The roof is designed with a steep 45 degree (12:12) pitch to shed water and debris quickly so it will last longer. It has long overhangs to help keep the siding dry.
Wait to start the roof until you have a few dry days to work on it. It will be hard to cover until at least the roof sheathing is up because of wind. Precut the rafters and assemble the gables in advance. Now that the shed is enclosed, you can store the supplies for the roof inside. To help with organization we recommend building a simple lumber rack to accommodate the larger materials.
Cut the 2x4x8s to size using the Battery Powered Handheld Circular Saw and install them using the Battery Powered Electric Nail Gun.
| Placement | Nail Size | Frequency | Occurances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raised Top Plate | 3" | 24" on center | 38' (19 Nails) |
Cut, then assemble the gables on a flat surface. Cut a forty five degree edge onto the end of a spare 2x4x8. Stand up a gable and nail it to the joist below. Have someone Level the gable while someone else attaches the notched 2x4 to the center beam and a floor joist to keep it from tipping until the rafters and roof sheathing are installed.
| Placement | Technique | Size | Frequency | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plate to Stud | End Nail | 3.5" | 2 nails | 38 (76 Nails) |
Cut the 2x6x12 rafters to size using the dimensions provided (C.03A). Make sure to cut notches in four of the rafters for the outriggers to sit into (C.03C). To remove the notches, adjust the Battery Powered Handheld Circular Saw to the depth required and cut multiple grooves until it is easy to use a Chisel and Hammer to remove the excess.
Pre-assemble three of the rafters, by connecting to the outriggers, with the overhang blocking (C.03D) before lifting them into place. Nail the rafter bottoms into the raised top plate and nail up from under the gable to secure the center rafter. Repeat for all four corners. See Rafter section for fastening.
| Placement | Technique | Size | Frequency | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rafter to Outriggers | End Nail | 3.5" | 2 nails | 28 (56 Nails) |
| Outriggers to Center Rafter | Face Nail | 3.5" | 2 nails | 28 (56 Nails) |
| Rafter to Blocking | End Nail | 3.5" | 2 nails | 28 (56 Nails) |
| Total | 168 Nails |
Next, run a String Line with a String Line Level east to west to determine a straight ridge line. Because of the length of the ridge beam, it is built in two pieces. Cut the 1x10x8 beam to size (C.04) and measure out and mark where the last two rafters should sit. Install the ridge beam by placing it on a gable and nailing two additional rafters at the end in place. Make sure the ridge beam stays true to your line to keep your roof from being warped. Nail the ridge beam to the rafters that are supported by the outriggers. Repeat for other side.
For additional support during construction, add Connecting Plates to the ridge beam joint.
Install the remaining rafters using the provided nailing schedule. Attach Hurricane Ties using Hurricane Tie Screws where the rafters meet the raised top plate using a Battery Powered Impact Driver.
| Placement | Nail Size | Frequency | Occurances | Nails |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rafter to plate, toe nail | 3.5" | 2 | 32 | 64 |
| Rafter to ridge, toe nail | 3.5" | 4 | 32 | 128 |
| Total | 192 |
Install collar ties to help prevent the rafters from coming apart at the top.
| Placement | Size | Frequency | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collar tie to rafter, face nail | 3" | 3 nails on each side | 6 connections (9 Nails) |
Roof sheathing must be at least 5/8 inches thick (IRC TABLE R803.1)
Installing the 4x8 19/32" roof sheathing is the most laborious part of this design. Make sure to have at least two additional people helping you. Build simple slides out of four 2x6x12’s help you guide the sheathing up to the roof. Make the slides by attaching 2 of the boards together at the edges with 3.5" nails to make an angle and tacking them to the rafters ends with 2.5" nails driven at an angle. Notch a square corner out of a spare 2x4 to use as a pushing stick. Have one or two people lift the plywood up to the 2 people on the roof. Have one person on the roof tack the plywood into place using the nail gun once you confirm it is square to the bottom of the rafters.
Never have anyone stand under or in the slide in case someone on the roof loses their grip. Never have anyone reach out over the edge of the roof to grab a piece of sheathing. A good setup shouldn't require comprising safety.
Install H-Clips between the panels to add spacing between the panels so they can expand. Plywood is staggered for strength. Finish the nailing schedule for each piece before continuing to the next. Start with installing the bottom pieces before the top.
It may be difficult to reach across far enough to nail each piece in completely. In this case secure each piece as much as possible and make a note to finish the nailing schedule with a ladder once you're done.
To find the nailing locations, run a Plumb Bob Chalk Line down from each rafter and across the sheathing.
- 24' edge length for each 4x8 = 48 nails per sheet
- Two 8' center lengths for each 4x8 = 16 nails per sheet
| Placement | Size | Frequency | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edges on Studs | 2.5" | Every 6" on center | 12 sheets (576 Nails) |
| Center on Studs | 2.5" | Every 12" on center | 12 sheets (192 Nails) |
| Total | 768 Nails |
Ladder safety is extremely important, especially with a roof of this slope. You'll need to use the 24' Extension Ladder at an angle of one foot back for every four feet of height. Attach the ladder at the top to the sheathing or rafters using a Ladder Lock to help prevent side to side movement. You'll need a second 8 ft Straight Ladder to rest on the roof itself with 2 Ladder Hooks with Wheels attached. The wheels help you get the ladder up the roof until you can flip it over the ridge. Watch ladder safety videos and makes sure you're knowledgeable and comfortable before starting.
This is a good time to figure out how to cover the structure with the Tarp so the shed is protected from rain and you can take a break while finishing the gables. We wrapped a tarp over the roof and under the rake overhangs, tying off to the overhang blocking. Until we had the gable felt installed, we tied another tarp off starting with a corner under the ridge overhang and down to the eaves.
- 24' edge length for each 4x8 = 48 nails per sheet
- Two 8' center lengths for each 4x8 = 16 nails per sheet
| Placement | Nail Size | Frequency | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edges on Studs | 2 or 2.5" | Every 6" on center | 4 sheets (192 Nails) |
| Center on Studs | 2 or 2.5" | Every 12" on center | 4 sheets (64 Nails) |
| Total | 256 Nails |
Attach
| Nail Size | Frequency | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| 1 1/4" Cap Nails | Every 6' | 28 Nails |
Installing the Roof Felt can be tricky because of the angle of the roof. The roll has a tendency to slip down to roof. We gerry-rigged a tool to keep the roll at the right height by screwing a Dowel to a horizontal stake at the bottom inserting it through the roll and then screwing a vertical stake at the top. This allowed us to slide the roll across the entire roof. We adjusted the tool for the higher roll, It also makes sense to precut sections for the roof length to reduce the roll weight.
| Nail Size | Frequency | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| 1 1/4" Cap Nails | Every 6' | 30 Nails |
Cut an 8 inch strip of Roof Felt to cover the ridge beam. This will make the structure water proof enough for you to no longer have to use a tarp as cover. Nail it down with Cap nails as it will be prone to fly off in heavy wind. You'll remove this piece once you're ready to install the ridge cap for the roofing.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1" Chisel | 10.96 |
| Ladder Lock | 39.39 |
| 8' Straight Ladder | 86.22 |
| 2 Ladder Hooks with Wheel | 45.50 |
| Total | 182.07 |
| Item | Source |
|---|---|
| Measuring Tape | Foundation |
| Battery Powered Handheld Circular Saw | Foundation |
| Battery Powered Electric Nail Gun | Foundation |
| 4' Level | Foundation |
| Speed Square | Foundation |
| Carpenter's Pencil | Foundation |
| Hammer | Foundation |
| String Line | Foundation |
| String Line Level | Foundation |
| Battery Powered Impact Driver | Foundation |
| Plumb Bob Chalk Line | Wall Structure |
| 24' Extension Ladder | Wall Structure |
| Tarp | Foundation |
| Hammer Tacker | Wall Structure |
| Stakes | Foundation |
| Item | Use | # | Cost | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2x4x8 | Raised Top Plate | 5 | ||
| Gables | 12 | |||
| Overhang Blocking | 6 | |||
| Outriggers | 10 | |||
| Total | 33 | 3.13 | 103.29 | |
| 2x4x12 | Gables | 2 | 5.40 | 10.80 |
| 2x6x12 | Rafters | 32 | ||
| Sheathing Slide | 4 | |||
| Total | 36 | 8.03 | 289.08 | |
| 1x10x8 | Ridge Beam | 1 | 18.36 | |
| 1x10x12 | Ridge Beam | 1 | 27.46 | |
| Connecting Plates | Ridge Beam | 2 | .98 | 1.96 |
| Hurricane Ties | Tie-down Rafters | 26 | .84 | 21.84 |
| Hurricane Tie Screws | Tie-down Rafters | 260 | ||
| 100 Pack | 3 | 10.27 | 30.81 | |
| 1x3x8 | Collar Ties | 3 | 4.45 | 13.35 |
| 4x8 5/8" (19/32) | Roof Sheathing | 12 | 19.57 | 234.84 |
| 2.5" Interior Nails for your Nail Gun | Total in Pack | 2000 | 38.7 | |
| H-Clips | Roof Sheathing | 20 | ||
| Total in Pack | 50 | 8.11 | ||
| 4x8 3/8" (11/32) plywood | Gable Sheathing | 6 | 12.53 | 75.18 |
| Roof Felt | Rolls Needed | 2 | 18.65 | 37.30 |
| 3/4" x 4' Dowel | 2.98 | |||
| Total | 914.06 |
| Item | Use | # | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5" Interior Nails for nail gun | Roof Sheathing | 768 | |
| Gable Sheathing | 256 | ||
| Total | 1024 | ||
| Left Over | 276 | Wall Structure | |
| Needed | 748 | ||
| Remaining | 1,252 | ||
| 3" Interior Nails for nail gun | Raised Top Plate | 19 | |
| Collar Ties | 9 | ||
| Total | 28 | ||
| Left Over | 952 | Wall Structure | |
| Remaining | 924 | ||
| 3.5" Interior Nails for nail gun | Gables | 76 | |
| Outriggers | 168 | ||
| Rafters | 192 | ||
| Total | 376 | ||
| Left Over | 914 | Wall Structure | |
| Remaining | 538 | ||
| Metal Cap Nails | Gables | 28 | |
| Roof | 30 | ||
| Total | 58 | ||
| Left Over | 149 | Wall Structure | |
| Remaining | 91 | ||
| #30 216 Sq Ft Roll of Felt Paper | Gables | 156 sqft | |
| Roof | 380 sqft | ||
| Total | 536 sqft | ||
| Left Over | 90 sqft | Wall Structure | |
| Needed | 446 sqft |