# My wood shed is leaking badly



## ironspider (Dec 9, 2013)

I'm not much of a handy man, but i did tear down a shed from someones property (legally) and put it up as my wood shed, it's about 10x10 but it's a total rig job, nothing fit together properly so I think it was two sheds mashed together at some point.  I have it on blocks because we flood (BTW

So I get it all together and it's leaking very bad, to the point where all my wood is wet.  Yes, i put shingles on the roof.  I can only guess that the back part of the shed doesn't slope down enough or maybe not at all.

What do i need to do to shore this up, what can i use to cover the roof without throwing a blue tarp over it.

Any ideas?  It's not leaking in the front, just the peak and the back.  Wifey is not letting me spend any more money, so minimal costs is essential.


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## Jags (Dec 9, 2013)

Spidey - Have you ever shingled before?  It is very difficult to tell from the pic, but it doesn't look like the shingles were laid properly.

ETA - with the very minimal slope that you have, you may very well be better off with roll roofing (kinda like shingle, just in a big role) with a heavy overlap - maybe even seal the overlap with tar. The stuff is pretty cheap.

Hopefully @Hogwildz will show up.  He is one of the onboard pros for roofing.


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## Snotrocket (Dec 9, 2013)

I can tell just from that picture your shingles are all jacked up.


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## Backwoods Savage (Dec 9, 2013)

Or a rubber roof.


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## ironspider (Dec 9, 2013)

LOL, The only shingling i've ever done was removing the old ones from the house behind the shed, I never installed shingles but it looked easy.  Simply lay them on top of each other......I guess not

I searched "roll roofing" on home depot and didn't see anything.  Can you be more specific, oh, i didn't use underlayment either.


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## Jags (Dec 9, 2013)

Something like this:
http://www.lowes.com/Building-Supplies/Roofing-Gutters/Roll-Roofing/_/N-1z11pr8/pl#!


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## fossil (Dec 9, 2013)

I'm talking about tar paper.  And if there's no underlayment, what are the shingles nailed to?


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## fossil (Dec 9, 2013)

Here ya go:

https://www.google.com/#q=how+to+install+shingle+roofing&revid=1490976025


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## Snotrocket (Dec 9, 2013)

You don't need the tar paper or the underlayment. Just shingle it properly. You could make it water tight with some synthetic underlayment but it will look like hell. You would also need to buy a whole roll which would cover a 1000sq ft house.


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## ironspider (Dec 9, 2013)

fossil said:


> I'm talking about tar paper.  And if there's no underlayment, what are the shingles nailed to?



nailed to the plywood.


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## fossil (Dec 9, 2013)

ironspider said:


> nailed to the plywood.



Sorry, that's what I'm referring to as underlayment.  Plywood, paper, shingles.  That's a typical asphalt shingle roof.

Here's one:


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## ironspider (Dec 9, 2013)

Jags said:


> Something like this:
> http://www.lowes.com/Building-Supplies/Roofing-Gutters/Roll-Roofing/_/N-1z11pr8/pl#!



So based on the link, I'd probably need two or three rolls.  What about the seams where they overlap?


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## ironspider (Dec 9, 2013)

fossil said:


> Sorry, that's what I'm referring to as underlayment.  Plywood, paper, shingles.  That's a typical asphalt shingle roof.
> 
> Here's one:
> View attachment 120029



I need everything in that picture....


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## Jags (Dec 9, 2013)

ironspider said:


> So based on the link, I'd probably need two or three rolls.  What about the seams where they overlap?



I would overlap them heavily.  Like several inches sealed with tar.  Those particular rolls are 3ft x 36 ft.  I have no idea the size of your roof, but it should be very easy to calculate.  Keep in mind - this is just one idea.  There are several solutions for your problem.


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## ironspider (Dec 9, 2013)

Jags said:


> I would overlap them heavily.  Like several inches sealed with tar.  Those particular rolls are 3ft x 36 ft.  I have no idea the size of your roof, but it should be very easy to calculate.  Keep in mind - this is just one idea.  There are several solutions for your problem.



I'm looking for the cheapest easiest way to keep the water out. I need to save up for a splitter.


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## Jags (Dec 9, 2013)

ironspider said:


> I'm looking for the cheapest easiest way to keep the water out. I need to save up for a splitter.



When it comes to roofing, that is about as cheap of a product that I know of.


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## tigeroak (Dec 9, 2013)

From looking at your shed, you do not have enough pitch in your roof for shingles. What you need to do is go to home depot or a lumber yard and get you some roll roofing and put that down. Start at the bottom and work your way up. Yes that may be a little like tell a kid on how to do it. BUT I can tell you people have started at the top and came down, with rolled and shingles. Then wanted to know why their roofed leaked. And yes I roofed for over 20 years. Roll roofing use to come in rolls of 100 square feet in a roll. So measure your roof and get what rolls you need , a few tubes of tar and a couple pounds of roof nails.


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## UncleJoe (Dec 9, 2013)

Have you considered metal roofing? Around here it goes for $2.20/ft. That's a 3' wide panel. You can occasionally find some on Craigslist even cheaper.


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## EatenByLimestone (Dec 9, 2013)

You need a 4/12 pitch for shingles.  I got away with 3/12, but it's pushing it.  I think the roll on roofing or even metal roofing is the answer.  For the meantime, you mentioned an aversion to blue tarps.  Have you seen the black tarps?  

Come to think of it, a single piece of EPDM might be a good fit for this roof.  Drape it over the edges and secure it to the walls.  The only hard and fast rule with roofs is that they must shed water.  A single piece of EPDM wouldn't have any holes so it should shed water real easy.


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## ironspider (Dec 10, 2013)

A friend of mine said he has a roll of roof roll.  

Do i remove the shingles, lay the roof roll and nail the shingles back on?


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## Jags (Dec 10, 2013)

Do not nail the shingles to the roll roofing.  Either leave the shingles if in good condition and laying flat, or remove them and then lay down the roll roofing.


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## EatenByLimestone (Dec 10, 2013)

Can the shed support 2 layers of roof plus 2 feet of snow?   I'd hate to go through all that work only to have it collapse under a good snowfall.


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## gzecc (Dec 10, 2013)

ironspider said:


> I'm not much of a handy man, but i did tear down a shed from someones property (legally) and put it up as my wood shed, it's about 10x10 but it's a total rig job, nothing fit together properly so I think it was two sheds mashed together at some point.  I have it on blocks because we flood (BTW
> 
> So I get it all together and it's leaking very bad, to the point where all my wood is wet.  Yes, i put shingles on the roof.  I can only guess that the back part of the shed doesn't slope down enough or maybe not at all.
> 
> ...


Constantly amazes me how people build something wrong then expect an easy solution to the problem caused by the poor design or material used.  Yes, I'm a contractor and see it all the time.


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## ironspider (Dec 10, 2013)

I don't trust the roof.  I don't very much trust the shed.  Whomever built this really did a shabby job, I shored it up a little, but there is nothing i trust about this shed.  will roll roofing and say cauking the seams be enough?  I need this done by friday, I have a load of season wood coming and all of my racks are full of next years unseasoned wood.


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## ironspider (Dec 10, 2013)

gzecc said:


> Constantly amazes me how people build something wrong then expect an easy solution to the problem caused by the poor design or material used.  Yes, I'm a contractor and see it all the time.



When i agreed to take this shed I had no clue it was poorly put together.  I don't know too much about construction so i figured I'll simply take the walls off, the roof off and just put them back on.  Upon trying to rebuild is when i realized so many shims and mismatched wood, and nothing fitting properly.  It became obvious only when trying to put it back together.

Yes, I probably should have just spend money on a good new shed or had it built properly, but I don't have the money which is why I'm trying to heat more with wood rather than oil.  So yes, I'm now asking you to help me with an easy solution, of which there may not be.  However, any bit of help greatly appreciated.


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## EatenByLimestone (Dec 10, 2013)

Well if you take some pics of the inside, and can swing a hammer, we can probably guide you on fixing this thing cheap.  Since the shingles are new, they can be reused.  You can probably frame up a new shed roof fairly cheaply if you reuse what you have.  







Matt


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## billb3 (Dec 10, 2013)

I'd remove the shingles and just put roll roofing.
I
 don't see enough pitch for shingles to work well. All you need with little pitch is for  one or more to curl and you have water finding its way under the upper course.

There's always a bright blue tarp too. Wifee might buy you some more roll roofing and a can or two of tar..


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## ironspider (Dec 11, 2013)

Ok, so a buddy of mine gave me extra roll roofing he had laying around, this still confuses me though.  How is this stuff any different than just shingles, it looks like one long piece of shingle.  Please see photo below.

So, how do i go about this?  Remove shingles!  do i lay something down before the roll roofing?  Based on what you see , what should I do?  Please.


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## gzecc (Dec 11, 2013)

ironspider said:


> Ok, so a buddy of mine gave me extra roll roofing he had laying around, this still confuses me though.  How is this stuff any different than just shingles, it looks like one long piece of shingle.  Please see photo below.
> 
> So, how do i go about this?  Remove shingles!  do i lay something down before the roll roofing?  Based on what you see , what should I do?  Please.


 http://www.wikihow.com/Apply-Rolled-Roofing


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## ironspider (Dec 11, 2013)

billb3 said:


> I'd remove the shingles and just put roll roofing.
> I
> don't see enough pitch for shingles to work well. All you need with little pitch is for  one or more to curl and you have water finding its way under the upper course.
> 
> There's always a bright blue tarp too. Wifee might buy you some more roll roofing and a can or two of tar..



i guess this is what I'm looking to figure out.  if the pitch is not enough for singles, how Will this be any different?


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## billb3 (Dec 11, 2013)

ironspider said:


> i guess this is what I'm looking to figure out.  if the pitch is not enough for singles, how Will this be any different?



shingles have little dots of tar/glue to keep themselves glued down so water sheds off with pitch.
with roll roofing, if you've properly tarred and nailed the seam(s) water won't blow nor seep back up that slight angle.
leaking back in thru your roof  material, if that is what is happening. Big IF.


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## Applesister (Dec 11, 2013)

I would just lay a heavy tarp over it for now and wait till spring and then add more pitch to the roof. 
Job Lots or Northern tool sells those Shelter Logic tarps.


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## Applesister (Dec 11, 2013)

I have a friend who buys those roll off sheds for all their livestock and they always redo the roofs on them.


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## ironspider (Dec 12, 2013)

billb3 said:


> shingles have little dots of tar/glue to keep themselves glued down so water sheds off with pitch.
> with roll roofing, if you've properly tarred and nailed the seam(s) water won't blow nor seep back up that slight angle.
> leaking back in thru your roof  material, if that is what is happening. Big IF.



I live in NY and it's been in the mid 30's during the day, isn't it a little cold to tar?


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## Jags (Dec 12, 2013)

Keep the tar inside and do the tar job fast.  The only other option is to wait for warmer weather.


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## billb3 (Dec 12, 2013)

A very long time ago- we used a hot plate ( on low, iirc ) to warm  the cans up with nail holes punched in  the top of the can so it would run out in a thin line. Wasn't Winter.


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## NRGarrott (Dec 12, 2013)

I roof part time. I'm not driving to NY but if you send me a message I will give you my phone number. I can walk a monkey through installing roll roofing.


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## ironspider (Dec 13, 2013)

It's under 30 degrees today, I think I'm just going to tarp it for the winter, fix it in the warmer weather.


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## ironspider (Dec 13, 2013)

Another question:  I have a cord of seasoned wood being delivered today, is it appropriate to pull out my moisture meter, split a piece with the guy there? And if so what % should I accept?  He said it was split before October of last year, and stacked on pallets.  Charging 180 delivered.


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## Lumber-Jack (Dec 13, 2013)

Whatever the heck you do,  don't make the mistake most people do when they shingle a roof and not give yourself enough overhang at the bottom drip edge of the roof. Looking at the picture you posted it looks like you have too much overhang on the gable sides, and no overhang on the bottom edges where you really need it. On the gable sides (the sloping sides) you want to have about 3/4" overhang on your roofing material, be it shingles or roll roofing, and on the bottom drip edge The edge where the water will be dripping, I would leave about 1" minimum. If you don't leave enough over hang at the drip edge the water will flow back and and possibly under the shingles and down the wall, and will eventually rot all the wood it comes in contact with.
Not having that drip edge is the most common mistake people make when doing their own roofing projects.
There is metal drip edging you can also install, but it's not absolutely necessary..
The important thing is to leave enough roofing material overhanging that the water drips clear of the wood.


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## USMC80 (Dec 13, 2013)

ironspider said:


> Another question:  I have a cord of seasoned wood being delivered today, is it appropriate to pull out my moisture meter, split a piece with the guy there? And if so what % should I accept?  He said it was split before October of last year, and stacked on pallets.  Charging 180 delivered.


absolutely,test that wood.


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## Lumber-Jack (Dec 13, 2013)

ironspider said:


> Another question:  I have a cord of seasoned wood being delivered today, is it appropriate to pull out my moisture meter, split a piece with the guy there? *And if so what % should I accept? * He said it was split before October of last year, and stacked on pallets.  Charging 180 delivered.


Anything under 20% is good to go, between 20% and 25% is gray area, and over 25% is not considered "seasoned".


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## Applesister (Dec 13, 2013)

Heres some numbers:
Gray birch cut in April --23%
Black birch cut 9-2012-- 19.8% on large unsplit round. 17% on a large split.
Oak splits on 8-24-12 --23% 21% 21.5%
Black cherry split 9-15-12 ---15.3%
Red Elm cut in 11-2012 but split 3-2013 at 20.5%

used a General MM Lowes $29.00
The gray birch is a no go. Isnt burning well. Red Elm burns but leaves buildup on glass. A not so good.
Not burning the Oak yet. And cherry is doing great as usual And black birch is holding the fort with hot fires. 
Anything over 21-22% seems to add creosote to inside of stove. I have nonCAT none secondary pipes in an older airtight stove.


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## Applesister (Dec 13, 2013)

If you get readings that are higher you can dicker the price down, if the guy has good wood. And then season it yourself. 
You can ask for better seasoned wood.
Or just refuse the wood. Warn the guy ahead of time that you will meter test the wood.
To save both of you aggrevation.


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## Jags (Dec 13, 2013)

Applesister said:


> Warn the guy ahead of time that you will meter test the wood.
> .



^^^THIS.
It will also give the supplier the opportunity to bring the very best he has to offer to somebody he KNOWS is checking the quality of the wood (and cares about it).


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## Eater309 (Dec 13, 2013)

gzecc said:


> Constantly amazes me how people build something wrong then expect an easy solution to the problem caused by the poor design or material used.  Yes, I'm a contractor and see it all the time.


gzecc,  not getting personal but you commented on how "amateurs" are always wanting an easy fix.  Well it constantly amazes me how contractors always overbooking jobs?  Working a few hours each day on several jobs and taking so long to complete anyone of them quickly.  Guess I just got burned, maybe all aren't that way but most are.  Probably wrong place to post this.....  Don't want to start a war just my 2 cents.


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## ironspider (Dec 13, 2013)

Ok, I tarped the shed.  Looking a little ghetto.


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## ironspider (Dec 13, 2013)

So before he dumps just grab a piece split it and meter it. It'll be kind of hard to send the guy away


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## ironspider (Dec 18, 2013)

I've absolutely had it.  I tarped the shed, nice and tight, stapled down on the sides, no overlaps and somehow water is  still getting in.  Unbelievable.  Heavy duty tarp from HD.

On a brighter note, the wood guy that was supposed to come, bailed on me so I found someone on craigs to deliver on a friday, moisture was on the higher side, about 28 but i took it and it burns great.  Only issue is a lot of it is really big pieces and a lot of long pieces that i'll have to saw in half.


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