BobVila.com

Here's a tip you can use to shingle your own roof. Have a starter course at the edge of the eave, laying the shingles upside down. Trim one-third off your first shingle, so that your joints will be staggered. Then lay your first course over that with tabs down. Form a pyramid of overlapping shingles, trimming each by six inches so that all rows will have overlapping joints. Then continue to lay rows from bottom to top using whole shingles.

A new concept in solar power, photovoltaic shingles, can help protect your home from the elements while generating pollution-free electricity.Wires from the photovoltaic cells on each shingle connect to a junction box. The current is sent to a battery for storage, and an inverter converts it to AC power. You can operate everything from a home computer to a security system with the electricity generated by these shingles.

Broken or rotten shingles should be repaired to keep a home protected against the elements.

To protect new shingles, apply a penetrating stain. Stain soaks in and protects the wood from the weather, and won't crack, peel, or chip. Brush liberally along the bottom edges of each course then over the face of the shingles with a generous coat of stain. Start on the top course and work your way down. For an authentic weather look, use a transparent stain.

Metal roofing has long been associated with agricultural and industrial buildings; but these days, new sytems designed for residential use are becoming enormously popular. These standing-seam steel shingles are coated to resist corrosion and can withstand high winds, rain, snow, and ice. Installation is easy, and there is no welding involved; you just attach them to the roof with metal clips and screws.

Bob tours the Maibec American Classics mill in Quebec, Canada, where the cedar shingles for the center-entry Colonial house were manufactured. Maibec uses Eastern White Cedar from certified, responsibly managed forests for its shingles. The shingles come in three grades. All Maibec shingles are resawn and rebutted using a proprietary process that ensures that the bottom of the shingle is square with the sides without requiring hand shaving on site. This makes the shingles a little more expensive initially but saves time and money on the installation and makes for a cleaner, finished look. Bob is using the Nantucket William E. Poole Series for his Colonial project. These premium grade shingles are actually pre-finished right at the plant.