Tearing off an old roof is hard work; it is hard on your back, muscles and joints. Heavy roofing materials need to be lifted to the roof either manually or by machine. It is hard work shoveling and scraping the old shingles and nails off the roof. Steep pitched roofs can be especially dangerous, being careful not to lose your footing and falling with loose debris.

Start at the top of your roof and remove the shingles in sections standing above or behind the debris to avoid standing on it. Scrape off all the roofing with shovels, pitchforks or crowbars. Keep your shovel or pitchfork up against the decking to peel off large chunks of shingles instead of one at a time.

Remove Flashings

Remove flashings around vents, valleys, dormers, chimneys and skylight’s. Some flashing may be reusable but most will need to be replaced. Remove shingles across the ridge and pry out any nails and seep away any debris left on your roof.

Removing an old roof makes a lot of debris and waste material. You can shovel the old shingles and nails onto the ground to be picked up later, or use a rental waste container or debris box that can be placed under an eave to allow the waste to slide right into the dumpster or large truck.

You can even make a plywood shaft to corral the debris into the dumpster.
Your local roofer will tear off your old roof and remove the waste if you don’t feel confident or have the time to do the job yourself.

When doing minor repairs or inspecting your roof for damage, being safe is a priority for you and your local roofer. Slips and falls from rooftops account for hundreds of injuries and many deaths each year.

Personal gear should include boots with good traction, gloves and safety glasses. Some roofing companies provide safety harnesses also for their roofers.

A high quality aluminum or fiberglass extension ladder should be sturdy enough not to bend or shake when you are standing on it. When you raise the ladder to the roof, adjust it so it extends the edge of the roof by approximately 3 feet. When the ladder is positioned where you want it, use stakes and blocking at the base to keep it level and stationary. You can also stabilize a ladder by tying a rope around the ladder and through screw eyes attached to the fascia.

You can rent scaffolding at some home improvement stores

If you are going to be on your roof for an extended period, you may want to work on scaffolding to avoid the up and down and moving of a ladder. The scaffolding should be set on solid ground and leveled with blocks.

If you or your roofer will be working on a very steep roof, roof jacks will give you a small sturdy ledge to stand on. Nail 2 jacks securely into the rafter and then put a board across the 2 jacks. You can place these in several spots on the roof. Be careful when removing them that you don’t do any damage to the roof.

Commonly ceilings that are also roofs are exposed beams, cathedral ceilings and tongue and groove sheathing that is visible from inside the house. These types of roofs do not have attic areas and commonly lose heat through exposed beams and attractive roof boards.

If you like your decorative ceiling you will need to install the insulation on top of the roof. Have your local roofer tear off the existing roofing material and install a vapor barrier and rigid insulation panels over the roof and sheathing. Nail ½ inch plywood over the insulation and re-roof.

Cathedral ceilings have straight edges that go up to the rafters. The sides slope equally and usually meet in the middle of the room. The ceiling has the same pitch as the outside roof. The roof rafters are usually tongue and groove boards and can be seen from inside the building. Or the inside is finished with sheetrock or plaster and painted. The best way to insulate cathedral ceilings is to create an air tight roof system.

Ventilation and moisture control issues for cathedral ceilings

The traditional moisture control method is installing insulation on the bottom of the cavity and the top area is left for ventilation. A newer method is while building and insulting the cathedral ceiling, insure that very little moisture enters the cavity to begin with, by building the interior tight through caulking and sealing.

If you have only one layer of asphalt shingles on your roof you may be able to re-roof over your existing one. Be aware that some shingles installed over an old roof won’t last as long. If there are no leaks and your old roof is in good condition with just one layer of shingles it can be cost effective to put a new layer of shingles over the existing ones and avoid a tear off.

While it is similar to a regular roof job, the starter shingles are different in that they will need to have the top edge trimmed off of the roofing material. Nail the starter shingles along the entire bottom edge of the roof. The starter shingles will be covered with full size shingles and butt successive courses against the bottom of the following courses. The rest of the shingles can be applied in the regular installation process.

Change out old flashing and ridge caps

Apply new flashing where missing or damaged. Old hip and ridge caps will need to be removed and repaired with new shingles. Make sure the nails are long enough to go both layers of shingles and into the roof deck by ¾ inch.

It is always better to tear off old shingles and install a new roof that way you can see any damage to the sheathing underneath. Most building codes allow 2 layers of shingles, any more than that and it becomes a weight issue. You can ask your local roofer what the codes in your area allow.

Valleys are where 2 angles of a roof meet creating a V-shape. When you discover a leak coming from your valley there are a few ways you can make the roof repairs.

Closed valleys are where the shingles butt together on top of the metal flashing. To repair leaks in this type of valley start at the bottom and slip a piece of flashing in the shape of a diamond under the butted up shingles. Overlap the pieces of flashing at least 2 inches. Nail each shingle and cover the head with roofing cement.

Metal flashing allow water to flow down the valley

Open valleys have the flashing exposed and the shingles end at the flashing edges. To seal make sure there is no debris in the valley. Check that the roofing material is cut in a straight smooth line on each side. The distance between the shingles should widen from the ridge to the eave at 1/8 inch per foot of valley. Lift each shingle and use roofing cement to coat the area that lies on the valley. Use a cartridge gun to run a bead of roofing cement down the valley next to the shingles.

If you need to patch a valley flashing cut a piece of sheet metal the same gauge as the original flashing. Cut a patch larger than the damaged area and wide enough to slide under the shingles. Apply a bead of roofing cement around the outer edge of the patch slide the patch under the shingles on one side and then the other. Put more roofing cement on the top and bottom of the patch where it lays over the original valley piece. Smooth the cement so water can flow uninterrupted down the valley.

You can also check online for video tutorials on how to repair your flashing. As always be careful if you go up on your roof to do any repairs yourself. If you are in doubt, hire your local roofer to make the repairs for you.