DYI Roofing

Replacing a rotted roof doesn't seem like a wise choice as a first DIY project. It can be done, no doubt, but . . . . .

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Whether you believe you can or you believe you cannot – you are usually right.

This does not include flying or moving mountains unassisted or attempting to prove the existence of an “afterlife”.

Good luck get plenty of roof jacks and safety equipment , line up a lot of help
trust me you'll need it .
I just had a gentleman sign a contract for a $15,000 tear off reshingle.
12/12 pitch wood shake tear off over 1&1/8 plywood decking replace with 40 year OC architectual shingles. Figure with weather and my crew of 4 it will take two weeks to be safe . Theres a lot of flashing work involved if its not done correctly the shingles are worthless and the roof will leak. Havent had one leak yet and wont start.
As a contractor I'll tell you this there are two things that have to be done properly and should never be skimped on #1 the foundation, #2 the roof .

Laugh all you want, until you figure out that that's the best and safest way. Now, stop calling me a moron and think about it. Run the first strip at the ridge, staple throughly, but not within six inches of the bottom. Now run the second strip. Line it up so that it laps OVER the upper sheet by two inches. Staple completely, but stay away from top six inches with staples. Before you continue, reach up, tuck the second sheet under the first and staple the overlap. This is a far safer better way to do it. You are working your way down the roof, not standing on fresh paper, ripping or wrinkling it, and it won't tear loose and give you a ride off the edge. It works great, try it. I supervise volunteers on roofing projects and this is the only way to go, they can't step on a piece of loose paper, since they don't need to walk on paper at all. Still laughing?

I dont recall calling anyone a moron . The this old house episode I was speaking of they lapped over and did not tuck under . It was comical They also lined up water lines and joints every other course. Which reduces the shingle life and provides a far greater chance of leaking than a properly installed roof. I'm sorry you took such offense though to be perfectly honest a two man crew can easily shingle a 24 square house in a day and never step foot on the felt . we all have our "tricks of the trade"

Though I will disagree that its any safer or better . Ive been contracting off and on for over 20 years ,never had an accident yet . everything from 1/12 to 21/12 and side walls , EPDM,asphalt,shakes,tile,slate,standing seam ect No leaks No complaints Residential or commercial.
Now frankly Id love to see how you manage to install the ice shield up the eaves and on the bottom edge using your method .As it is something that is now required by most shingle manufacturers to avoid voiding the warrantee .While Im sure its possible it cant be easy

I certainly don't want to argue the facts here but lets not get silly about this. #15 felt has turned into something a little bit tougher than toilet paper over the last few decades and no longer has much of anything resembling felt in it. It tears easily and I have seen it torn by walking on it many times. If it's a question of standing on a clean dry roof deck, or some thin roofing paper tacked to a slanted surface, the question of what is safer really isn't a question at all. The point here is you are ROTF over somebody putting roofing paper on "backwards", when in fact it is a SAFER AND BETTER way to do the work. I never said it was an appropriate way to install water shield, shingles or any other roofing product. My post has nothing to do with your ability as a roofer, I really didn't know or care that you claim to be one. I have actually had folks stop and tell me I was putting felt on "upside-down" since they didn't have a clue either. Do whatever floats your boat, but if you are trying to claim that you are safer standing on paper than on a clean roof deck, I call BS.

15lb felt , people still use that
Yeah I will definately agree its not much better than toilet paper .
Not trying to argue by any means . Im to the point where if they dont want 30# or Ice shield they can find someone else to do the job. we will normally felt two courses and shingle it up toe board and two more courses until we get to the top on steep roofs.