My mood dropped when I saw the new roof leaking after the first heavy rainfall since it was put up last week. Granted the problem is less bad than with the old disintegrating roof, its reappearance is still disheartening. As the job was paid for cash-in-hand, I have little recourse to seek reparation from the handyman. I could call him back, but I think he already delivered the best he could manage. Besides, the results of my online search showed that leaking roofs are common even for new sheds built by professionals, and therefore it would be rather unfair of me to expect perfection from the local odd-job man.
So, today once more I set to work on the shed. I inspected the inside, looking for gaps through which water could enter. Seeing no obvious pathways, I climbed on to the roof to examine the felt. It was mostly dry, except for a wet patch along the line where two pieces of the material were joined. It was nailed down securely, but the overlap of the sections was narrower than the recommended 150mm. Thus, it was possible for water to seep through and come down the joists in to the shed.
Luckily, I had some leftover felt from my first attempt at repairing the roof. I used it to cover the problem area, making sure to hammer enough nails to press the felt firmly on to the roof. The proper fix is to completely replace the felt, but until the longer summer days enable me to do that, I have to contend with this hack.
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