Roofing a shed alone

[joe_pinehill1]

I'm in the middle of a shed build. I welcome any tips on getting the sheathing up and on the roof. For a 10 x 20 shed, would cutting the sheets in half really matter? I'm thinking it make it easier to lift. Are there tools like clamps for sheets to make them easier to handle? I’m using 7/16 OSB

 

[The Cobbler]

get a second pair of hands and whip them up full sheets . stagger the 4' joints . lay the bottom sheets first , lining them up to the bottom edge with ann inch or so of overhang. use those sheets to to rest the upper sheets with while you position & nail them & also gives you place to kneel and walk . cut everything to size when its nailed down

 

[JeepYJ]

fasten some scraps on the rafter tails to act as stops. Lift your panel up over them and slide it up on the roof and let it slide back down to rest on the stops.

 

[jhelrey]

Two people. Ladders. Toss sheet on roof. Shoot two nails in. One on each side. Straighten up the truss, sink a nail or two. Rinse and repeat for remaining trusses. Next sheet, rinse and repeat.

I actually did my 10x12 shed by myself.

 

[cgrutt]

I generally work alone sheathing a roof solo is a major PITA and potentially dangerous. Second set of hands is best. Scaffolding and/or ladder jacks set up at a comfortable working height helps. Avoid working in wind. As stated work from bottom up. Add Roof brackets if needed for upper courses. Stagger seams and make sure you leave whatever space is recommended between sheets. Could also add a z-flashing between courses while you're at it. Stay safe and good luck!

 

[LopezBart]

When my dad was building his house in the early 80s, during my summer break I was throwing the sheets of plywood up on the roof for him... when I got back to grad school none of my shirts or jackets fit anymore . We fastened some stops to the eaves, and used those little aluminum clips w/ trusses on 24" centers.

 

[steve308]

Get help! I'm sitting here with a heating pad on my back and a tens unit shocking my left calf as I recover from my 'shed' roofing project. Two compressed disc and the resulting pinched nerves from lifting the 3/4 inch plywood into position. ***** to get old.

 

[DGersic]

I mostly work solo. I did my shed roof the hard way, lifting 4x8 sheets on a ladder, shoving them on to the roof truss, holding them in place, and nailing them down. It sucked. If you can, get help.

If not, having a stop at the bottom edge of the roof would help. Otherwise, the board tries really hard to push you off of your ladder.

 

[Dakotadadv8]

Completed similar projects 2 people for sheathing. The rest of the roof can be done with 1, cutting the shingles were PIA.

 

[JeepYJ]

3/4 inch plywood

On a shed roof?!

 

[Just_Steve]

Go to Home Depot and get a "Day Laborer" for the day.

 

[The Cobbler]

Go to Home Depot and get a "Day Laborer" for the day.

that falls off the ladder, sues you and then the rest is history

 

[MushCreek]

I did my entire house (76 sheets) by myself, but I was a 'young' 60 at the time. I used 5/8 OSB, which weighs 66 lbs. a sheet. I tried using a clamp and my electric winch, but it was too slow, so I ended up just pushing them up the ladder, one at a time. Like others have said, I put stops at the edge to catch the first sheet, and keep subsequent sheets from sliding over and falling. I could do about 15 sheets a day, but if I had had a young, strong helper, it would have gone much faster.

 

[gtae07]

I forget how we got the lowest row up (I had help for that part), but after that I just leaned some 2x6s against the edge, tied a rope to a C-clamp, and hauled the sheets up that way. Though, I was able to stand on the attic deck too...

I like the idea of stops for setting that first row.

 

[gizardlizard]

On a shed roof?!

Thought the exact same thing. 3/4” is just crazy and completely unnecessary.

 

[mike93lx]

that falls off the ladder, sues you and then the rest is history

First job for them is to dig a hole...

I agree on getting help

If the sheets are a problem, the shingles are going to be as much of an issue

 

[joe_pinehill1]

On a shed this size is it that bad to cut the sheets in half? Only 4 sheets could be full size , 2 on each side with the size of the roof. 4x4 would be a lot easier

 

[mike93lx]

On a shed this size is it that bad to cut the sheets in half? Only 4 sheets will be full size , 2 on each side

It will be fine. Just extra nailing.

 

[tyyost]

It would be better in the long run to use the longest length you can handle. The c clamp and rope and pull using a ladder as a ramp method is a good one for working solo. How tall is the shed? Could you back a truck right up to it and pull right out of the truck bed?

 

[Stuart in MN]

Are there tools like clamps for sheets to make them easier to handle? I’m using 7/16 OSB

You can use regular old C clamps fastened to the edge of the sheet to make them easier to grab.

 

[Skiff Builder]

On a shed this size is it that bad to cut the sheets in half? Only 4 sheets could be full size , 2 on each side with the size of the roof. 4x4 would be a lot easier

I would have no problem ripping sheets into 2x8' for your shed (looks very strongly built). I always install the fascia board before roof sheathing- leave it sitting a bit above the top of the tail of the rafter- voila- there is your "stop" to hold the sheathing until tacked on.


On shingling a small roof I always "rack" the shingles up in vertical rows. You could do it right from a ladder. Keeps you from scrambling back and forth on roof so much. Just need to mix the racks with material pulled from different bags, lift the tab to install the hidden nail.

 

[purplezr2]

On a shed this size is it that bad to cut the sheets in half? Only 4 sheets could be full size , 2 on each side with the size of the roof. 4x4 would be a lot easie

how tall is the shed?

what if you sisters some 2x12 to the rafters all the way to the ground, then just slide the wood up the rafter. I would rather have full panels from a strength standpoint.

 

[Youngandfree]

My dad fell off a 6ft step ladder washing his camper. He landed on the ladder and snapped his tib/fib clean in two and broke a wrist. He had been on ladders all his life. He threw a blood clot a week later after they did surgery to remove the external fixator and died from the blood clot.

Try not to be stupid on a ladder and too haughty to ask for some help.

 

[mike93lx]

My dad fell off a 6ft step ladder washing his camper. He landed on the ladder and snapped his tib/fib clean in two and broke a wrist. He had been on ladders all his life. He threw a blood clot a week later after they did surgery to remove the external fixator and died from the blood clot.

Try not to be stupid on a ladder and too haughty to ask for some help.

I fell off bakers scaffolding while shingling the roof of a new shed last year. Got banged up but nothing broken.

Hiring out that shingling was the best money I have ever spent. I'm done on roofs that aren't nearly flat.

 

[kaymccampbell]

I don't mind roofing small sheds, it's straddling the peak to do the cap that I can't do any more. Get a hand lifting the plywood and shingles up. They're unwieldy at best. I wouldn't cut the plywood in half. It's most, if not all, of that roof's wracking strength.

 

[ArcReactorKC]

My son and I both have built multiple shed kits solo. The roof is always the hard part.

I have always put temporary blocking up on the eve to catch the bottom sheet when I chucked it up on the roof. It does two things 1. makes it easier to not have a sheet take the ladder out from underneath you 2. makes your eave edges even.

Cutting them to 4x4 is totally fine, depending on how you've set everything up if your using your decking edges to rack the building/roof square you will have less leverage to do so.

 

[CraigStu]

Do you have an extension ladder? If so, figure what length will let you set it on the top edge of the wall between the trusses so it's angle matches the trusses. You might want to clamp or rope it in place. This will allow you to slide the sheets up the ladder and onto the roof. Yes, I'd cut the sheets. Use those little metal clips between the edges or use some strips cut from the left over sheets to join the edges.

 

[steve308]

On a shed roof?!

I tend to over do things.

 

[JeepYJ]

I tend to over do things.

What size rafters or trusses are you using?

 

[DGersic]

First job for them is to dig a hole...

I agree on getting help

If the sheets are a problem, the shingles are going to be as much of an issue

How do you figure shingles to be an issue? They’re a lot smaller and lighter than a 4x8.

 

[mike93lx]

How do you figure shingles to be an issue? They’re a lot smaller and lighter than a 4x8.

You are either carrying whole bundles up, which are heavy, or are going up and down a ladder a ton, which is dangerous in and of itself

 

[Sumboodie]

I did a 16x20 by myself. Wasn't bad, just slow going.

 

[DGersic]

You are either carrying whole bundles up, which are heavy, or are going up and down a ladder a ton, which is dangerous in and of itself

Heavy, but less awkward. I’ve carried both. I don’t remember how I did the shingles on my shed, probably split the bundle on the ground and did at least the first few rows from the step ladder. Might have done the whole roof that way, except for the peak. I did a pretty steep pitch, not one that can be easily walked on.

 

[billconner]

I did 30 squares - 2 storey, 3 layer tear off (cedar and 2 asphalt), added 1/2" ply on skip sheathing, and the GAF timberline 40. I think I carried the ply up the ladder. I did have pump jacks and planks. I built a Rube Goldberg lift - 2x4, ply, a carriage on castors that rode on the ply between the 2x4, and old washer motor, and a boat winch with a v-belt pulley in place if hand crank. I was in my 49s and did one side (hip roof) in a week, then paused for a month or two.

Crazy. Don't know what possessed me to take it on. Followed by removing aluminum siding and restoring original pine clapboards.

 

[MongoTA]

I'm in the middle of a shed build. I welcome any tips on getting the sheathing up and on the roof. For a 10 x 20 shed, would cutting the sheets in half really matter? I'm thinking it make it easier to lift. Are there tools like clamps for sheets to make them easier to handle? I’m using 7/16 OSB

Because of the nature of your question, I'd recommend coming up with a scaffold solution that would allow you to both sheath the roof and shingle it, doing one side at a time. Example, scaffold on the front, then sheath and shingle the front. Then move the scaffold to the back.

If you didn't have the finished siding on, I'd recommend a few wall brackets.

If you have an extension ladder you could break it into two ladders and use ladder jack scaffold brackets.

To get your ply on the roof, do it in two lifts. Build a couple of lean-to brackets to lean against the side of the shed, space them maybe 3' apart and fasten them together with another couple pieces of scrap wood, or that piece of scrap ply you have on the ground. From the ground slide the ply up the bracket until the sheet sits on the support.

With all that said, if you want the sheathing to overhang the ends of the rafter by say 1/2", use a small piece of 1/2" scrap ply as a spacer and another longer piece as a stop and screw them to the tails of a few of the rafters. Get one piece of ply on the roof and slide it down against the stop. Nail it off and move on to the next one.

Another set of hands is your friend and any wind is your enemy. Take your time and call a time out as needed. Good luck!

 

[rayra]

Fully endorsing Cobbler's answer.

But if stuck working alone, attach some temporary stops to your rafter tails and just work your first sheets onto the roof and down against your stops. A short stepladder would be sufficient for getting the first course into place and nailed / screwed to the rafters along its bottom reaches. After that a taller ladder would work. And as that first sheet is attached, you could use those temp purlins as a foot brace on the first course of decking as you work the 2nd course into place.

That looks like a 12:12 roof, if I'm doing the math right your rafters are just over 7' long. I'm presuming you intended to have your decking hang off with a 12" run? Or if not - and either way - you'll want to end up with a finished sheet edge at the peak, so you dn't have to wind up screwing with cutting it up there.
So my best suggestion is set a new temp purlin up there such that its upper edge is 4' from the peak. Or working inside on a ladder, drive a series of screws into the top of the rafters at the 4' mark and those will act as stops for your sheeting.
Then place your pre-trimmed lower course of decking up against those stops. Then remove any purlins and the screws and work the full width sheets up into place, to rest on the 1st course

 

[MushCreek]

Here's my Plan A; using a winch. Effective, but very slow. I finally just dispensed with the winch, and pushed them up the same set-up. Note the temporary stops to prevent the sheet from pushing the ladder away.

 

[rd65]

If you have a pickup, back it up to the shed, lean the sheets up against the trusses and you're half way there.

 

[Great white]

this would be pretty cheap to build and nice, simple and effective:

 

[Boogerman]

How old/infirm are you guys? I'm old and retired, and would just wait till a non-windy day, tack a 2x6 on the rafter tails as a stop, and walk up a step ladder and throw the panel onto the roof. 7/16" OSB weighs less than 50 pounds, easy to handle if no wind.

This is a shed, looks to be less than 10 feet off the ground to the tails. An 8 foot step ladder, walk up half way, and set the panel on the roof. Or lean a conventional ladder onto the 2x6 stop, push the sheet up ahead of you, and it'll flop onto the roof when it goes over the top of the ladder (like Mushcreek showed). Not a difficult, nor dangerous job. I recently roofed my house like that; and it's 8:12 and about 12 feet to the lower roof. I used a safety harness and rope once I was actually working on the roof; both OSB and synthetic underlayment can get slick, particularly if they get a bit of sawdust on them from trimming the sheathing in place.

As others said, the shingles will be as hard or harder to place up, you have to climb further up the ladder.

If you're infirm or weak, then get someone else to help, or to just do it for you. 8 or 10 sheets total it looks like, roughly a 15 minute job to get them onto the roof and can be distributed from the initial location after that.