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Do-It-Yourself Roof Re-Shingling: Weather Considerations and Moving Bundles

© Eriki Filipe

Re-shingling a roof is probably one of the most physically demanding jobs for any homeowner who wants to take on a do-it-yourself project.  Aside of the height factor, the task requires a lot of forward and back bending of the body, twisting, lifting, knee bending, and neck and shoulder rotating.

Weather Considerations Before Re-Shingling

Have a plan to include provisions should rain hamper the project.  Even though the shingling may start out on a bright morning, too much sun or rain could affect the job.

Plan to shingle a roof when the temperature is 15-20C—too hot and the shingles in the bundles will adhere to each other; if this happens, use a garden hose to water down and separate the shingles.

Walking on the new shingles on a very hot day will leave imprints on the pliable shingles. If there is no alternative but to shingle on a hot day, choose to shingle in the early morning, and then sprinkle water from the hose periodically on the new shingles, or wait till the late afternoon to finish the shingling.

On an overcast day, have a large tarp or polyplastic handy should rain fall unexpectedly.  Stop shingling when rain continues to fall and cause a slippery surface to roof.  In cold weather, the shingles become stiff and brittle and not recommend for installation.

Moving Shingles to the Roof

Carrying a 70-pound bundle of shingles while climbing up the extension ladder is not recommended for the novice roofer. Instead, use stage scaffolding as a platform to transfer the bundles up, but do not overload the scaffold planks with too many bundles.  Place a maximum of 4 bundles on the platform, which should have at least 4 planks wide of government-approved quality or similar.

A farm tractor or loader (lifting device) can also be used to lift bundles onto roof.  Exercise caution and direct the operator to avoid damage to property.

Stage scaffold may be rented for a small fee from most industrial rental tool outfits. The scaffold will be 5' wide by 5' high. Even if a scaffold isn't used for carting shingles to the roof, it is still the safest route to access the roof top.