How can we fix the leak in my great grandmother’s beach home before it causes more damage?
Asked by Maksymilian Wollan 
3 months ago
Last Updated: September 8, 2024
I’m currently staying in my great grandmother’s beach house and we have a leak in the roof. It’s dripping in the attic. My husband snapped some photos and they’re not looking too good. Do you have any tips on how to patch it up? Or any advice in general?
You should reach out to a roofer. The chimney flashing is tricky and needs to be redone. It seems like someone else has already attempted to repair the leak. In addition, a small mini roof needs to be built on the uphill side of the chimney to help water drain more easily.
You’ve got two choices: 1) carefully remove the old silicone/caulking with a blade and use roofing silicone, or 2) have a roofing company come in, remove the metal flashing, and redo the whole area with new flashing. If your roof is old and you don’t want to spend the money, just go with option 1.
The flashing seems alright, so take off the old sealant and put on “through the roof” instead.
It appears that something may have punctured the shingles.
Reapply flashing cement or roof caulking to secure it in place.
You should consider hiring a reliable professional to fix this issue. For now, you can try preventing further damage by removing as many remnants of the old sealant as possible and using Geocell 2300 tri-polymer roofing caulk. It used to be exclusive to contractor stores, but now you can find it at Ace Hardware. Just make sure you’re cautious not to harm the shingles further while reapplying the caulk.
Is that a Philly gutter? I took a closer look and it appears to be a Philly gutter that drains onto the other roof… If that’s the case, does it leak constantly or only during heavy rainfall?
Oh no, leaks in Philly roof during rain are the worst 😞
Oh, I see now! I may have misinterpreted it…it appeared different today, for some reason. My apologies. It simply requires some tidying up and recaulking. I’m assuming there is step flashing beneath it in the shingles. They tend to leak at the corner, depending on how they handled the corner. Since it’s old flashing, it probably just needs new caulking.