Field school
Tools, gear, and what to carry
A field checklist from the course. It is not a purchasing spec — confirm what Northline stocks before you buy.
The book — Roofing Construction & Estimating (Revised)
Your own copy; every lesson assigns pages from it
This app installed on your phone
Add to Home Screen so it works offline
Notebook + pencil
Sketch every roof; write your Unique ID inside the cover
Calculator
Phone calculator is fine — takeoff math is constant
Highlighter & sticky tabs
Mark the book's tables you'll use forever (slope factors, coverage charts)
25' tape measure
Daily driver; add a 100' tape or measuring wheel for big roofs
Speed square
Pitch readings off the rake, cut lines, and the fastest angle checks
Torpedo level / pitch gauge
A phone level app works — verify it against a real level once
Chalk line + extra chalk
Blue for most work; red stains — keep it off light shingles
Clipboard or tablet
Takeoff sheets, contracts, unit-price forms
Phone camera
Before/during/after photos — bids, claims and your own protection
Roofing hammer or hatchet
Gauge pin sets wood-shingle exposure
Utility knife + hook blades
Hook blades cut shingles clean; buy blades by the 100
Tin snips (left, right, straight)
Color-coded handles; all three for flashing work
Flat bar / pry bar
Shingle removal, nail pulling, gentle persuasion
Caulk gun
Quality dripless gun — sealant details deserve it
Slate ripper
If slate or tile repair is in your market
Air compressor + hoses
Sized for 2–3 coil nailers running steady
Coil roofing nailer
Keep the depth-of-drive dialed — overdriven nails void warranties
Drill / impact driver
Decking screws, ridge vent, metal panels
Circular saw
Decking replacement cuts
Generator
For sites without power — 'works offline' applies to tools too
Tear-off shovel / shingle fork
Serrated edge gets under nails
Heavy tarps
Protect landscaping, decks, pools and driveways before the first shingle flies
Dumpster or dump trailer access
Figure ~300 lbs per square per layer when sizing
Magnetic sweeper
Roll the lawn and driveway — one nail in a tire erases a referral
Broom & blower
The cleanup IS the final impression
Harness, rope & roof anchors
Personal fall arrest — required at 6' in residential construction
Ladder (Type IA) + stabilizer
3' above the eave, tied off, on solid ground
Roof brackets & toe boards
Staging for anything steep
Soft-soled roofing boots
Grip without tearing shingles
Gloves, safety glasses, knee pads
Nail guns and grinders demand eye protection
Water, sunscreen, first-aid kit
Heat is the most common jobsite injury — plan for it
Chicken ladder / hook ladder
For slate, tile and extra-steep pitches you can't walk