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How to Repair a Pitched Roof
HOW TO 
Tags: Pitched Roof, Roof Repairs, Roof Problems
A pitched roof is a roof structure where the roof leans to one side of the house. It is also known as lean-to roof. The rafters are connected to the highest wall and then it is inclined to a lower wall, which then forms the pitched roof. Here is how you can fix this common problem.
| 1. | Locate the source of the leak. If the leak is through an unfinished ceiling, look at the rafters and sheathing and look for the drip. The source on the outside will either be in the corresponding location, or uphill from there. If the leak is through a finished ceiling, the location of the flaw is less clear - the drip could be coming through shingles at one point, and then moving along rafters or other structural members, before staining the sheetrock. Once up on the roof, you'll have to inspect a larger area. |
| 2. | On the roof, look in the suspect area. The flaw will likely either be a missing or damaged shingle, or damaged flashing (sheet metal that connects features like chimneys, pipes, etc., into the waterproof structure of the shingles). |
| 3. | Signs of a shingle problem: a shingle is entirely missing; a shingle is ripped; a nail head is misplaced, and visible to your eye (all nail heads should be hidden under other shingles). |
| 4. | Sign of a flashing problem: flashing has pulled away from masonry or pipes; flashing is missing; flashing has corroded because of galvanic reaction with nails; etc. If the problem is flashing, that should be covered in a different article. |
| 5. | If there's a problem with the shingle, wait until a warm day, so that adjacent shingles are pliable. Use a shingle ripper (a long bar with a hook on one end) to reach *under* the damaged shingle, and grab on to one nail that holds the shingle down. Use the shingle ripper to rip the shingle free of the nail / shear off the nail. There will be four or more nails per shingle. Normal asphalt shingles are "three tab" type: there will be one nail above each tab-division slit, and one at each end of the shingle. All four nails will be in a row, tucked about one inch further up the roof than the topmost exposed bit of the shingle in question. |
| 6. | Once all of the nails holding the defective shingle have been removed, remove the shingle. Pull out any broken or flawed bits, then wipe the area clean. |
| 7. | Slide a new shingle in to place. The tabbed end of the shingle goes downhill; the other end, which usually has less granulated material on it, goes uphill. If the shingle is too wide, it can be trimmed with a utility knife. Put the shingle on a hard surface (NOT the roof that you're trying to repair!) upside down, then score it with the knife. Break away and discard the excess. Remove no more than necessary to get it to fit! |
| 8. | Carefully bend back the two overlapping shingles in the upper course. Use four high quality galvanized roofing nails (short, with broad heads). Tap them gently through the new shingle, in the location described above (note that most new shingles have a thin strip of asphalt like material on the top side, running left to right. Your nails MUST be further uphill than this line. |
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