Customer Reviews

Smart Guide: Roofing: Step-by-Step Projects

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Lots of practical 'job' descriptions: replacing shingles, repairing leaks, finding leaks, etc. Many useful cartoons describing the process. Good advice on assessing the condition of the roof to determine how much needs to be replaced. Nice suggestions for preparing flashing to chimneys.

Not much commentary of types of weather. I'm in the Southwest. We have 100 degree plus for several months each summer and freezes in the winter. I've got heat damaged composition shingles, but there wasn't any commentary on finding materials or roof design to overcome this problem.

Additionally, I'm interested in metal roofs. They are popular in my areas. There was only a short section on alternative roofs: rolled, slate, tile, metal (about 2 pages on each type roof). Basically advises against doing any of these yourself. The pages mainly serve to dissuade one from trying it.

Not much on project planing. For example, a 'do-it-yourself'er will want to break the project into multiple weekend operations. There is no advice on this subject. The biggest problem is the lack of commentary on weather, ie advice on which type of roof is best.

Following is a chapter summary
Chapter 1: Materials

Chapter 2: Basic repairs (tracking roof leaks, making temporary roof repairs, making permanent shingle repairs, repairing wood shingles and shakes, repairing and replacing flashing repairing facia and eaves damage

Chapter 3 Flashing: tear off or reroof, applying underlayment, applying flashing, valley flashing

Chapter 4 asphalt shingles: selecting composition shingles, estimating materials on gable roofs, installing the starter course, applying the starter courses, nailing shingles properly, basic shingling shingling a stair step pattern, roofing the valleys, air vents and plumbing stacks, shingling ridges

chapter 5 wood singles (who uses wood?)

chapter 6 build up roofing : coping with flat roofs , installing rolling roofing, double coverage rolling roofing

chapter 7, other roofing, slate roofing, tile roofing, metal roofing, panel roofing

chapter 8 ventilation

Here are some comments that caught my attention:
Getting shingles up on the roof is easy to ignore until you start lifting stuff by hand. The shingles packages weigh 75 pounds each and represent a read moving problem. Alternatives include:
1. Have the shingle provider put them on the roof
2. get a ladder conveyer.

low slopes:
2-4 per 12 slope: use square tab singles with double underlayment and roofing cement. less than 2 per 12 cannot be use covered with composition 'tab' shingles

If you just want to save a grand or two by patching your own roof, this is simple. The Guide is small and easy on the eyes. Step by step projects without the hype. I'm very happy I found this at Amazon!