DIYbanter - View Single Post - Chalk line

George E. Cawthon

wrote:
"Joe" wrote in message
oups.com...
Colbyt wrote:

You really don't need a chalk line if you follow the lines of the old
shingles.
True, but even pros will run a chalk line now and then on some jobs,
like around dormers. Besides, for the beginner, a chalk line helps to
buld enough confidence to discard it after a few squares are down. And
don't forget the roof jacks and planks and other safety related items.
Good luck.

1. Based on the price she paid for the supplies (unless she got a hell of a
deal on some closeouts or something), this is a small shed. Probably not big
enough to need roof jacks and such.

2. Once you tear off the old shingles, and put down new felt, there aren't
any old shingle lines to follow. Roofing is enough of a PITA that you want
to do it as little as possible. And that means a tearoff, no matter what
code says. If you lay the felt carefully, you can use the lines on that. For
a newbie, snapping a line every 3rd course or so isn't a bad idea, and only
takes a few minutes. Nothing screams 'amatuer' more loudly than courses that
wander up and down.

aem sends...

I agree with the last statement. Everything
depends on getting the starter course straight,
and the usually means just following the edge of
roof. After that you just need to be careful. In
most cases just carefully butting each shingle to
the next will result in a straight line. But to
insure parallel courses you can use a stick cut to
the length of the shingle exposure and use that to
measure the exposure at each end of the shingle
before nailing.