Shingle a Shed or Doghouse: DIY Roof Installation

Roof installation for sheds, dog houses, and other outdoor structures can be shingled within a few hours without calling a local roofing company – if you know what you’re doing. It might seem a little complicated at first, but this is a home roofing DIY that’s worth taking on.

Here are 12 steps to shingling a roof on a shed or doghouse.

Stage 1: Assess the Roof and its Condition

Know what you’re getting into before you begin. Here are a few things to think about before installing a new roof.

Does the shed roof have one sloping side or does it have multiple planes that come into a peak? Roof peaks need to be covered with ridge cap shingles, so put those on your shopping list.

Are you reshingling the shed? If so, the old shingles will need to be removed first. This takes an extra step and more equipment.

Is the roof damaged? The roof’s sheathing needs to be in good condition before you shingle it. Plan to replace any areas with holes, cracks, or other signs of damage. Damage could have been caused by a storm , debris, animals or just age. Most roofs need to be replaced every 15- 20 years.

Stage 2: Take Measurements of the Roof

Measure the length and width of the shed’s roof before purchasing supplies. And measure everything twice!

Then calculate the square footage of the shed’s roofing plane or planes. If it’s a mono-pitched or single-slope roof, you will only have one plane.

You can now estimate how much roofing material you’ll need.

Shingles and other roofing materials are sold by square feet. For example, a square of shingles covers 100 square feet. Once you know your total square footage, you will know how much material to purchase.

This roofing calculator can help you figure it out.

Stage 3: Gather Roofing Supplies

Tools and Equipment for Roof Replacement

Safety Glasses
Work Gloves
Hammer
Staple Gun
Chalk Line
Tin Snips
Ladders
Utility knife and blades
Speed Square
Tape measure
Roofing nailer
Planks for a scaffold
Pencil
Tarp for lawn
Lawnmower to cut grass
Magnetic nail sweeper

Roofing Materials

Plywood or sheathing for damaged areas
Drip edge
Roofing shingles
Staples
Nails 1 ¼” galvanized steel roofing nails
Starter strip shingles
30-pound roofing felt or underlayment
Roofing cement or nail sealer

Optional Equipment and Materials for Roof Installation

Pitchfork, roofing rake, or roofing spade (to remove old shingles)
Circular saw (to remove damaged roof sheathing)
Ridge cap shingles (for apex shed)
Ridge cap nails: 1″ – 1 ¼” round plastic cap roofing nail
Heavy-duty exterior thermoplastic sealant (for a lean-to shed)

Stage 4: Prepare for the Roofing Project

Mow the lawn around the shed. Clip the grass short and rake the trimmings away. This is optional but will make it easier to see any fallen nails.
Lay a tarp around the shed. This can make it easier to clean up.
Place a ladder beside the shed. Or create a scaffold by placing two ladders by the shed and laying a sturdy plank of wood across them.
Place your equipment and supplies on the tarp.
Put on your safety glasses and work gloves.

Step 5: Remove any old roofing shingles and check for damage

Remove old shingles with a pitchfork, roofing rake, or roofing spade.
Slide the tool under a row of shingles, then pry them away from the sheathing.
Once all the shingles are removed, look over the surface and pull out any remaining nails or staples.
Examine the roof for damage. If you see any, proceed to step 7.

Stage 6: Replace Sheathing Damage

Use a circular saw to cut damaged areas out.
Cut enough damage out to reach the middle of a rafter.
Cover the holes with a new piece of plywood sheathing.
Nail the sheathing to the shed’s exposed rafters.

*Make sure to wear safety glasses when using a circular saw!

Stage 7: Install Drip Edge on your Roof

Measure a piece of metal drip edge to be the same length as the roof’s bottom edge.
Use tin snips to cut that section off.
Place the drip edge against the roof’s bottom edge.
Nail it into place, spacing the nails approximately 12” apart.
Do the same thing along the sides of the roof.
If you are shingling a mono-pitched roof, apply drip edge along the top edge.

Stage 8: Staple the felt roof underlayment to the plywood sheathing

Roll the felt underlayment across the sheathing’s surface.
Staple the roof underlayment in place with a nail gun.

Stage 9: Mark Chalk Lines Up and Down the Roof Underlayment

First mark horizontal lines across the roof:

Use a tape measure and chalk or pencil to mark out lines where the roofing shingles should go.
On one side of the underlayment, mark out 12 inches up from the bottom edge and mark out up the rest of the shed in 5-inch increments.
Make the same marks on the other side of the underlayment and then connect lines between the marks.

Now mark vertical lines down the roof:

Mark the center of the roof at the top and bottom edge, then draw a line between the marks.
Measure and mark vertical lines at 6-inch increments towards both sides.

Stage 10: Shingle the Roof

Shingle the roof with a cutting and nailing technique, going from the bottom to the top.

Shingle the roof by placing the roofing shingles along the marks, cutting them to size, then nailing them in place.
Position the first roof shingle face-down against the underlayment, alongside the lowest horizontal line and overhanging an edge by around ½”.
Using the closest vertical chalk line as a guide, trim down the roof shingle with a utility knife.
Nail the roofing shingle in place.

Stage 10a: Add starter roofing shingles along the bottom edge of the roof’s surface

You have the option of using a prepared starter roof shingle or modifying regular roofing shingles for a starter row.

Use 3-inch nails.

To modify three-tab roofing shingles:

Create starter shingles by cutting the tabs off a shingle.
Position the roofing shingles with the glue strip over the bottom of the roof, ¼ inch over the drip edge, and ½ inch from the side of the roof.
The tab side should be angled up towards the top of the roof.
Remove any adhesive backing, press the roofing shingles down, and then nail them in place.
Cut the tabs off another roof shingle and repeat across the entire edge.

To use starter shingles:

Cut a 4” piece of starter roof shingle.
Position it flush along the edge, overhanging the drip edge by ¼ inch and overhanging the side by ½ inch.
Remove any adhesive backing, press down, then nail it into place.
Nail it in 4 places – 1 inch above the sealant strip, 1 inch from the edge, and in the middle.
Continue this process along the bottom edge or edges.

Stage 10b: Shingle the Roof

Apply a row of roofing shingles above the starter row.
Position a section of roofing shingles on top of the starter row, with the roofing shingles overlapping the starter row and the tabs above it. Leave 5 inches exposed.
Then remove any adhesive, place the shingle down, and nail it into place.
Continue along the row without overlapping the shingles or extending over the sides.
Add another row of roofing shingles above it. Position these shingles to stagger where the seams are. You don’t want to have two rows of shingles with seams in the same place.
Shingle up the roof in the same way.
Shingle the roof up to the end. If you’re shingling a shed roof, go right to the end. Otherwise, leave space for ridge cap shingles.
Trim overhanging shingles.

Stage 11A: Finish the Top Edge of a Mono-Pitched or Single Slope Roof Shed

Strip Row Method:

Lay down the last full row of shingles that can fit on the roof without any adhesive seal overhanging the edge.
If necessary, trim the shingles to be flush with the top edge of the roof.
Prepare the final finishing row by cutting roofing shingles into strips that are wide enough to cover the nails in the row below it, when positioned perpendicular to them.
Lay down the first shingle strip with the adhesive strip pointing up to the top edge. It should be flush with one side, overhang the edge by about 1 ½”, and cover any exposed nails on the row below it.
Lay down the second shingle strip to overlap the first strip and continue to the end in the same way.
Lay down the final strip with two nails in the adhesive and two at either corner.
Cover each nail head with bitumen-based roofing cement.
Trim the top and side of the final strip to be flush with the other shingles.
Apply roofing cement to the exposed shingles along the top edge.

Strip Cap Method:

Cut roofing shingles into strips for the last row. Use the slots on a three-tab shingle as a reference.
Lay the shingles down by bending the tabs over the ridge and nailing them in place to form a cap.
Seal the nails on the last shingle strip.

Stage 11B: Finish Roofing a Lean-To Shed

Lay down the roofing shingles right to the top edge.
If you need to, trim the last row to get it to sit flush.
Lay down a final course of shingles over the row along the top edge.
Overlap and stagger the final row to cover any exposed nails.
Cover the remaining exposed nail heads with roofing cement.
Seal the gap between the top edge of the shingles and the adjacent building with thermoplastic sealant.

Stage 11C: Finish Roofing an Apex Roof Shed

To finish a shed roof with an apex or peak, you can cut and bend standard roofing shingles (instructions above) or finish it with ridge cap roofing shingles.

Ridge Cap Shingle Method:

Lay down the regular shingles until the adhesive area starts to extend beyond the edge.
Trim off the overhanging shingles.
Position the first ridge cap shingle, with the asphalt section pointing out towards the edge and the adhesive section pointing towards the roof.
Nail through the adhesive section of the first ridge cap shingle to secure it.
Proceed in the same way until you reach the center, then start from the other end.
When you get to the center, fit the last shingle in by trimming some of the adhesive portion off, if necessary.
Take a final ridge cap shingle and place it in the center, over the exposed adhesive of the two middle shingles.
Secure the final shingle with four nails at each corner.
Seal the nails with roofing cement.

Stage 12: Clean Up After Roof Installation is Complete

Remove the supplies from the tarp and put them away.
Use a leaf blower to blow debris off the roof. Or, sweep the roof extremely gently.
Remove the tarp.
Do a visual check of the ground and clean up any debris, staples, or nails.
Use a magnetic nail sweeper to pick up any other nails.

And That’s It, you can do a small roof installation DIY

Following these steps will get you a properly shingled shed, doghouse, lean-to, or other structure without needing to google “roofing company near me”. The building will be more weatherproof, more durable, and better-looking with a newly installed roof . Remember to take your time, put safety first, and reach out to us for roofing assistance at any time.