Re-roofed my house for well under $750

[Rotax]

I bought a fixer upper house in 2011 that needed just about everything but one of the most critical things was the roof. It was leaking in several places and causing more damage to drywall, etc. I knew I didn't have the money to afford a roofer and I myself didn't really know how to roof but I figured it out and in the end I got it done for well under $750 and was able to spread the cost out over about 6 months as I gathered supplies. Below is the rough formula I used as well as a link to a detailed account of my experience. Hopefully there's something you can use if you know you have a roof job in your future.

1) Buy time if possible. (I patched the worst leaks with tar for about $20 until I could find supplies)
2) Gather supplies from the lowest cost source over time if necessary
3) Can you do this job your self? With a couple of friends?
4) Can you learn this skill from a win/win scenario like volunteering? (I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity to do a roof job and we both benefited)
5) Can you re-coop any of your costs after the project? Selling nail gun, roofing shovels, tar, nails, extra shingles, insurance discount.
6) Can you trade labor with someone else who needs help on a project?
7) You will have grown from the experience by expanding your abilities. This makes learning the next skill go even faster. You start to build a format for future projects and life.

Here's the long version of the story with pictures:
http://live-suburbantoolboxcom.pantheonsite.io/2016/09/17/how-i-reroofed-my-house-for-750-and-got-400-off-my-insurance-premium/#comment-6

[Papa bear]

You really have been pushing your blog pretty hard here.  Three posts that you've started in the past day linking to it. 

Outside of that, good work on multiple fronts. You got me to check out your blog and I read your post on the roof yesterday. Interesting way to get the materials and it looks like you did good work. 

Edited for typos. Phones are hard.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rotax]

Thanks Papa Bear, I figure these are my type people and it's the life I've been living so if someone else can benefit from my experience, I'm all for it. Getting the materials was actually the part that took the most patience. I'd find a couple of bundles of shingles here and there and just pick them up after work with my car. Almost without fail I'd get a roll of tar paper, sealent, or some drip edge along with it for free because no one needs it once they are done with their job. At the time, the cheapest I could find a bundle of shingles as $27 if I remember correctly. I'd try to buy them for under $10. I spent the hot season(For most of the country this would be like collecting supplies during winter) here collecting supplies, then once it cooled off, I had more than enough. I used the same strategy to get some very nice used replacement windows for $40 each. They usually cost about $200.

[postvmvs]

Great job! My initial thought was, that there was no way you could even buy shingles for a small house for that much. After reading the blog post, it makes sense now seeing that you got them for a bargain through Craigslist. From the pics, did you do the shallower slope as a flat roof?

[Rotax]

Great job! My initial thought was, that there was no way you could even buy shingles for a small house for that much. After reading the blog post, it makes sense now seeing that you got them for a bargain through Craigslist. From the pics, did you do the shallower slope as a flat roof?

Thanks! I finished the shallower slope with roll roofing instead of shingles. Since I live in the Phoenix desert we don't get any snow, just heavy rainfall during the monsoon season. It's been a couple of years now and the lower sloping section still has enough of a pitch to shed water without issues. It has been water tight even in heavy a heavy down pour.

[Dicey]

Hey, Rotax. I looked at your blog, but got too frustrated trying to suss out your meanings. If you want to make  a go of your blog, please spend a little more time proofreading/editing. "Recoop" sounds like you're converting a domicile for chickens into a home for yourself. Making your friends  "trustees" is giving them way too much power over your life, etc.
As a reader, it is too frustrating to try to figure out exactly what you're trying to say. Now, it's your blog and you are free to say whatever you want in any way you want. However, if your goal is to increase readership, making your output more reader-friendly would help significantly. There's far more information than time out there. Ever notice that MMM's posts rarely have typos? Definitely shows Pete's respect for his readers.