Just finished my first full roof tear-off solo, damn that GAF Timberline felt good but the bill hit $6500

Man, after 3 years as an apprentice, I finally did a complete asphalt shingle replacement on this ranch house by myself last week. Went with GAF Timberline HDZ for the durability, charged the homeowner $6500 flat rate including tear-off and disposal. Felt like a milestone, but my back is screamin' today. Anyone else remember their first big solo job?

SharkBite? Nah, for roofing that's like using duct tape on a leak, GAF is solid but stick to proper nailing every time, fight me if you think shortcuts work long-term.

Never skimp on harnesses up there, I saw a guy drop tools from 20 feet last month and it almost ended bad.

First solo? Mine was chasing a raccoon off the peak at midnight, customer thought it was the wind.

Congrats on the milestone, that first one's always a rush.

Haha, $6500? I bet the homeowner is still countin' their blessings you didn't charge T&M for the overtime.

Same here, back pain is the real boss after a full tear-off, ice it and stretch.

My first was installing ridge vents wrong, had to redo it free, customer laughed but I wanted to cry.

Solid advice: always underlay with ice and water shield on the valleys, saves callbacks down the line.

Felt that, my first full job I was sore for a week, but now it's just another Tuesday.

Don't rush the flashing around the chimney, that's where 90% of leaks start.

First solo I forgot my nail gun battery, ended up hand-nailing half the ridge, took forever lol.