From the limited info you have offered it is impossible to tell if a fix or repair is even possible. The entire thing could be rtooen. You will need to hire a contractor/roofer/good handyman to come inspect the roof structure but from the pics that looks like the inexpensive aluminum type premanufacturered subrooms so expect to need to replace it. Also the tape marked spots are where the water is appearing it is unlikely that is where it is leaking, just where it shows up.

Look like sections of wood fence have been laid on top of the porch roof. The fence stringers along with debris are probably creating dams, just as you were told. Yes, the fence needs to come off the roof.

The fence panels on top of the roof look very odd. I would have them all removed, and its very possible once they are gone, it will be very obvious to see where it is leaking. Most likely spot is way up from where the water actually runs down. Your roof will look a whole lot better without the fencing on top of it anyway. It is important to get this done quickly, because, you may be able to save most of the roof, if you get it before it all rots away.

Get that fence off your roof and don't put any kind of wood back up there. Once the metal has been cleaned off and inspected, you can make the decision to patch holes in metal or replace the metal. If you decide to replace metal,use R panel or U panel.

Thanks so much for all of your responses! I will have the wood removed. Isn't it important that new wood be put back, however? Would it be terrible to put in new fencing? I would think that it would get very hot in the porch if there were no wood (and also that the sound of the rain would be extremely loud if there were no wood).

Just a guess, could the wood fence have been put up there to cut down on the noise the rain makes when hitting aluminum paneling?

"Isn't it important that new wood be put back, however? Would it be terrible to put in new fencing?"

Ok Marie,let's try this. As you look around your neighborhood,does any other homes have wood fence laying on the roof? Pick up a copy of your favorite homes and gardens magazine and see how many of those homes have wood fence laying on the roof. So do you believe the people that owned your house previously the only one's smart enough to put wood fence panels on top of their house? If you notice other people with fences on their roof,it's important that new wood be put back.

Okay, Klem, I take your point. No home in my neighborhood (indeed, no home I have ever seen in any neighborhood) has fence on the roof. The husband of the previous owner was a do-it-yourself kinda guy and, let's just say, in a very inventive way. When plumbers or any other people come to work on the house, they just shake their heads in disbelief. I am sure he built the porch himself. My neighbors have proper additions that have proper roofs with proper shingles. I'm not entirely sure that the porch would support the weight of a proper roof (I have no idea how much a roof weighs). I can't remember ever seeing just a metal porch. Wouldn't the heat be unbearable?

A white roof should reflect most of the heat. Heat rises - screens on three sides should let the heat out. If you still get too much heat from the roof insulate under the roof - not on top of it!

A proper metal roof will weigh a lot less than the mess that is there now.

The heat will be a factor if the porch is on the south or west side of the house. There are much better ways to minimize that problem. Radiant barrier material with proper roof covering will decrease heat under the roof and a fan or two will move the air.

A proper roof is also very important, because leaks, cause rot, and numerous other problems, that can cost you a whole lot more money to fix all the damage than you would have, if you just had that fence pulled down and repaired it now. Since the diy previous owner, obviously was creative, but,had no real diy talent to go with it, it is probably a very good idea to get the foundation of the porch etc, inspected too. I would have that done before doing the roof, because, there is a possibility that it is unsafe and needs to come down or have supports added. Oh, and by the way, dont worry about the weight of shingles, that porch, is obvously holding a whole lot of weight right now. Have you ever moved a treated fence panel? They are not light weight. There are several of them up there too, which is a whole lot of weight,and when they get wet in the rain, double that amount of weight. It is totally unbelievable what some people do. I am guessing you didnt have a home inspector when you bought it, because, pretty sure that would have had to be corrected. There should have been plywood put on that roof, before the metal, and that would have deadened the sound of the rain. Bare wood, meeting rain, is always a no no. Good Luck to you.

BTW - it looks to me as this is more of a raised concrete patio than a "porch".

And that metal thing is more of a screened patio cover than a "porch roof".

Up here that whole "porch" would probably just collapse under the weight of all the snow. :-)

Cat, it's one of those prefab 'sun-room' add-ons. A couple of steps up from a tent. The floor is a raised cement slab. Nothing there that will rot other than the wood on top of the roof.

I would not trust that structure to hold up a plywood and shingle roof. The support was engineered for a light weight metal roof. The weight/ strength ratio of a metal roof is a lot different than a traditional mostly dead weight shingled roof.

The wood sections up there now are going to weigh approximately what just the plywood would weigh. Then you add felt paper and another 300#'s or so of shingles.

Oh, and the reason that pressure treated fence sections weigh so much (when new) is because they're sopping wet because solution has been forced into the wood under pressure. No way will those dried out fence sections weigh nearly as much even after a drenching rain.

The only type of roof that I would 'maybe' consider for that add-on would be a cedar shingle one. But best not to tinker with it because I'm pretty sure nothing about it was over-engineered.

Marie, wait until after the fence is removed for a downpour. I'm betting the leaking will be mostly history.