roofing a house

[pinball]

can someone tell me how much a bundle of roofing shingles cost these days and how many square feet to a bundle. thinking about roofing my house. thanks

 

[300jk]

I would imagine the cost can vary by location, grade of shingles, 3 tab or architectural ect. 3 bundles makes a square. 100 sq. feet. Do your research. Prices an vary a lot between distributors. I did my house and garage in 2010. About 2300 sq ft. total. If I remember right it was between 3500-4000 for materials. I used a quality shingle because we get strong winds here.

 

[MarkB_MI]

Just call up your local building supply and ask for a price. You can get an idea by strolling through the aisle at Home Depot or Lowes.

A few tips:

1. Price them DELIVERED TO YOUR ROOF.

2. Architectural shingles last longer, are easier to install and look better than three-tab shingles. There was a time when there was a big cost differential, but these days it's not enough to justify three-tabs.

3. Put "ice dam" underlayment under the first 3 to 6 feet of shingles, unless you're in a region where ice damming can't occur.

4. Replace all the drip edge. It will look better.

5. If you don't own a roofing nailer, rent, borrow or buy one.

6. Don't let anyone convince you it's OK to put a second layer of shingles over the existing shingles. It isn't.

 

[544hydro]

MarkB has a lot of good tips. Cut them from the back it s easier on the blades.

 

[Zachary Hoyt]

I just got through shingling the second half of the roof of the barn we live in here, it's one of those round-roofed barns with the laminated rafters. I used about 63-1/2 bundles for the second half, which is just over 21 squares. Cost was $28 and some cents a bundle. Having used both I will never go back to 3 tab, architectural shingles are much nicer and easier to work with. Dump fees to dispose of the old shingles and roll roofing came to about $6-700. I nailed all the nails by hand, about 35-40 pounds. 1 tap to start each nail, 2-4 hits to drive it tight. If your roof is flat enough that you can walk on it you'll have a lot easier time, roof jacks are great but slow.
Zach

 

[westga]

Be aware $28.00 a bundle but if you buy 36 bundles or more you can get them for $24 a bundle. Check around.

 

[Stephen Newell]

Prices vary a lot on the brand and type of shingles. You should be able to find a price at your local lumber company. As far as coverage 3 bundles is called a square which covers 100 square feet.

 

[Stephen Newell]

One thing I forgot. If you have compressed air buy yourself a roofing nailer. It's worth the expense if you just roof one house and throw the gun away. Makes the job a lot easier.

 

[Mule Meat]

Only thing I will add. Check your local building codes.

You will need to know your local wind Classification Requirement. (A, D, H etc) that meets max average wind speeds for your area. Then look at shingles that meet code.

Also nailing. Some areas call for just 4 nails per shingle ( per most manufac.) and then you can find areas where the codes require 5.

 

[MarkB_MI]

> Cut them from the back it s easier on the blades.

I always carry two utility knives when roofing: One with a standard blade and the other with a hook blade. Use the hook blade when you need to cut from the top side of the shingle. I prefer to do most of my cutting from the back side; it looks better.

 

[Ultradog MN]

I've done two roofs in the last 3 years.
An 18x20 addition on the house and a 30x33 garage.
Roofing is hard work and you'll have muscles sore that you didn't know you had. It will get you in shape though and you'll save thousands of $.
I took my time at it. Worked about 4 or 5 hours per day. After a few days I could go longer.
I agree with Mark B to get a roofing nailer.
It will more than double your speed.
I disagree about a second roof over the first one though.
Here they require building permits for Everything and are very restructive and nit picky about codes. A second roof over the first one is still ok and is so much easier as you can do it a little at a time.

 

[Jim Phelps]

Pricing for shingles varies by quality and style, around my area they range from about $20 per bundle for cheap stuff up to 75 per bundle for the really good stuff with the 3 d type tab. and 3 bundles makes a square which is 100 square ft.

 

[710ltd2002]

Use a circular saw to cut several at once for your ridge cap. You?ll be awfully tired of that utility knife by the time you reach the peak.

 

[MarkB_MI]

> Use a circular saw to cut several at once for your ridge cap.

Or buy ridge shingles, which are three-tab shingles that have been pre-scored.

Another time-saver is to use starter strip instead of cutting the tabs off the first row of shingles. (Don't cheat by starting with upside-down three-tabs; it looks terrible.)

 

[Mike M]

Go with a metal roof. Shingles these days don't seem to hold up.

 

[Leroy]

Some types require 5 bundlers per square. This is usually a better grade.

 

[Jimmydog]

Don't let anyone convince you it's okay to put a new layer of shingles over existing ones.

??? I can't remember a tear off yet where there wasn't multiple layers. Maybe I'm just lucky. When I did my mom and dad's place it had 7 layers the bottom most was cedar shake! That was about twenty-five years ago dad went cheap with twenty year shingles and the last time I looked it's getting about needing to be done again. Did a barn roof about five years back same thing only five layers though. When I do mom's place again I'll still do a tear off even though it's just one layer. You know you're getting on in age when you have to reroof a building you roofed before.

JD

 

[WGM]

Quality shingles hold up great and all metal roofs leak.

 

[Bob - MI]

Had my house re-roofed a couple of years ago. Full tear off, replaced some sheathing, ice and water shield 6 feet up, 2200 square feet (2 story and attached garage) with Owens Corning lifetime guarantee shingles, and replaced all vent stacks $8,000. They arrived at 6:30 am and were done by 1:00. Full cleanup and hauled away.

Reputable local contractor that gave us a lifetime guarantee on materials and labor.

If you want to get shingle pricing check out Menard's.

 

[WGM]

Quality shingles hold up great and all metal roofs leak.

 

[GEO-TH, In]

I saw a union roofer who can't count, 3
nails,

 

[David G]

I am almost 60, my days of roofing are done.

 

[Dalet]

My house and all my sheds have metal roofs. You may have issues with yours, I am leak free.

 

[MarkB_MI]

> When I did my mom and dad's place it had 7 layers the bottom most was cedar shake!

Yikes! Were the rafters starting to sag? At 240 pounds per square, six layers of asphalt shingles would weigh about 1400 lbs, or 14 pounds per square foot.

Most of the roofs I've done have required tearing off two layers. Give a choice between having a job done right or done cheap, folks will go with cheap 9 times out of 10.

 

[Stephen Newell]

I doubt if pinball will be looking for any specialty shingles. The shingles at the box stores will be three bundles per square.

 

[Jimmydog]

MarkB_MI, I know right? My dad was a mechanical/structural engineer. He built a lot of large buildings all across the United States, after seeing all the debris he told me getting that static load off the structure probably did more good than fixing the leaky roof. About as close to giving me a compliment as he ever came.

JD

 

[Jimmydog]

David G, is that a law or just some kind of rule; you can't do roofing after you hit sixty? Sounds like I need to come up with a good excuse that'll last me a couple years....I'm thinking maybe something like gingivitis? Sorry mom, can't do it this month gingivitis kicking up.

JD