Q&A – Are asphalt shingles a good choice for shed style houses?

When this homeowner set out to build a shed style house, they wanted to know which material would be best for their roof. 

Cathy, a homeowner in Newfoundland, Canada, has been building a shed style house and couldn’t decide on a roofing material. She sent in this question to our roofing experts to get a second opinion: 

I’m building a shed style house with 2:12 slope. Would asphalt singles be a good option? I’ve been considering metal, but it’s twice the cost unfortunately. Thanks for any advice.  

Here is what our roofing expert, John Kenney of Cotney Consulting Group, had to say: 

Hi Cathy, 

You can. 2:12 is the minimum pitch that shingles can be installed on. It does require installing a 2-ply underlayment of felt or one-ply of self-adhering underlayment. I recommend that in your climate, you use the self-adhering membrane along with the self-sealing shingles. 

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