Articles

How to Estimate Materials for Roofing Projects

Author and custom builder Mike Guertin explains how to calculate the quantity of shingles you’ll need for your next roofing job.

Direct Water into Gutters

How to get rainwater to run into gutters instead of down and behind your siding.

Getting the Details Right for an Unvented Roof

How do you know when insulating your attic with spray foam is a good idea?

Installing Step Flashing

The first rule of roof flashing is water runs downhill; the second rule is that the first rule isn’t without expections.

A New Roof Over the Old One

Cap a swaybacked roof with a layer of new rafters and a blanket of energy-saving foam.

5 Roofs That Will Last a Lifetime

These premium products offer time-tested longevity, so your choice depends on price, appearance, and installation requirements.

Hip Roof Framing Made Easier

North Carolina builder John Carroll dissects the process of building a hip roof and discusses his technique for rethinking this complicated piece of construction.  

Retrofitting a Curbed Skylight

Get the flashing right to ensure leak-free skylights.

Roof Sheathing:
Silver Side Down

Radiant barrier sheathing can save energy, but only if it has an airspace.

Framing a Roof Valley

Do the math on a calculator so that you can concentrate on what’s important: getting the rafters right.

Trimming the Roofline

Clean lines and durable details depend on careful framing and a systematic installation sequence.

Low-Risk Reroof

Protect the outside and the inside of the house, and tear off only what you can reroof in a day.

Venting a Tricky Old Roof

Retrofitting under shingle intake and ridge vents helped to cool and dry this 120-year-old attic. 

10 Roof Goofs and How to Fix Them

Installation mistakes are often to blame for leaky roofs.

A Different Approach to Rafter Layout

Measuring along the bottom of the rafters and using a site-built jig simplifies the process. 

Designing the Right Roof Rake

Among the important details on a roof is the rake, the sloping edge along the end wall of a gable, shed, or gambrel roof.

Videos

Bending and Installing Drip Edges with Flat-Seam Copper

Learn how to make a clean, neat drip edge with intersecting angles.

Direct Water into Gutters with a Kickout-Flashing Diverter

See a proactive approach to flashing one of a roof’s most vulnerable intersections.

Tubular-Skylight Basics

Mike Guertin explains the ins and outs of this alternative way to get natural light into a home.

Slate Roofing and Repair Techniques

Learn basic slate-roofing techniques, including how to cut a slate, how to punch a hole with a slater’s hammer, and how to replace a damaged slate.