# How To Reroof Section at a Time



## BigDaddy13 (May 7, 2015)

Hi,

I am thinking of taking on the insane task of reroofing my house and was wondering the logicstics of roofing a section at a time. I have a lot of hips and valleys and about 40 squares, but it is a rancher. Is it possible to do a section at a time or if anyone has any tips in doing this? I am concerned on how to do one side of the valley one day and the rest the next day, the roof is fairly complex.

Or if we should use a synthetic underlayment and not worry about the weather? Does anyone have experience with this material. Is it as good as felt? 

Thanks,
Jim


----------



## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

I would use synthetic underlayment with a proper cap nail and just strip it totally. 

There are sections that you just need to tear off and staging it like that can be PITB in those parts.


----------



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Ever reroofed a whole house before?
How many people do you have avalible to do this job?
Going to be a royal pain to try and do this in sections.
Are you in good enough shape to carry 75 LB. up a ladder 120 times plus all the underlaymeant?


----------



## craig11152 (Jun 20, 2015)

Draw me a picture with valleys as double lines , eves and hips single lines (example included) No measurements needed. I will tell you how to stage and proceed. Lots of valleys and hips might be a good thing because you can divide the roof in to sections. 
A few caveates: 
*If your tearing 2 or 3 layers that is a bad thing for a DIYer.
* you really want a roof top delivery if possible. That likely means no Home Depot or Lowe's. It also hinges on driveway accessibility for the delivery truck. 
*IMO the more shingles on the roof at night, new or old, the better. So you don't want to tear off more than a section at a time. Then dry it in and shingle it. That can mean tear off, ice shield, felt, tarp on Monday, shingle on Tuesday.
* you want to buy a real tear tool made for shingles.
It is hard work, no question. If your not in good physical condition its not a good idea. Tell me you work out regularly.


----------



## BigDaddy13 (May 7, 2015)

Hi Craig,

Thank you very much for the advice. It is two layers up there, but I do workout , doesn't sound like enough. I can get a few guys to help on the weekends, would estimate around 5 including myself. I have family that has worked in construction and have done a few roofs before, though not roofers. I have done remodeling projects around the house nothing as much work as this besides maybe removing a subfloor with 16 penny nails. 

Below are a few pictures and a crude drawing, to give a better idea. 

Talk to you soon,
Jim


----------



## craig11152 (Jun 20, 2015)

what kind of wood deck do you know? Tearing off 2 llayers is a lot harder than 1 layer and if its a 1x deck rather than plywood or OSB its harder still. 
Does the driveway come up to the house? If so where on the drawing? Can a shingle delivery truck get in the driveway? That is a a big help to get a roof top delivery. But then you want to stack shingles on just a couple faces. There is an art to stacking shingles. They need to be spread around for weight purposes and generally kept close to ridges and hips which have more support. Once a face is done you can move shingles to that face to stack. Are you going to have a dumpster? The last face you do is the one where the driveway is so you don't trash new work. show me where the driveway is


----------



## craig11152 (Jun 20, 2015)

If you can get a roof top delivery you stack shingles on a few faces sort of like this picture I found on the net. Thats a tear tool in the pic too. Once those faces are shingled you can move the bundles to the finished faces. As I said you keep them near peaks and hips NOT valleys. That is where structural support is strongest.


----------



## craig11152 (Jun 20, 2015)

Is this a bit closer to your layout? and where does the driveway come in?


----------



## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

I've done this very thing on my own house......with a hip roof. Let me say that it was the most difficult DIY project I have ever done. I did it with ZERO help. 3 layers had to come off. Sheathing had to be replaced. I did it in the winter which was a bi**h. If some of your roof is a hip, well, that's what makes it tough because you really can't do just one side at a time. Well you can, but the hip part will be exposed and you will have to tarp it or cover it some way. Then you're constantly stepping on the new part to work on the next section.......anyway, it's a royal pain but doable.


----------



## craig11152 (Jun 20, 2015)

Gymschu said:


> I've done this very thing on my own house......with a hip roof. Let me say that it was the most difficult DIY project I have ever done. I did it with ZERO help. 3 layers had to come off. Sheathing had to be replaced. I did it in the winter which was a bi**h. If some of your roof is a hip, well, that's what makes it tough because you really can't do just one side at a time. Well you can, but the hip part will be exposed and you will have to tarp it or cover it some way. Then you're constantly stepping on the new part to work on the next section.......anyway, it's a royal pain but doable.


3 layers are very hard. More than 3 times as hard as 1. 
But as far as hips go they are easy. You absolutely do one side at a time. Just roll your felt and shingles over the hip a few inches and nail them down. No need for a tarp. Cut them back with a hook blade when your ready to do the other side. 
Its valleys that you have to do both sides. Valleys are the headache.


----------



## BigDaddy13 (May 7, 2015)

Wow, that is a very good drawing of my roof, off the pictures provided!! Thanks. I updated the drawing with where the driveway is located. Also, my roof decking is plywood. 

So, it is sounding like the only way to do the roof a section at a time is to break it down by hips and do the valleys both sides together? Will water get behind the exposed nails and shingles or do you tar them down, when it is exposed? 

Also, I called a few supply houses and they are $20 more a square than depot and lowes. Would it make more sense to buy a shingle hoist, ladder elavator for shingles, off craigslist for a few hundred and just resell it when done? Any one have experience with these...

Btw, 3 layers of shingles with one guy in the winter and replacing the sheathing makes my back hurt thinking about it


----------



## 1985gt (Jan 8, 2011)

joecaption said:


> Ever reroofed a whole house before?
> How many people do you have avalible to do this job?
> Going to be a royal pain to try and do this in sections.
> Are you in good enough shape to carry 75 LB. up a ladder 120 times plus all the underlaymeant?


Who still carries shingles up a ladder?


@op I don't see it being a problem doing it in sections. Tear off a section, dry it in. Tear off the next and so on. Use a good synthetic felt. 

Most importantly, do a lot of research of the details of your roof, how to properly flash a chimney (looks like someone coated the whole thing), Valley details, step flashings ect. Remember it won't be just removing shingles and slapping some new ones on, you will have siding to deal with and other issues that could either make this a fun project or a huge money pit.


----------



## craig11152 (Jun 20, 2015)

Here is my thoughts on a preliminary break down of sections.
some random comments:
1. When doing only part of a face cut straight down from ridge to eve using a hook blade for shingles to get a reasonable clean straight edge. This means cutting through both layers. This allows you to roll the felt paper from the clean deck on to the un-torn shingles for the night or several days.
----------
2. At the end of the day ideally everything that isn't shingled (new or old shingles) should have felt and a tarp on it. 
---------------------------------
3. weighing down tarps with bundles of shingles is the way to secure them.
------------------
4. When things are going well the transition between new work and old work is, at worst, a 6 foot wide stretch,eve to ridge, with felt and a tarp on it by sunset.
----------------
5. there is a technique to doing part of a roof that requires a "special circumstance" every 4-5 courses . I can explain that separately.
------------------------------
6. For your circumstance a preformed metal valley is probably the best bet or a closed cut but not a weave. 
----------------------
7. When tearing to a valley minimally you need to go 3-4 feet passed the valley on to the second face. Then you need to cut a line straight up to the ridge and tear that whole triangle in to the valley. That allows you to put ice shield in the valley and either your preformed metal valley or shingles if your doing a close cut. 
-------------
8. bad wood can mess with everything I am saying with respect to doing a partial face. If you have minimal bad wood its often in a valley or down stream from anything stick up, like a chimney, vent stack, electric conduit, etc. If you find bad wood flows from what you just tore under the stuff you weren't going to tear "today" you have to keep tearing till the wood is good. 
----------------------
9. Its pretty easy to feel bad plywood on one layer just walking around, not so easy with 2 layers.
------------------
10.You always want to start farthest from your drop point if its a dumpster in the driveway. That way you minimize traffic on your new work.


----------------------------


----------

