Hey everyone! I could really use your help. I just cleared out a bunch of rotten wood from my metal-framed pergola, which had some boards underneath one of the rafters to direct rainwater away from my garage roof onto the pergola's tin roof. When I had my garage and house reroofed 13 years ago, they ran shingles over the pergola to allow water to flow off the garage roof. However, the pergola wood was really rotted, and rather than replace the bad sections, the previous owners just put new wood around it. Now that I've removed the rot, the roof edge is bare except for some floppy shingles, and unfortunately, the ends of the rafters are damaged too. I want to fix this properly without damaging the roof further. I'm open to suggestions on how to strengthen the exposed wood and whether I should consider replacing the ends of the rafters. I'm willing to learn and tackle this project myself. Thanks a lot! <3
1 Answer
Installing drip edge flashing along your roof edge is a great solution! Just remove the loose asphalt covering the shingle ends, then nail the drip edge flashing beneath the lower shingles. This way, it helps protect the exposed wood. If you plan to add gutters for rainwater collection, you’ll need to put fascia trim along those rafter ends. Before you attach it, make sure to prime and paint it, especially the ends, to prevent water damage. If the rafter ends are in bad shape, you can attach new wood beside them to give you a solid base for the gutters. And don’t forget to ensure your gutters slope properly for drainage. If this sounds confusing, no worries—there are plenty of how-to guides online! Good luck with your project!
Yeah, and if you're collecting rainwater, consider adding a leaf catcher and first flush diverter to keep it clean! It makes a huge difference in reducing debris.