Shed Roof Replacement — Reshingle or Rolled Roofing on a Backyard Shed
The shed roof is green with moss, the plywood is soft under the shingles and the mower is getting rained on — a half-day reroof that nobody else wants to schedule.
JMB Builders does shed roof replacement across the Twin Cities metro: the old shingles or rolled roofing come off, soft plywood or OSB is replaced, and the shed gets new drip edge, underlayment and shingles, rolled roofing on a low pitch, or steel panels if you want them. Rotted rafters and fascia are fixed at the same time. A job most roofers will not come out for, priced per project and quoted from your photos within one business day.
- Priced per project, most sheds in a half day
- Shingles, rolled roofing or steel panels
- Rotted sheathing and rafters replaced
- Quote from photos in 1 business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
A shed roof is the same as a house roof, built cheaper. Thin sheathing, no underlayment, no drip edge, three-tab shingles from whatever was on sale, and a pitch that was picked to clear the door rather than to shed water. Twenty years later the shingles are bare, the plywood has gone soft along the eaves and the whole thing sags a little in the middle. A tarp over it buys a season. A new roof keeps the mower, the bikes and the tools dry for as long as the shed stands.
We reroof sheds the way we roof anything else: old material off, deck replaced where it is soft, drip edge, underlayment, and a roof covering that matches the pitch. Steep enough for shingles, shingles. Too flat for shingles, rolled roofing or a steel panel roof instead. Rafters that have rotted at the ends get sistered or replaced, and the fascia gets fixed so the drip edge has something to nail to.
If the shed is a kit or a metal building on a slab, or a lean-to off the garage, the same applies. Send photos and we tell you which roof it should get.
What you supply
- Photos of the shed from the yard on two sides, and one of the roof surface from a ladder if you can
- A photo of the underside of the roof from inside the shed, showing the rafters and sheathing
- The shed's footprint, paced off, so we can size the material
- Your color choice, or tell us to match the house or garage roof
What JMB supplies
- Tear-off of the old shingles or rolled roofing, hauled away on the trailer
- New plywood or OSB where the deck is soft, or a full new deck when most of it is gone
- Sistered or replaced rafters at rotted ends, and new fascia boards where the drip edge needs a nailer
- Metal drip edge, synthetic underlayment, starter and architectural or three-tab shingles on a shingle roof
- Mineral-surfaced rolled roofing lapped and sealed on a low-pitch roof, or steel panels on purlins if you choose them
- Ridge cap and, on a larger shed, a small ridge vent or gable vent so the inside does not sweat
- Photos of the finished roof in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Shed size and roof shape; a gambrel barn-style roof has more surface and more cuts than a gable
- How much sheathing is soft; a few sheets vs. a whole new deck
- Rafter and fascia rot found at the eaves after tear-off
- Shingles vs. rolled roofing vs. steel panels; steel costs more in material and less in time
- Pitch and height; a tall gambrel shed needs a ladder setup that a low gable does not
- Access for the trailer; a shed in a fenced back corner means carrying material through the gate
- Whether the old roof has two layers on it
Send one photo from inside the shed looking up; it shows the rafters and the underside of the deck and lets us quote the sheathing without guessing.
How long it takes
Most sheds: a half day, tear-off to cleanup. A full new deck or a gambrel roof: one day.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Shingle reroof
For a shed with enough pitch to shed water. Old shingles off, deck patched, drip edge, underlayment and new shingles with a ridge cap. Architectural shingles if you want it to match the house; three-tab if you just want it dry.
Rolled roofing on a low pitch
Lean-to and flat-ish shed roofs are too flat for shingles. Mineral-surfaced rolled roofing goes on in overlapping courses with the laps cemented and nailed, over a solid deck with drip edge. Not pretty from above, but it works on a pitch shingles cannot.
Steel panel roof
Ribbed steel panels screwed to purlins over the old deck or a new one, with a ridge cap and closures. Sheds snow, outlasts shingles and costs more in material. A good match for a shed next to a pole barn or a steel-roofed house.
Sheathing and rafter replacement
When the plywood is soft all the way across, or the rafters have rotted at the tails, the deck comes off. We sister or replace the bad rafters, put a new deck on, and roof it. The shed walls and floor usually have years left; the roof is what fails first.
Gambrel and barn-style sheds
The two-pitch barn roof has a lot of surface for its footprint and a break line that has to be flashed right. We shingle it with a ridge cap along the break so water does not get behind the lower course.
Shed Roof Replacement — Reshingle or Rolled Roofing on a Backyard Shed: questions, answered
Is it worth putting a new roof on an old shed?
If the walls and floor are solid, yes. A shed that leaks ruins what is inside it and rots from the top down; the roof is usually the only thing that has failed. A new roof is a half-day job and a fraction of the cost of a new shed with delivery and a base. If the floor is gone and the walls are leaning, we tell you that from the photos and you decide.
Should I use shingles or rolled roofing on a shed?
It depends on the pitch. Shingles need enough slope for water to run off before it gets under the tabs; on a roof steep enough for them they look better and last longer. A lean-to or a nearly flat shed roof is below that slope, and rolled roofing with cemented laps or a steel panel roof is the right covering there. We look at the pitch in your photo and tell you which one the roof needs.
Can you shingle a shed roof with a low pitch?
Only down to the minimum slope the shingle maker allows, and on the low end of that range only with ice and water membrane over the whole deck under the shingles. Below that, shingles will leak at the laps no matter how they are nailed. For those roofs we use rolled roofing or steel panels instead. A lot of leaking shed roofs are shingles that were put on a roof too flat for them.
What if the plywood under the shed roof is soft?
It comes off and gets replaced, either a sheet at a time where it is soft or the whole deck when most of it is gone. Thin shed sheathing rots along the eaves first, where the drip edge was missing and water wicked back under the edge. We replace it with plywood or OSB, add drip edge so it does not happen again, and check the rafter tails under it while the deck is open.
Does a shed roof need underlayment and drip edge?
It should have both, and most sheds have neither. Drip edge keeps water from wicking back under the edge of the roofing into the end grain of the sheathing, which is where shed roofs rot first. Underlayment is a second layer under the shingles if a tab lifts or a nail backs out. They add little to the cost and they are the reason our shed roofs last as long as a house roof.
Can you put a metal roof on a shed?
Yes. Ribbed steel panels go on over purlins screwed across the old or new deck, with a ridge cap, eave and rake trim and foam closures at the ends. It sheds snow, never grows moss and outlasts shingles. It costs more in material and looks best when the house or garage has a steel roof too, or when the shed sits by a pole barn.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and for the builders and dealers we sub for. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 26, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All roofing pages
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