Considering all the materials and techniques available to those who want to build a roof, it may be difficult to learn how to roof from a short article. Keep reading for a succinct step by step guide on how to shingle and build a roof, including how to build a green roof.

How to Shingle and Build a Roof

Before shingling, set up conventional roof trusses to support the roof. A board, often plywood, sits on the trusses and is the platform to which shingles are nailed.

The basics of how to shingle a roof won’t vary with the type of material you use. When learning how to shingle, gather the following tools:

• Carpenter’s knife
• Chalk line
• Hammer
• Ladders
• Nail gun or compressor (preferred)
• Roof jack.

Before you begin the roofing process, estimate how much material you’ll need. Roofs in the United States are measured in squares, each square equaling one hundred square feet. It takes 80 shingle bundles to cover one square. To determine amount of shingle you’ll need to build a roof, measure the roof’s length, multiply by the width then divide by a hundred. This will give you the number of squares you’ll need for your roofing project.

Multiply this number by three, and add ten to fifteen percent, using the higher percentage if there are more valleys or hips. That will be the number of squares of shingles required. This same equation applies to felt under the shingles.

Measuring the outside perimeter gives a figure for drip edge. In the roofing process, an ice and water shield should also be set above the eaves, particularly in colder climates. This should be twice the length of the roof. When you learn how to shingle, you’ll see that you’ll need four to six nails for each shingle. Measure around chimneys, dormers, and other protrusions to calculate how much step flashing you need. This should give a rough idea of material cost when learning how to roof.

The first row of shingles should start under the drip edge at the walls. If using asphalt shingles, cut off about three inches of this first row, with half an inch hanging over the eaves. Install rows of shingles up to the ridge, marking each row with a chalk line to keep it straight. Apply roofing cement over nails to seal the roof.

Building a Green Roof

A green roof, also known as a rooftop garden, offers aesthetically pleasing greenery often where there is none, especially in inner cities. A green roof can be built on a flat roof, and so will have a waterproof membrane. A drainage system is necessary to keep water from sitting on this membrane. A typical drainage layer looks like an egg carton and directs water towards the drains. Some plants’ roots can break through the membrane, so you should install a root barrier on a green roof.

You’ll need soil for any green roof–for an extensive green roof, you’ll need two to five inches. A wind erosion layer goes over the soil on the green roof to prevent it from blowing away. Use non-invasive plants native to the area, and plants that can also resist drought and wind.