Finally got my backyard studio roof sealed after a big leak scare

I was in the middle of recording a demo at my place in Austin last Tuesday when I heard dripping behind the acoustic panels, turns out a seam had split right above my mixing board. I grabbed some flex seal tape at 2 AM just to stop the immediate damage, but now I'm looking at maybe 200 bucks in repairs. Has anyone else had a roof issue pop up on a prefab shed conversion and how did you track down the exact spot?

2 comments

2 Comments

webb.stella25d ago

I grabbed some flex seal tape at 2 AM just to stop the immediate damage" - yeah I did the same thing last year with my shed studio. The tape works for a few days but it's not a real fix. I ended up finding the leak by going up there with a garden hose on a dry day. Had my girlfriend spray sections while I stayed inside watching for drips. Took three tries but I narrowed it down to where the roof panels meet the wall trim. The caulk had cracked from the Texas heat. I cleaned it out good and put down a thick bead of silicone caulk, not the cheap stuff. Has been dry through two rainstorms since. Flex seal is fine for a bandaid but you gotta reseal the actual seam.

skylershah24d ago

Whoa, so when you did the hose test, did the water show up right away or did it take a minute? I'm wondering because I've seen leaks where the water travels along a beam or insulation before it actually drips down, and that can throw you off big time. Like, the leak point on the ceiling might be a foot or two away from where the water actually got in. Did you tape off sections of the roof with painter's tape to isolate areas, or were you just spraying and hoping? Curious about the method because I'm about to do the same on a metal carport I turned into a workshop.