One of my favorite events to date is shingling, hands down! Is there a better way to help a family build their home than to ensure the roof over their heads provides them with the best insulation from the elements? It was my first such project, and I have to say one of the best I have been involved in.

So how exactly does shingling work?

Tools of the trade:
* Shingles
* Tool Belt
* Level
* Roofing Nails
* Ladder
* Hammer
* Clean-up Cloth
* Chalk Line
* Work Gloves
* Hand Cleaner!

Steps:
* After the first course of shingles has been laid on top of the starter strip, snap down a chalk line at 5″ – though it is recommended to snap it at the manufacturer chalk-line in many online tutorials, I found that this is not necessarily done in practice. It’s actually a lot more challenging than it sounds (as the saying goes, “measure twice, cut once”)

* Continue snapping down chalk lines until you reach the ridge of the roof. This simplifies the job of laying each succeeding course of shingles in a straight line – and keeping them in a straight line is imperrative to ensure weatherproofing and life of the roof (and everyone under it!)

* Start the second course of shingles on top of the first course. Place the cut-out over the center of the middle tab on the center shingle.

* Remember, a shingle cut-out must never fall directly over another cut-out in the row immediately below it – this is very very important. If the cut-out falls directly on top of a cut-out directly below it, the roof will leak and compromise the integrity of the structure.

* In this fashion, continue placing shingles in the second course to the end of the roof in each direction.

* Start at the center of the roof for the third course of shingles. Again, place the cut-out over the center tab on the preceding row, and continue to the end of the roof.

* Follow this procedure until you reach the ridge of the roof.

* Take a break!

* Then start on the other side of the roof in the same way you started the first side (that is from the bottom of the roof to the top)

Personally, I found that doing this with a buddy was both faster and more fun than doing it alone – Kara, another volunteer, and I, developed a system with which we were able to complete the task 3 times as fast as any individual working alone. Kara would run up and get the shingle, I would level it, and we would drive 4 nails through. With three people working on one line of shingles, it was even faster. I love it when I can add some operations management expertise to so simple a task and make it work – after all, a task is only as long as it’s longest step, and together the group ended up finishing the roof for several townhomes 4 hours early! I was almost sad to leave so soon.

Slide Show of All Photos – Habitat For Humanity Charlotte, NC – March 21, 2009