DIY Roof Materials & Tools Checklist, Per Square
One square is 100 square feet of roof surface. Work out your square count first — a typical 1,900 sq ft Reno home carries roughly 24 squares once pitch and overhangs are counted — then multiply everything in the first table by that number.
Two rules before you buy: order 10% over on shingles and nails (waste, cuts, and the bundle you drop), and buy the whole system from one manufacturer where you can. Mixing brands across starter, field, and ridge is the fastest way to hand a warranty claim back to you.
By the Reno Roofers team · Last updated: August 2026
Materials, by the square
| Material | Quantity | Notes for Reno |
|---|---|---|
| Architectural shingles | 3 bundles per square | Spec ASTM D7158 Class H (150 mph). Nearly every architectural line qualifies — verify on the wrapper, not the display board. |
| Synthetic underlayment | 1 roll per ~10 squares (typical 4' × 250' roll) | Synthetic, not felt. Felt tears in a Zephyr afternoon and cooks in high-desert UV. |
| Ice-and-water membrane | 1 roll per ~2 squares of covered area (typical 3' × 66' roll) | Eaves, every valley, and every penetration. This is your freeze–thaw insurance. |
| Roofing nails, 1¼" galvanized | ~380–400 nails per square at six per shingle — roughly 3 lb per square | Length must penetrate the deck or through it. Six per shingle, in the nailing zone. |
| Cap nails (for underlayment) | ~1 lb per 2–3 squares | Cap nails, not staples. Staples pull through in wind. |
| Starter strip | Linear feet of eaves + rakes | Cartons cover roughly 100–120 lf; check the wrapper. Rakes count — that's where uplift starts. |
| Hip-and-ridge cap | Linear feet of ridges + hips | Cartons commonly cover 20–25 lf. Buy the matching line. |
| Ridge vent | Linear feet of ridge | Pair it with working soffit intake or it does nothing. |
| Drip edge | Linear feet of eaves + rakes, in 10' sticks | Order 10% over for overlaps and corners. |
| Step flashing | One piece per shingle course along each wall | New. Always new. |
| Valley metal (open valleys) | Linear feet of valley | Open metal sheds needles and grit better on treed foothill lots. |
| Pipe boots | One per penetration | Count vents, plumbing stacks, and the furnace flue before you go to the yard. |
| Kick-out flashing | One per roof-to-wall termination above a gutter | Small part, huge share of the wall-rot leaks we hear about. |
| Roofing sealant / flashing cement | 1 tube per 3–5 squares | For terminations and fastener heads — not as a substitute for flashing. |
| Replacement sheathing | Budget a few sheets, thickness matching existing | You won't know until the deck is open. For scale, contractors bill $70–$120 per replaced sheet here. |
| H-clips | As needed for unsupported sheathing edges | Only where you replace decking. |
WUI parcels (Galena, Caughlin Ranch, west Somersett, foothill edges) add: ember-resistant attic and soffit vents with 1/8" metal mesh or a listed ember-resistant design, metal gutters rather than vinyl, and an underlayment that qualifies for a Class A assembly with your covering. The rating is on the assembly, not the shingle alone — see Class A fire-rated roofing.
Tools
Non-negotiable safety gear
- Fall-arrest harness, rope grab, lifeline, and a properly fastened ridge anchor
- Ladder rated for your load, with a stabilizer, extending 3 feet past the eave and tied off
- Roof jacks and 2×10 planks for anything you can't stand on flat-footed
- Hard hat, safety glasses, work gloves, knee pads, boots with soft grippy soles
- First-aid kit on site, phone in a pocket, and a second person who is actually paying attention
Tear-off and prep
- Tear-off forks / shingle shovels (two — the second one always gets used)
- Flat bar and cat's paw for stubborn nails
- Magnetic sweeper (rent or buy; you'll use it more than you think)
- Tarps, plywood scraps to shield AC units and windows, contractor bags
- Dumpster or dump trailer, sized for roughly 240 lb of debris per square, per layer
Installation
- Roofing nailer + compressor + hose (or a roofing hatchet if you're doing it by hand and have the time)
- Chalk line and extra chalk — blue, not red; red stains
- Utility knife with hook blades, and more hook blades than you think
- Tin snips for flashing and drip edge
- Tape measure, speed square, framing square
- Caulk gun
- Circular saw for deck repairs and ridge slot cuts
- Broom, and a leaf blower for the final granule sweep
A realistic sequence for a weekend crew
| Session | What gets done |
|---|---|
| Prep day (evening before) | Tarps down, dumpster placed, materials staged, ladder set and tied, weather checked |
| Day 1, 6 a.m. start | Tear off only what you can dry in. Deck inspection and repairs as you go. Drip edge, ice-and-water, underlayment. End the day watertight. |
| Day 2 | Starter, field shingles, valleys, step and pipe flashing |
| Day 3 | Ridge slot, ridge vent, cap, final details, magnetic sweep, call the inspection |
The 6 a.m. start isn't machismo — it's how local crews beat both rooftop heat and the afternoon Washoe Zephyr. Shingle handling in a 40 mph gust is genuinely dangerous.
Stop and hire it out if…
The full version of this list is in the DIY walkthrough, but the short form: steep pitch (7/12+), two existing layers, deck rot beyond a sheet or two, a WUI Class A assembly requirement, tile or metal, working alone, anything above one story, or an open insurance claim. Any single one of those is enough.
A dried-in roof can wait weeks under underlayment while you get bids. Stopping is not failure.
Want this emailed to you?
The walkthrough scores your specific roof for DIY difficulty — pitch, size, material, and what's likely under the shingles — and emails you this checklist with the quantities already multiplied by your square count. Answer "all of it" or "some of it" on the DIY question and you get the DIY report. No sales pitch attached; if you want contractor bids later, you ask for them.
Sources: GAF and Owens Corning application instructions (bundle coverage, starter and ridge cap coverage rates, nailing zones and six-nail high-wind requirements); ASTM D7158 wind classification; International Residential Code R905 (asphalt shingle application), as locally adopted; Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue WUI and defensible-space guidance.