DIY Shingle Roof: Materials Needed for a New Roof

Replacing a roof is one of the most expensive home maintenance projects you will ever face. A professional contractor might charge $15,000 for a standard installation, but nearly half of that bill is purely labor and overhead. If you are physically fit, comfortable with heights, and willing to put in the grueling sweat equity, building a DIY shingle roof can save you thousands of dollars. However, if you forget to order a critical piece of flashing, your new roof will leak on the first day.

Before you head to the lumber yard, you must know exactly how large your roof is. Use our Free Roofing Calculator to calculate your exact roof surface area and automatically generate a mathematically flawless estimate of your baseline materials.

Table of Contents

1. The Base Layer (Decking & Underlayment)
2. The Primary DIY Roofing Materials (Shingles)
3. The Waterproofing (Flashing & Metals)
4. Ventilation & Fasteners (The Hidden Supplies)
5. Conclusion: Order Extra
6. Frequently Asked Questions

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The Base Layer (Decking & Underlayment)

The shingles are only the cosmetic top layer. The actual waterproofing happens underneath them. When compiling a list of roofing materials needed do it yourself style, you must start at the bare wood.

• OSB or Plywood Sheathing: If your current roof decking is rotting, you will need 4x8 sheets of 7/16-inch OSB to repair the holes.
• Ice and Water Shield: This is a thick, rubberized, self-adhering membrane. Building codes mandate that you install a 3-foot-wide roll of this along the entire bottom edge (eave) of the roof, and directly down the center of all roof valleys, to prevent winter ice dams from backing up into the house.
• Synthetic Underlayment: You must cover the rest of the bare wood with underlayment. Skip the old-school black tar paper (15-pound felt); it tears easily and wrinkles in the rain. Buy modern woven synthetic underlayment. It is lightweight, completely waterproof, and incredibly tear-resistant.

The Primary DIY Roofing Materials (Shingles)

Ordering the shingles requires understanding the difference between the three distinct types of shingles used on every roof.

1. Starter Shingles: These are perfectly flat, rectangular shingles with a massive strip of tar glue on them. They are installed along the very bottom edge of the roof. They glue the first row of actual shingles down so the wind doesn’t blow them off.
2. Field Shingles (Architectural): These are the main shingles that cover 95% of the roof. Always choose “Architectural” (dimensional) shingles rather than cheap 3-tab shingles. They are thicker, easier to install, and hide imperfections in the roof deck.
3. Hip and Ridge Caps: You cannot bend a thick field shingle over the top peak of the roof; it will snap in half. You must buy specialized, pre-scored ridge cap shingles to cap the top peaks and the diagonal hips of the roof.

The Waterproofing (Flashing & Metals)

If a DIY shingle roof is going to leak, it will always leak at the metal intersections, never in the middle of the field shingles. You must buy the correct metal flashing.

• Drip Edge Flashing: This L-shaped metal trim is nailed along the entire perimeter of the roof edges. It prevents water from curling backward and rotting the wooden fascia boards.
• Step Flashing: These are small, 4x4-inch bent metal squares. You must install one under every single shingle wherever the roof butts up against a vertical wall (like a chimney or a dormer).
• Plumbing Boot (Pipe Jack): The PVC plumbing pipes sticking out of your roof will leak instantly if not sealed. You must slide a rubber-gasketed metal flashing boot over every single pipe.

Ventilation & Fasteners (The Hidden Supplies)

The final supplies needed to shingle a roof ensure the system breathes and stays attached during a hurricane.

• Ridge Vent: Do not reinstall old, ugly metal box vents. Buy a continuous plastic ridge vent roll. You cut a slot along the top peak of the wood decking, nail the vent over it, and nail the ridge cap shingles directly on top of the vent.
• Roofing Nails: You need heavily galvanized roofing nails with large 3/8-inch flat heads. Buy 1-1/4 inch nails for the main field shingles, and longer 2-inch nails for the thick ridge caps.
• Plastic Cap Staples: To fasten the synthetic underlayment to the wood deck, you must use specialized staples that feature a round plastic button (cap) to seal the staple hole against rain.

Conclusion: Order Extra

When buying materials needed for a new roof, the biggest amateur mistake is buying exactly what the tape measure says. You must always add a 10% to 15% waste factor to your field shingles, and buy at least one extra bundle of ridge caps. You will make mistakes, cut angles wrong, and drop shingles off the roof. Having extra material is vastly cheaper than paying a delivery fee for a single missing bundle.

Don’t calculate your waste factor by hand. Head over to our Free Roofing Calculator right now. By inputting your home’s basic dimensions and pitch, our algorithm will automatically apply the correct industry-standard waste factors and generate a flawless, itemized shopping list for your DIY project.

Related Guides

• Roof Sheathing Calculator: Plywood Estimates
• How Many Bundles of Shingles in a Square?

Frequently Asked Questions

What tools do I need to DIY a shingle roof?

Beyond the materials, you will need a heavy-duty roofing shovel (tear-off bar) to rip off the old roof, a pneumatic coil roofing nail gun (with an air compressor and hose), a hook-blade utility knife for cutting shingles, a chalk line, and a heavy-duty safety harness anchored to the roof trusses.

Can I install new shingles directly over the old ones?

While building codes in some areas allow a “roof-over” (installing a second layer), it is highly discouraged. You cannot inspect the wood decking for rot, the roof will be incredibly heavy (risking structural collapse in a snowstorm), and the new shingles will not sit perfectly flat, severely shortening their lifespan. Always tear the old roof off.

How much overhang should my shingles have?

The first row of shingles (the starter strip and the first field row) should overhang the metal drip edge by exactly 1/2 inch to 3/4 of an inch. If the overhang is too short, water will rot the fascia. If the overhang is too long (over an inch), gravity will cause the shingles to droop and break off over time.