Hi Everyone,

I purchased three (3) 20' long premium wood sheds a few years back and I see water infiltrating the roof sheathing where the roof meets the walls (eaves). When I looked under the shingles at the eaves, the is NO felt paper and there is NO starter course of shingles!!

The rain is going in between the seams of the 1st course shingles (since there is no starter course) and getting the roof sheathing wet!

What is the best way to correct this? I have thought of:
(1) Sliding 6-7" wide felt/tar paper under the seams (but I wonder if roof paper is truly water proof);
(2) Using roofing cement at the seams under the singles (but it may degrade over the years);
(3) Sliding some aluminum flashing under the seams only (is roofing cement only OK?).

I just want to avoid the labor it would take to put in an actual starter course. I'd be pulling nails for 120' of eave (3 sheds x 20" long x 2 front/back = 120').

Thank you!

 

The problem is that felt acts as a water barrier as well as a means to direct water that gets below the shingles down to and over the drip edge.

Just sticking felt under the first course of shingles is not going to solve the lack of this barrier all the way up to the peak.

Im not even sure if a second layer of shingles would fix, probably need to remove and do it correctly!

BTW who did the original roofing?
moisture

 

I think you already ruled out the best way of fixing it. And that's doing it right! Pulling nails is the only way to slide anything up far enough that it will prevent leaks. Anything else won't last long, so would be a waste of time and effort.

 

I'd also guess if it's like any cheap store bought shed I've ever seen there's also no drip edging, not enough over hang on the outside edges, (so they do not fly off when going down the road) and the shingles where stapled, not nailed on.

 

Hopefully your shingles have not warped down too much along the edge and are still pliable.
Get some tin/galvanized roll sheeting.
I do not know what width you will need so try an area to see how far you are able to push it up under the shingles.
With a little luck you will be able to get it up to the first course nails.
This should be enough to close off the slots.
Then every so often glue the shingles down to it.
Overlap the tin 6 inches or so at the ends.
If it ends up being floppy you may have to put a few roofing nails through it.
Drive the nail half way in then pull it and fill the hole with roof adhesive etc. Then drive the nail home.

Doing this on a warm/hot day will make it easier.

 

Thanks so much for that info ...those are the details I'm looking for!!!!

I just made a trip to the 3 sheds and the front of one DOES have a starter course and the other two sheds have starter courses on both front and back! So the only problem is the rear of one ...so the builder just forgot to lay it down.

 

Marq1: I purchased these sheds from a huge manufacturer of them in my area. So the builder installed the roof, to answer your question. I went to their massive site and found that they are not using any under-layment with any shed rooves, but do have the starter course on every one. So they must have just forgot to lay that 1st row on my one shed on the rear only. Also with no heat in the sheds, I have no worries of ice damming, so I think no felt will be OK long term ...maybe?

Xsleeper: If I slide roll flashing under the 1st course far enough to be above the seams, I'd think that would be a long-lasting solution (assuming it's fastened down nicely) It's also against thick woods (trees, so I'm thinking the wind will not be as forceful). Do you have any insight as to whether it would fail soon?

joecaption: Yes there is a nice drip edge installed. Also, the shingles ARE nailed, not stapled. The shingles on my massive 12-unit apartment building are stapled and they are coming out like crazy. I hate staples!

Manden: Thanks; I'll be doing this method and I'll keep my eye on the interior leaks at the seams; I use this shed, every month, so I'll spot it instantly if it starts to leak again.

 

I don't know what kind of shingles you have or the pitch of your roof. But generally the first course needs to be flashed at least an inch higher than the nails are to do any good. Maybe you have not heard of capillary action. Water is drawn uphill between adjacent surfaces. It's why starter rows are sized the way they are. But do what you like. If you get any snow it will probably leak when it melts.

 

They're asphalt architectural shingles, and it looks like about a 6/12 or 7/12 pitch. I'm not under the impression that asphalt and/or aluminum could achieve capillary action. I guess surface tension could cause it to migrate up hill, still.

Hey, I just realized pulling nails wouldn't be that time consuming because I just found out that only one 20' linear section is affected (vs. the 120 ft. I though I was facing). I'd only be pulling 1 row of nails, right? Then putting down 2 rows: 1 replacement and the other for the starter course 1"-2" from the eave edge. I hate to have to break the seal of the 2nd row though; do they re-seal with heat? ...or should I put a quarter sized roof cement dolope every foot or so?

I'll slide some aluminum flashing pieces under the seams to stop the bleeding for now. And then when it's 70 degrees or so for most of the day (probably within a month), I'll lay that starter course. I'll even bring my compressor and roofing nail gun to make it official!

 

They might reseal but it would be a good idea to add a few dots of sealant after you're all done.

 

Cool, thanks for your time answering my concerns!

One last thing. Is the roofing cement in the caulking tubes at the big box stores OK to use for that? I only need one tube's worth, so I'd love to use that, plus it's so easy to apply with the caulking gun. Thanks!

 

Yes, its fine. But if you crease the shingles too much lifting them up, you might need to put a brick on them until the sun heats them up enough to lay flat again.