Rudimentary Shed Roofing Question

CGofMP · 06-23-2005, 01:37 AM

Well.... I wanted to build a simple triangular shed, my design which would have been sturdy, built to last, and an ego trip for me

Of course my wife sees her garden as an ego trip for her... guess who won this one. :p

Long story short we now have a "cute" shed going up:

I have it all put together 'on the ground' as it were, next step is raising the walls, trusses, and then putting on the roof. So far except for the crappy wood that was included in the kit - no problems... I remediated that with 2x4 I had on hand.

Anyhow, there are no instructions for how to put the shingles on and I am curious as to how the transition is made with the composition stuff in the place on the roof where it changes slope on the side. Had it been a simple flat slope I'd not be asking, but having done exactly zero roofing and I wonder if I should just bend the sheets or if there is a better way that is not so obvious.

Thanks gentlemen!

Charles

AaronB · 06-26-2005, 06:31 AM

Make a piece od apron using aluminum sheet to match the color scheme. It adds a trimmed look, while not risking having the shingle crack over the transition. If you make it with a drip lip, the drip lip bend will strengthen the face of the flashing and keep it more straight and less oil canning will occur.

CGofMP · 07-11-2005, 09:42 PM

Welp.... I got the roof put on. FAR easier than I thought it would be.

I was concerned about bending the shingles and having them crack, having never roofed with anything much less asphalt 3 tabs before... Well a string of 100+ degree days +black paper +black shingles = serious heat absorbtion and this made things very easy to mold, the shingles just sagged into place, no cracking no bending no muss no fuss.

Anyhow now I have a new problem / challenge...

Here is my situation:

I recently put up a shed and have roofed it with moderatly inexpensive 3 tab shingles. I used heavy roofing paper below that. The instructions said to leave an overhang when doing the roofing and then cut it off to 1/2 inch when you are finished.

Well I finished, and it looks pretty good. I am sure you will laugh, but I used a combination square on each and every shingle tab and the course lines are NICE and straight....

Now the problem cometh... I need to cut through the asphalt shingles to make the requisite 1/2 inch overhang. When I was rough fiting them on the ground I used a straight edge and a razor knife and it worked out well, but since I will be cutting over my head and trying to maintain a 1/2 inch lip I can not use the straight edge and the razor knife has no backing to make a nice cut with.

So far I have tried using the razor knife, tin snips, and a sawzall on scrap.. nothing has given me the nice edge that I want.

I am usually cutting through 2 layers of shingles but there could be up to 4 in places. particularly at peak and three the base of the starter course.

I'd LOVE a hint as to how to cut this in a neat and semi-precise way.

jproffer · 07-11-2005, 09:56 PM

Buy a pack of hook blades, they don't need anything to back them up when cutting. Also, I would cut from the top if possible, then you can use your straight edge. BTW even professional nail guns have a gauge for 3-tabs. If nobody used it, they wouldn't keep putting it on there. I use it on at least half of what I put on, just to check.

Also BTW, the shingles that "sagged" over that transition with 3 days of 100 degree weather, will probably crack with 3 days of 0 degree weather. That's why it was recommended to use flashing. It's not the end of the world, just keep an eye on it in the winter. If it cracks, expect to be changing it after the next rain...or worse yet...the next time snow melts off the roof.

AaronB · 07-12-2005, 09:09 AM

Yes, I agree.

CGofMP · 07-12-2005, 11:58 AM

Sorry if I was not clear... I DID use the flashing / drip edging. I was trying to communicate that my concern about BENDING the shingles sort of melted away (excuse the pun :p ) because the material itself is obviously okay to bend to some degree (yea laugh I didnt know) and the heat made that very easy.

The edges along the rake (is that the right word?) did not bend down even though there is a 2_ inch overhang now. Thats what I want to take down to 1/2 inch.

I'll go ahead and try a hooked blade but cutting from the top wont be possible.

Was hoping there was a more elegant way to do this.

Thanks for the help gentlemen... I appreciate it.

CGofMP · 07-21-2005, 12:57 PM

Greetings!

I want to thank you for all of the help with the roofing project. The hooked knife worked great. I went out and got a hook blade linolium knife which in my pea brain I figured would be stouter and have less need of sharpening but I also got a replacement hook blade for the razor knife.

Long story short the linolium knife, though stouter and with more 'flat' to hold against the wood did not work well at all. The razor knife however worked quite well indeed. I waited for a very hot day and after 5 or so hours of black shingles absorbing the 103 degree heat, I went out and laid a 1/2 inch wide board against the side of the shed roof and simply drew the blade along the shingles. It was a little harder than cutting meat, but not by much.

Anyway, it looks pretty darned good even if it is me talking and the razor-hook-knife worked superbly in the hot shingles. Now all I have to put on the ridge shingles and build a cupola and then this roof is in the bag!

I almost wrote for advice on cleaning up the tar and roofing cement, but found that carburator cleaner did a marvelous job of taking the stuff off of my tools.

VetteMan · 08-10-2005, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jproffer

Buy a pack of hook blades, they don't need anything to back them up when cutting. Also, I would cut from the top if possible, then you can use your straight edge. BTW even professional nail guns have a gauge for 3-tabs. If nobody used it, they wouldn't keep putting it on there. I use it on at least half of what I put on, just to check.

Also BTW, the shingles that "sagged" over that transition with 3 days of 100 degree weather, will probably crack with 3 days of 0 degree weather. That's why it was recommended to use flashing. It's not the end of the world, just keep an eye on it in the winter. If it cracks, expect to be changing it after the next rain...or worse yet...the next time snow melts off the roof.

My shed is just like his and I did as he did with the shingles .... the heat formed them to the transition and they just stayed there .... been 6 Buffalo winters so far ...

ukdavid · 03-28-2006, 06:56 AM

I'm building a shed with a similar style roof - haven't got to the roof yet.
Where can these aprons be bought? What thickness and dimensions should they be (ie. length of shed + 2 overhangs ? x ?") Should it be dressed under the underlayment? I'll be using 1/2" ply sheathing. What would be the correct length of roofing nail to use.
This is my very first post on this great site. Thanks in advance.

MJW · 03-28-2006, 09:08 AM

Use 1&1/4 nails. Cut the shingles off at the rake before nailing them down. Don't hang them over and cut later. It's for amateurs.

ukdavid · 03-30-2006, 12:35 PM

Thanks for the reply. Where can I get the flashing and have it bent to shape - or do you just bend it yourself?

MJW · 03-31-2006, 10:24 AM

Go to the lumber yard and ask for gutter flashing. It will come in 10 ft. pieces and there are a few colors to choose from. This would probably work the best for you.