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The roof is an important part of your home as it keeps you warm while providing protection from outside elements. However it is important that any damage you see be rectified immediately to prevent seepage of water under shingles which leads to rotting of the wood sheathing beneath.

Old roofs have to have all shingles replaced if the shingles are damaged or worn out. Otherwise you can handle most repairs like replacing damaged shingles, gluing curled shingles and repairing cracked shingles. It is always better to do your repairs on a warm and dry afternoon as shingles are suppler and less prone to crack.

Replace all shingles with missing parts. If you don't have shingles from the last roofing job, buy one that is at least the closest match to your existent shingles. You need a hammer, utility knife, flat pry bar and a few 11/4" roofing nails. You have to remove the first rows of nails under the shingle above the damaged one using the pry bar by prying upwards.

Once the shingle is free from the sealer strip, you have to slip the pry bar under the damaged shingle and pry upwards to remove the first row of nails here. With the nails popping up ¼ inches, you have to remove the pry bar and press the shingle down while pulling out the nail. This has to be repeated for the remaining three nails after which the pry bar has to be pushed under the shingle above the damaged one to remove the second row of nails similarly. Once all eight nails are removed, the damaged shingle is removed.

It may be difficult to pry out the second row of nails out of the brittle shingles. In such cases, the damaged shingle is to be torn out while V-notches are cut in the replacement shingle to fit around the four nails. This new shingle is then slid into place to be secured with four nails.

Shingles that curl have to be glued down. You can use a chaulking gun to apply roofing sealant under corners. You then weigh it down with a brick for about 24 hours, until the sealant dries. You now have your curled shingle straightened and damaged shingles repaired.