DIY Sunday: Roof Repair

Last year during a severe rainstorm I noticed a huge waterspot developing on the roof of one of my bedrooms.

The next day after the rain stopped, I got back into the woods at an angle where I could see the roof.



I saw this.



A better closeup. How the fuck did this happen? Did a goddamn meteor hit my house or something?

Now this is a section of the roof that is only visible from a wooded area. So its not like I inspect it daily or anything; The more likely culprit was a broken roofing tile that went unnoticed. Also note the clear water damage that is visible in the first picture.

I know my entire roof needs replacing. Unfortunately that is expensive and I don't have the dough to do it right now. So I needed a quick fix to stop the interior from being ruined.

I contacted a roofing company and was quoted $450 over the phone. I decided to go ahead and do it myself.

I'll try to illustrate it. Unfortunately it was supposed to rain the next day so I had to make the fix quick. And since it is winter; daylight hours are limited. Plus i work the nightshift (7pm to 7am - 12 hour shifts). I needed to get this done before it rained again and damaged more of the interior. Since I was working so quick I kind of forgot to take more pictures of the process.



Go to a supply place, buy a sheet of OSB that matches the decking that you have on your roof. Match the sheet you buy to the size of the decking on your roof. Mine was 7/16th. it cost me $5 for a 4x8 sheet which was more than enough for the repair. Also, buy a box of galvanized/coated deck screws and some roofing nails (they're cheap $20 for more than enough to finish the job).

Also, you'll need a saw. You can use a manual handsaw if you like, but a circular saw or sawzall will speed the process up and be slightly more precise. I used my circular saw. I'd recommend a circular saw because you can set it to not cut through your rafters, but if you're like me and on a budget you can use whatever. Just be careful of the overall structure.

You'll also need a roll of roofing felt ($15) or tarpaper. I'd recommend #15 because it is cheaper and it really doesn't make much of a difference if you use #15 or #30, unless you're anal retentive...then go with the #30. But I'm guessing if you're using this method you're trying a quick cheap fix, so go with #15.

Also, break a shingle off your roof and take it with you. Buy a stack of shingles ($15) that matches (one stack will be more than enough).


Since I have an extremely pitched roof, I also invested in roof jacks. These are designed so you can make a little platform out of scrap wood to stand on while you work. Lest you fall to your doom. If you're scared of heights, this isn't a good DIY repair to try and undertake, btw.

MAKE SURE YOU SECURE YOURSELF AND YOUR LADDER IN ALL WAYS POSSIBLE. YOU WON'T SAVE MONEY IF YOU BREAK YOUR GODDAMN NECK OR LEG DURING THIS PROCESS. DON'T TAKE ANY CHANCES WITH YOUR SAFETY.



Step one, cut out around the area where the hole is. I noted that the surrounding wood was wet around edges the hole for several inches. So I went ahead and used my circular saw to cut a rough eyeballed square to where the dry wood was.



Next, I cut a piece of 1x8 pine wood a foot wider than the hole I cut with my saw. Holding the piece of wood underneath the hole, I used deck screws to secure it into place (where the x's are in the pic).



Then, after I had measured the size of the square, I cut a piece of 7/16 OSB that I had bought to fit the hole. I screwed it in with deck screws (where the x's are). Since the 7/16 OSB matches the decking that I had just removed, the whole installation is completely flush with the rest of the roof.



After that I used my caulking gun to add roofing tar around the edges and form a seal around the OSB "patch" I created. After that, I went ahead and removed any damaged shingles around the hole itself.

Once I had it stripped down to the damaged areas, it was just a matter of reshingling. And don't be afraid of pulling shingles off. One shingle can cover quite a bit of area, and a pack of shingles goes a long way.



Here is a shot of the completed patch. Obviously the newer shingles look a lot better than the 15-20 year old shingles that the home is currently roofed with, but I bought myself some time until I have the money to do the job right.

Hope this helps anyone who is curious about fixing holes in their roof. This was not very difficult at all. It just takes the correct tools and about 2 hours of your time.

Total repair cost? $68. (I also bought some rubber gloves + a bucket to clean out my eaves since I was up there). Quoted $450. Saved about $375. Total time was about an hour of labor and another hour to run to the hardware store.