My Shed Stayed Dry in Normal Rain for Three Years. Then One Storm Told Me What I'd Missed.

The Gap I Couldn’t See

The drip edge looked fine from the ground. It was doing its job along the eaves, channeling water into the gutters like it should.

But at the rake—the angled edge where the roof meets the gable end—there was a hairline gap between the metal and the wood trim beneath it.

Most of the time, that gap didn’t matter. Rain falls down, gravity does its thing, and the shingles and drip edge work together to keep water moving in the right direction.

But when wind pushed rain at a steep angle, hitting the rake almost horizontally, water could work its way under the drip edge and behind the trim. From there it followed the path of least resistance, running along the top plate and eventually finding its way inside.

I’d installed that drip edge three years ago. Nailed it every eight inches, overlapped the corners, followed the packaging directions. What I’d never thought to do—and what became obvious once I saw where the water was traveling—was seal that joint with caulk.

So what actually fills that gap, and how much does a fix like this cost?