How do you shingle a roof, and what is a shingle roof?
Short answer. A shingle roof is made of overlapping rows of individual shingles, usually asphalt in Georgia, laid over underlayment on a wood deck. Shingling one means tearing off the old roof, repairing the deck, installing drip edge, leak barrier and underlayment, then laying a starter strip and courses of shingles from the eave up, flashing every wall and penetration, and finishing with ridge vent and caps.
The full sequence
- Protect the property: tarps over landscaping, magnets ready for nails, a dumpster in place.
- Tear off to bare decking, including old underlayment and flashing that will not be reused.
- Deck repair: replace soft, rotted or delaminated sheets and renail loose ones.
- Eave drip edge, then leak barrier in valleys and around penetrations.
- Field underlayment, lapped from the eave up, then rake drip edge.
- Starter strip along the eaves and rakes.
- Field shingles in offset courses, nailed in the marked strip.
- Flashing as you go: step flashing at sidewalls, new pipe boots, chimney and skylight flashing.
- Ventilation: ridge vent or other exhaust vents.
- Hip and ridge caps, then cleanup and a magnet sweep of the yard.
Why most homeowners hire it out
- Most Georgia jurisdictions require a permit for reroofing, and some require inspections.
- Steep roofs need fall protection, and many Georgia roofs are steeper than they look from the yard.
- Shingle warranties require installation to the manufacturer's instructions.
- A crew can dry in and finish an average roof in a day; a do-it-yourselfer may leave the deck exposed through several afternoon storms.
Shingle roof versus other roofs
Shingles need a slope of at least 2 in 12. Flatter areas like porch roofs get membrane roofing instead, and other houses use metal, tile or slate. In Georgia, asphalt shingles cover most homes because they balance cost, looks and storm performance.
See what to expect on replacement day, roof anatomy explained and roofing permits in Georgia. Robust Roofing handles full roof replacements across North Georgia.