How to shingle around roof bends and height differences?
Shingling around perpendicular roof joints and awkward bends is complicated by a two- to four-inch height difference between old and new roof sections. This leaves builders guessing whether bending or stapling shingles around sharp angles is correct and struggling to create a clean, properly sealed transition.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- This comes up 39.4× more often in r/Roofing than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
How to shingle around roof bends and height differences?
- 1bending shingles around angles with staplesDid this help you?
- 2using custom transition metal or aluminum coil flashingDid this help you?
- 3Folding the flange inward to mold around adjacent caps and applying butyl tape with fastenersDid this help you?
- 4Bending custom Z trim for the valleyDid this help you?
- 5Bending custom metal to create a mini wall that sheds onto the lower roof before installing the ridge ventDid this help you?
- 6Installing a waterproof membrane on the low-pitch section and running it up the steeper section beneath the shingles.Did this help you?
- 7Treating the spot as a flashing detail rather than a shingle detail, getting the transition flashing right first, and then tying the shingles into it.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I haven’t seen a single one that shows how to shingle a roof around these bends.”source ↗
“And I can’t imagine that the staples bending the shingles around the angle is the actual way to do it, but maybe I’m wrong🤷♂️”source ↗
“We got this perpendicular roof joint and we need to cover it and seal it? One of our main problems is the hight difference from the old roof to the new roof, the guys before us framed the new roof about 2-4 inches higher than the old section. I have no idea how we can make the transition and keep it looking nice.”source ↗
“Can someone tell me how to properly transition this porch to a roof using archetectural shingles/flashing?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 21Uneven shingles and bulges after new roof replacement
- 2Can you install metal roofing over an uneven or messed up roof?
- 4Why are my roof shingles lifting near the gutters?
- 3Shingles lifting around chimney flashing
- 7How to install drip edge on an existing roof
- 4Can I install siding, soffit, and fascia before roof shingles?