Leaky roof, help!

[01RedDX]

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[ricosuave]

um, theres nothing she could do that is going to help - nail a tarp over the leaky spot on the outside, try and run the dripping water into a sport thats already wet, or into a pail or something, away from fresh roof or walls or whatever

i suggest she call a roofer tomorrow am and arrange some sort of loan or whatever.

[01RedDX]

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[Xtrema]

Didn't do inspection before you buy?

Equity loan?

[TrevorK]

If you're not worried about appearance then remove the shingles in the affected area and replace all the damaged wood underneath. Then reshingle it. The colour of the shingles may be off, but if you're not picky you might even be able to get them for free/next to nothing (From people who have them and just want to get rid of them).


There are obviously shortcuts you can take to this. But with winter upon us, you have to make sure that:
- It is watertight
- It is structurally strong enough to support the weight of the snow

The only way to do this is to patch up the affected areas with good wood and shingles. Without a doubt this is something that the average person is capable of.

In an ideal world you'll also want to replace the insulation that is obviously affected as well as anything else below the roofline. However, in a pinch, you could just skip this step if need be until you have the funds. The priority should be to stop the leak. The only downside is that by leaving the potentially damaged wood/insulation/etc in place you risk mold growth....

I'm leaving the interior aspect out of this because is she doesn't have money to fix the roof she sure as hell doesn't have the money to drywall.

[01RedDX]

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[Kobe]

Might aswell go up onto the roof and see if theres any big holes from nails.. and use a cocking gun 2 try to seal them..


Worth a try.

[TrevorK]

Originally posted by Kobe
Might aswell go up onto the roof and see if theres any big holes from nails.. and use a cocking gun 2 try to seal them..


Worth a try.

If the drywall is falling down, there are bigger problem than just a few holes.

Assuming the water has gone through the nailholes, it will then have to penetrate insulation (4-6" in an older homes), then penetrate the vapour barrier. Then, soak threw the drywall and cause it to fall.

There's an awfully large leak here to cause that. It should be easily seen from within the attic. Or the big hole in your celing where the drywall used to be ;)

[topmade]

Your sister is in for a big fix. Go into the attic and see if you can see where the water is coming from. If you can't see it or it's a vaulted ceiling, then the whole section is going to have to be replaced. The shingles, OSB wood, drywall, insulation and probably some framing as well. Even though she wasn't looking to get it replaced till next year, I would suggest do it now because from the sounds of it, it's pretty old and needs attention asap and not 1 year from now. As for $, I don't know get a loan from someone or a bank? If I wasn't so busy with my own home reno's I would offer to help replace the whole thing for a good price.