Use a fork tool to remove old shingles. A fork tool looks like a pitch fork from the farming days. Shovels will not work because if you use a shovel hitting nails will only put wear and tear on your body (wrists and shoulders). A fork gets under shingles easily missing nails. A fork lefts shingles up using leverage removing large chunk shingle patches. I can rip a roof in four hours using a fork, by hand twenty two hours (you choose which option sounds better).

Before you start removing shingles, buy tarps to spread around home areas. Tarps catch loose nails and old shingles which might contaminate soil around your home. You want to remove all shingle debris on ground 100%. This is a messy job!

Once shingles are off roof start removing nails that ripped through shingles during removal. Nail removal takes two hours or more depending on how many nails got left behind. After nails are finished, use hammer to test roofing out. Lightly tap roof in many spots, if hammar bounces your good, if hammer has thud noise or sounds soft then this area of roof needs new plywood fix.

Good luck on your new shingle job, removing old roof shingles is the hard part installing new shingles the easy spot. Don't forget your tar paper under shingles.