Roof Leak Detection & Repair - Roofing Discussions Forum

Composition Roof, Roof damage from improper installation, need advice

roofdungeness — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 14:55:50 +0000

I am the homeowner. When we bought this house in 2008 it had a shake roof on skip sheathing. We needed to do extensive work on the inside and add a garage and a shop. I asked one of the well respected home builder to help and they declined because they "only do new construction". So I worked with some sub contractors and it was not going well. Then, six months later they called and said they were slow and would like to look at my project and addition. Remember, this was 2009 and they were now looking for work. We all agreed on the plan and work went well. When time came for the roof, they said they would also do it as some of them roofed before and they were still looking for "new construction". So I agreed on a composition roof, 4000 under roof. With the composition, they had to use OSB on top of the skip sheathing. After they were finished I complained about the lack of drip edge. The OSB ended short of the fascia board and there was about a one inch gap. It was not a nice job but they said it was the way to do it. After moving in, I had the local sheet metal shop make up some drip edge and installed it myself. This was 2010. In 2024, I noticed a spot in on the south side that was leaking into the soffit. Investigating, I found the OSB rotted and the shingles dipping down before the fascia board. I did a quick repair by lifting up the shingles, the nails were no longer into anything, ripping out what remained of the OSB, and lifting up the shingles on a hot day, slipped in some solid wood strips to hold up and level the shingles. At that time, I did not notice what the defect was. Last week, I noticed some areas on the North side which were doing the same and when investigating, I found the same issue, disintegrated OSB and shingles dipping down. After further investigation, I found the real problem. When installing the first row at the eve, for some reason, instead of flipping a whole shingle around, they cut a short piece. So the first row was only six inches up the roof as seen in the images. So now I have an issue. The entire roof line is like that with a short first shingle. Even the three gables. I know the proper way would be to remove all the roof shingles a few feet up, repair all the water damaged OSB, and re-shingle correctly. But is there any other options? One idea I thought of was lifting up the shingles, removing the short piece, slipping in a full width of shingle, slip in some wood to span the damage, and somehow nailing it down. Notice the moss, which I know didn't help, but everywhere else on the roof above the first few feet is not leaking. I don't know what the blue stuff was, but would tar paper have prevented this? The blue material was held down with some staples and some green plastic disks.

I don't mind helping this roof limp along until it needs replacement in 10 or so years, or am I dreaming?

Thanks for looking at my post and any ideas would be appreciated.

Joe on the Olympic Peninsula

Roof-3.jpeg

QUICK FIX FOR ROOF LEAKS: DOES A TARP REALLY HOLD UP?

tiggergolfplayer — Sat, 23 May 2026 17:40:17 +0000

Had a leak pop up in my old asphalt shingle roof after last week’s storm. I grabbed one of those blue tarps from the hardware store and tried to secure it with some 2x4s and bricks (don’t judge, I was desperate). It’s held up okay for a few days, but I’m nervous about wind or more rain. Anyone else used a tarp like this? Did it actually keep things dry or just buy you a little time?

Water sneaking in—why is it so hard to find the source?

sophiebirdwatcher — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 21:36:25 +0000

Seriously, is it just me or does water have some kind of superpower for finding the weirdest ways into a house? I’ve got a leak that shows up on my living room ceiling, but after crawling around the attic and hosing down the roof, I still can’t figure out where it’s coming from. It’s driving me nuts. Anyone else spend way too much time chasing leaks that seem to move around or just… disappear for weeks?

telling apart fresh leaks from old ones is driving me nuts

mentor43 — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 13:36:15 +0000

Every time I come across a leak online, I spend way too much time trying to figure out if it's actually new or just some recycled info from months ago. Feels like Groundhog Day, you know? Anyone else getting frustrated by this?

vent pipe dripping driving me nuts

jeffrodriguez392 — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 07:30:01 +0000

Seriously, I never thought something as boring as a vent pipe could cause me so much grief. Noticed a little drip in the attic last week, thought "no biggie," right? Wrong. Now it's turned into this constant nagging worry—like, every time it rains or even gets damp outside, I'm paranoid about water damage or mold or whatever. Tried a quick patch-up job myself (big mistake lol), and now I'm thinking I gotta call someone who actually knows what they're doing. Anyone else dealt with this kinda headache before?

sick of chasing mystery roof leaks, anyone relate?

blazej96 — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 04:53:27 +0000

I'm honestly at my wit's end with this roof leak issue. Every time it rains it's like playing detective trying to figure out where the water's actually coming from. Thought I fixed it twice already, but nope, here we go again...drip drip drip. I'm starting to think my roof has a personal vendetta against me, lol. Anyone else feel like they're stuck in a never-ending battle with sneaky roof leaks?

Finally got rid of those ugly ceiling stains—feeling pretty accomplished

tim_river — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 19:24:16 +0000

Had these awful dark spots on my ceiling after a leak last winter...you know the kind, ugly brownish patches that make your place look haunted. Anyway, finally decided to tackle it this weekend. Bit of bleach solution, some stain-blocking primer, and fresh paint later, and you'd never even know they were there. Feels good to cross something off the list. Curious if anyone else had luck fixing similar eyesores around the house?

quick fixes for those annoying little roof drips?

kimsurfer — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 13:17:43 +0000

Was chatting with my neighbor yesterday, and he mentioned something kinda interesting—apparently, you can use roofing tape or even silicone caulk as a temporary fix for those tiny drips that pop up after heavy rain. I mean, I always thought you'd have to call someone out right away, but he swears by these DIY fixes. Haven't tried it myself yet, but now I'm curious if anyone here's done this sorta thing and how long it actually holds up...

rainy day surprise—what if your ceiling starts dripping?

fishing_george — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 05:58:19 +0000

So imagine it's pouring rain outside, you're chilling at home watching some Netflix, and suddenly you hear this steady drip-drip-drip sound. You look up and yep, there's water dripping right from your ceiling onto your favorite rug. Ugh. Would you try to figure out the leak yourself first or immediately call someone who knows what they're doing? I'm curious how handy everyone here is with roof stuff...

telling apart recent leaks from older issues

lindachessplayer — Sat, 05 Apr 2025 16:06:16 +0000

I've been noticing some water stains on my ceiling lately, and I'm trying to figure out if they're from an old leak that was fixed ages ago or if it's something new I should worry about. I don't wanna call a plumber and spend money unnecessarily, you know? Is there a simple way to tell if a leak is recent or just leftover damage from before? Maybe some trick or sign I should look for?