Emergency Roof Tarping in Metro Atlanta
When a roof is open, nothing else matters until the water stops. Tarping buys you time and commits you to nothing.
Interior damage compounds by the hour
A roof opened by a fallen limb or stripped by wind is not a roofing problem yet — it is a water problem. Every hour it stays open, water moves further into the structure, and the cost of the eventual repair grows in a way the roof damage itself does not.
Insulation saturates and has to be replaced. Drywall ceilings absorb water and sag. Water tracks along joists into rooms nowhere near the actual opening. Electrical fittings in the ceiling become a hazard. And in Georgia humidity, a wet enclosed cavity starts growing mold in a couple of days, which is a remediation job rather than a roofing one.
Tarping stops that clock. It is not a repair and it is not meant to last, but it turns an emergency into something you can deal with deliberately.
Insurers expect you to mitigate
Nearly every homeowner policy places a duty on you to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage after a loss. It is usually described as a duty to mitigate, and it has a practical consequence: damage that occurred because a roof was left open for a week may not be covered, even when the original storm damage clearly is.
Emergency tarping is the standard way of discharging that duty on a roof, and the cost of it is typically claimable as part of the loss. Photograph the damage before the tarp goes on, keep the invoice, and tell your insurer the date it was done.
We document tarping work as a matter of course, because the photographs taken before we cover a hole are frequently the clearest evidence of what the storm actually did.
How a tarp is fitted properly
A tarp thrown over a hole and weighted with whatever is to hand will move in the next gust and can damage more of the roof than it protects. Fitting one properly means running it well past the damage in every direction, carrying it over the ridge where the damage is near the top so water cannot run under the upper edge, and securing it against the wind rather than against gravity.
We use furring strips and fasteners placed where the eventual repair will cover them, so the temporary fix does not create new holes to deal with later.
Tarping is a stopgap measured in weeks, not months. Sun and wind degrade the material, and fasteners work loose. It exists to hold the position while the claim is assessed and the permanent repair is scheduled, and we will tell you honestly how long yours should be trusted for.
What to do in the first hour
Deal with safety before you deal with the roof. If a limb is on the house, keep everyone clear of the rooms beneath it — a partially supported limb can shift. If water is anywhere near light fittings or the consumer unit, switch that circuit off at the board rather than touching the fitting.
Then contain and document. Buckets and towels under the water, valuables moved clear, and photographs of everything before anything is cleaned up or covered. Once a tarp is on, the evidence of what the storm did is underneath it, so the pictures taken now are the ones the claim will rest on.
Call your insurer to open the claim and call us to stop the water. Those two things run in parallel and neither has to wait for the other — your policy expects you to act promptly to limit further damage, so arranging a tarp before an adjuster has visited is exactly what you are supposed to do.
And stay off the roof. That is not a liability disclaimer, it is the single most common way a bad night becomes a hospital visit.
Common questions
How fast can you get here?
As fast as we can, and emergencies go to the front of the queue. Call rather than using the form — the form is checked far less often than the phone is answered.
Does tarping commit me to using you for the repair?
No. Tarping is a standalone job. We would like the repair work, but the tarp is not a hook and you are free to take the permanent work elsewhere.
Will insurance pay for the tarping?
Usually it forms part of the claim as reasonable mitigation. Keep the invoice and tell your insurer the date it was carried out.
How long will a tarp last?
Weeks rather than months. It is a holding measure, and the longer it stays the more it needs checking after each storm.
Should I put a tarp up myself?
Please do not go onto a storm-damaged roof. Decking weakened by water gives way without warning, and a fall is a far worse outcome than a wet ceiling.
Get a free roof inspection
Storm damage isn’t always visible from the ground. We’ll document what we find, walk you through the report, and tell you honestly whether you need a repair, a replacement, or nothing at all.