How to waterproof leaking verandah?

[Sputnik]

Hi folks, I understand if this might be beyond me and require a roofer, but taking a punt because you have been so helpful in the past. My back 'verandah' butts up against the house and sits directly under the gutter. The house has shifted a bit, and now the water sits up against the house instead of running the OTHER way to the gutter. So the water goes in the direction of the red arrow and pools up there, and then gets in/above/around whatever sort of join is there and then leaks down into the back patio through the wood which is now starting to rot a little. 

There's not really room to lift anything up to change the pitch of those sheets easily without almost completely re-doing it so wondering if there's a short term fix to just... ah... waterproof it in that area so it holds water but doesn't leak through? It looks like there's just foam insert there which obviously wouldn't be waterproof... I know it wouldn't be a proper fix and having water sit there might not be ideal, but could i maybe paint the area with something like Crommelin waterproofer and hope for the best?

Or do i just admit defeat and get a roofer in...? I have tried to get a few people around to quote but the first quote was $10,000 and the second company never even came back to me...  i suspect the best approach is to tear it all down and start again, but wouldn't mind a short term fix if anyone has any suggestions.

Sidenote: Access into/under there isn't great either and those sheets won't support my weight so even getting to it is a bit tricky. 

[JacobZ]

Hi @Sputnik,

Considering the issue is related to the pitch of the roofing materials, anything besides lifting them to correct the pitch of the roof is going to be a temporary fix at best. Unfortunately, I think the only long-term solution is to have the roof pitch altered.

As a short-term fix, you could try using CAgroup 100mm x 10m Weatherproof Byute Flash Flashing Tape to bridge the gap between the roof sheet and the foam infill panel. This would stop the water from leaking through, but as you have already said, it would just hold it there, which isn't ideal.

Allow me to tag @Dave-1, @Nailbag and @Noyade to see if they have any ideas.

Jacob

[Sputnik]

Thanks mate. About what I expected, but am happy with a fix that will just get me through maybe one or two more winters while I fix a few other things than circle back around to this because fixing the pitch won't be very simple and given the way it's all put together (ie not great) probably means tearing down what's there and building a whole new patio etc... have some of that tape here so will give it a go if i can get enough access to the area properly... tricky to get in there unfortunately which is why i was hoping some sort of waterproof paint may have worked. 

[Noyade]

Hi @Sputnik 

Any chance of photos of this verandah in its entirety?

In particular the front supports? Could a builder lower this area?

Keep us informed. Remember, even some of the best places leak.

Cheers.

[Sputnik]

I actually don't mind the water coming through so much... i collect it and put it on the garden. But i can see the wood is starting rot and experience tells me if I do nothing now, by the time I do have to fix it, it will cost me twice as much to replace the extra bits as well... 

One support is mounted to the house. A bit of dicking around but I suspect not so difficult - could probably do myself. The other side is attached to the carport (which also has some pitch issues) and a bit trickier. I would say possible. Really just trying to buy myself some time here for a season or two while I work out best way to fix because will probably just get a whole new carport/patio and get it sorted - the whole thing is a bit dodgy the way it is. 

 

[JacobZ]

Hi @Sputnik,

Is there any way you could remove a sheet from the underside of the patio, unscrew the roof sheet so there is a bit of movement, then put some packers on top of the rafters to lift the sheet up that little bit?

If you could get to the rafters from the underside, this could be an option.

Jacob

[Dave-1]

Good Afternoon @Sputnik 

I am wondering as a short term fix if you can raise the sheet by lifting the part above the red line? Hopefully the beam its sitting on hasnt dropped too far so wedging a piece of timber underneath will be enough to change the slope over to running the correct way. You will need to maybe remove some screws top side I would say from the sheet of metal. 

If you place a level on the underside can you see how far out the slope is? So from the end of the level facing the gutter and the whole level  flat against the sheet. How far down do you have to drop the end of the level further away from the gutter for the bubble to move towards the gutter a little? Also need the length of the level to work out the fall.

If it cant be shifted, I have used this stuff on my brickwork to stop water into my garage, its VERY sticky and VERY hard to apply but worked wonders. I dont know if I would recomend a short term solution tho. Gripset Betta 4L Bitumen Rubber Waterproofing Membrane 

Dave

Dave

[Sputnik]

Thanks Dave. Yeah it's all riveted in, (not sure if there are any other fasteners i can't see) but i could try drilling them out and seeing if I can prop it up a bit... good suggestion. I'll have to do some measures and get the level on it. Looked at that gripset previously also... a good heads up that it's hard to work with. Usually i wouldn't be up for short term fixes either, but just at the moment juggling a few things so if i can delay a proper fix for a season or two if i'm lucky i'll take it. Thanks again mate. 

[Nailbag]

Hi @Sputnik 

I wonder if its worth first siliconing the end where it pools to stop the leaks, then try using slightly overlapping layers of the CAgroup 100mm x 10m Weatherproof Byute Flash Flashing Tape but lengthways almost like creating ramps in each of the affected sheet channels. This might redirect water back away towards the other end if that make some sense?

Nailbag

[Sputnik]

Ah, interesting... i actually bought some of this tape last night thinking I might be able to use it to help... the idea of building up that end is an interesting one though. I'll have to see how deep the water gets to understand how high I'd need to go. Unfortunately my house is on REALLY reactive soil and has moved a LOT during the drought here in SA (ironic that yes we're in a drought, but am still having issues with rain!) so I'm starting to think I may need to just pull the carport/patio down and start again. But if i can do a few patch ups to get me through at least one more winter than look at doing some more major fixes. Thanks for the suggestion mate really appreciate it! (I'm not sure quite what you've suggested will work, but I may be able to McGuyver another sheet right over the top, lifted at the problem end...