke (Apr 12, 2008)

Ed, is this sort of what you mean
http://www.certainteed.com/NR/rdonl...A2E22CADA1C/0/SAMv7_ch9_SpecialShapeRoofs.pdf

Jim


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## johnk (May 1, 2007)

Ed's right it may be easier for you to do it his way.I always start at the hip,but I take for granted I guess keeping them straight.


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## Ed the Roofer (Jan 27, 2007)

Go all the way straight up as in 9-5, only for the first starting pattern, which some roofers call "Running The Book", which is just how you start out a gabled edge also. 

But, now that the Book is run up, you need to lay down the shingles to come up with the stair step pattern, which reduces the racked shingle installation method visual woes and also speeds up the nailing process. Fill in the triangle, as in 9-4.

I was just searching for that, so you beat me to the punch. Good Googling. Since you are using OC shingles though, you should check out there website for their suggested stepping off method, which might vary from Certainteeds Master Shingle Applicator method described.

Ed


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## j_fricke (Apr 12, 2008)

Thanks Ed,
I'm starting to understand this a little more now. OC mentions a 6 1/2 inch offset for Oak Ridge Pro 30 shingles. Is that what you mean by stepping off?
So I should follow what section 9-5 shows http://www.certainteed.com/NR/rdonly...ShapeRoofs.pdf using a 6 1/2 inch offset, then follow section 9-4. Then continue filling to the right.

I take it that this is how I would start every section of my roof. My roof is just like this one http://www.bobvila.com/HowTo_Library/Roof_Terms_and_Terminology-Miscellaneous-A1936.html the cross hipped one.

Jim


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## the roofing god (Aug 2, 2007)

So if Owens Corning recommends a 6 1/2" offset, then I would offset the first shingle on the 2nd course 6 1/2". That shingle would actually overhang the hip. Then the first shingle on the 3rd course would be offset 6 1/2" from the first shingle on the 2nd course. So then the first shingle on the 3rd course is actually 13" shorter than the first shingle on the 1st course. Right?

If that's correct then it looks like, at least on paper, that I can run this pattern 3 courses then on course 4 I would start the pattern over starting with a full shingle. Does this sound right?


you were good with this,I would make your lines every 22"after the starter and make sure every line starts with the full course,shingle areas without shingles installed underneath;leave out the nails until after you set the respective shingles underneath
\any cuts from the left side,use to fill in the right side when you get to the hip/ridge


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## KEITHnhia (Jun 22, 2009)

*Just finished all the flats on my hip from center*

I kept trying to find a good strategy for starting by trimming from one side but elected to snap a vertical centerline of the hip section Im doing and go row by row using full shingles starting with the center, off-setting each new row by the divit mark in the shingle and checking/adjusting by the rain gutter alignment. Why do all that trimming? The reason you do it is to uniformly distribute the butt junctions of the shingles. Why cut and trim before you have to at the joints? When you get there snap a hip chalk line over the last shingle overhanging the joint and trim with a hook blade. The only problem I had and this is my first roofing job was getting my rain gutters perfectly aligned. I learned though and will now snap several vertical chalk lines to make rain gutter checking less reliant on eyeballing.


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