How to Install Shingles On a High Pitched Roof

Homeowners with a high pitched roof have the advantage of installing beautiful roof shingles. For anyone who has seen the different types of shingles in fancy neighborhoods, you know just how beautiful a high pitched roof can be. If you own a home with a high pitched roof and you want your home to look like a model home from a magazine, you're in luck. Your roof will soon be the talk of the town.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Ladder
• Ice and Water Shield
• Felt
• Drip Edge
• Shingles
• Nails
• Nail Gun
• Saw

1. Practice safety first when installing shingles on your high pitched roof. Make sure your ladder is tied down and secure. Be very careful when walking on the roof. Either you could fall or slip. Some have even put a foot right through the roof. Simply look where you are standing. Test the limits of a part of your roof before taking a stand on it.

2. Install the first layer of starter shingles on your high pitched roof after you've put down your ice and water shield, 30 lb felt and your drip edge. Install a 3 tab starter shingle after removing the tabs by hanging it a half inch over the drip edge.

3. Cut off the bottoms of the starter shingles. When the first real layer is hung, the ends should not line up. Space these shingles 1/16 inch, and nail them with six galvanized roofing nails.

4. Nail each real shingle on your high pitched roof, tabs down. It should hang over the drip edge 1/2 inch. Lay each shingle next to each other, and leave only a small gap. Start at one end, and work towards the other. This will prevent any possible overlap.

5. Stagger the tabs on each shingle as you install them up your high pitched roof. This will ensure the cutouts line up perfectly when done.

Tips & Warnings

• Shingles on high pitched roofs require 6 nails per shingle as opposed to 4 nails on lower pitched roofs.
• When installing shingles on a high pitched roof, use extreme caution and safety measures.