Here is my secret - everything I know about roofing comes from this article in volume 4 of the Popular Mechanics Illustrated Home Handyman Encyclopedia & Guide. Since I had to re-shingle part of the roof I wanted to take this opportunity to experiment with an old shingle design from this book. It is the second one down in the diagram on the right, the 2-tab hex shingle. I mulled it over in my mind a lot for the past week or so to come up with the best way of laying out and cutting the shingles.
Here are some tools I thought I might need today. I used the meter stick, iron square, chalk, triangle and linoleum cutter to lay out the pattern for my master shingle and used it as the template to cut the rest. I was having so much fun I forgot to take a picture of my setup for cutting the roll roofing into shingles. I got to work under the tree in the back yard a few feet away from the bird bath and feeders, and enjoyed the company of a pair of nuthatches for a few minutes as I worked. I will take a photo when the time comes to start cutting the second roll.
Here's the concept. I don't know if this will ultimately end up being much cheaper than using standard shingles, though roll roofing only costs about half as much as pre-cut. I have to cover 130 square feet and three packs of shingles will cover 100 square feet, ideally, at $25+ per pack. I figure I would have to buy at least five packs. I bought two rolls of roofing at $49 each and will see how it goes. Standard shingles have a line of tar applied to the back that seals the lower edge down to keep them from blowing off, and I will probably apply some roofing tar under the lower corners. I found a gallon can of roofing tar in the shed when we moved in and have been using it ever since. What I would really like to do is use two or three colors, but I am just going to see how this goes. Imagine it in white, brown and green. That would be amazing.
This is what I cut the shingles with, a nice looking old linoleum cutter I found in the street one day while biking. I cut from the back side and the angle of the blade is just right for that purpose. By the time I got done cutting one roll it was almost noon and almost 80 degrees with the sun just starting to hit the west side of the roof. I start to wilt when it gets over 70 and I am sure not going on the roof at this point. I'd really like a couple of overcast days on Monday and Tuesday to get this done so I could work longer.
Here's all the stuff for the job - uniform size shingles and odds and ends will all be used. I got a new piece of flashing for that vent pipe - the silver thing with the black rubber circle. To the left is the roofing felt which you put down first to help keep things watertight. I have been using the shorter one for years since I got it to re-roof after removing the other skylight. The longer roll is another thing that was lying in the street one day. I strapped it on the back of my bike and brought it home. Tomorrow I want to go out early and get some blackberries, then Zombie Croquet at the Mystery Hole in the afternoon. Have a nice weekend!
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