Temporary tarping for a roof opened by wind or a fallen limb, keeping it weathertight until a permanent repair can be scheduled around the weather.
Fastest: call (833) 751-2102. Or send this and we call you back.
Emergency roof tarping covers an opening in the roof, such as one left by a windstorm or a fallen limb, with a waterproof sheet fastened to the roof structure. It is a temporary measure that keeps rain and meltwater out until a permanent repair can be made. Calls are answered around the clock, but no arrival time can be promised.
A windstorm can lift a sheet of covering, tear off a row of shingles or drop a limb straight through the roof. When that happens the immediate problem is water, and the roof has to be closed before the next rain, snowmelt or snowfall gets into the house. Tarping is the step that does that. It is not a repair.
The Palouse has a record of strong windstorms. The National Weather Service Spokane office and the NOAA Storm Events Database list reported gusts of 71 miles per hour south of Moscow in November 2006, with trees falling on homes in Moscow, and 77 miles per hour on West Hill in Colfax in December 2006. These are reports from spotters and stations rather than measurements of any one roof, but they explain why a windstorm opening is a reason to call early. Winter windstorms can also close roads over the plateau, so a crew cannot always reach a roof as quickly as the homeowner would like.
A tarp is only as good as the roof structure it is fastened to. A crew checks the decking under the opening before fastening anything, because a limb that has crushed the sheathing needs more than a cover. The aim is to close the opening safely, reduce the water getting inside, and leave the roof in a state that a permanent repair can start from.
Do not walk a roof with an open area, in wind, in the dark or on snow, to reach a tarp. Do not enter an attic where the ceiling is sagging or the decking is wet and bowing. Keep well clear of power lines and of any tree or limb still resting on the structure, and call the utility for a line that is down. A tarp should be fastened by a crew from a safe position, not by a homeowner on a ladder in the wind.
Wind can lift shingles or sheet metal from the edge and leave a gap that lets water under the layer beneath. The crew tarps the gap, checks the nails and the underlayment, and records which pieces are missing or bent. The tarp covers the damage until the covering can be repaired or replaced.
A limb that lands on the roof can crush decking, tear underlayment and displace flashing. The crew checks the structure under the impact before anything is fastened down, because crushed decking will not hold a tarp. Whether the tree itself is removed is a separate decision, and it is settled before the roof work begins.
Wind can bend or lift flashing at a sidewall, a vent pipe or the chimney, and the gap may be the only route for water. A tarp is set over the damaged area and sealed at its edges. The permanent flashing repair follows once the weather allows the work.
Tell us what's happening and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a quick fix, and what emergency roof tarping should cost.
An opening that lets water into the house, a limb or tree through the covering, and a ceiling that is wet and bowing are emergencies. Damage that is contained and dry can wait for a scheduled visit.
Water entering the house is the clearest emergency, because it soaks insulation and finishes within hours. Any opening that lets rain or snowmelt reach the attic counts, even if the water is only dripping now, because the same opening will get worse with the next storm. A limb through the roof is treated as a hazard in its own right, since the structure beneath it may be weakened.
No. A tarp keeps water out while the roof is repaired properly. It does not replace damaged decking, flashing or covering.
A tarp buys time. It protects the attic, the insulation and the rooms below while the permanent work is planned, and it stops an opening from growing with each storm. The permanent repair is what restores the roof's strength and its ability to shed water, and that work is planned around the weather and any permit.
Keep out of the attic if the ceiling is sagging, move valuables away from the leak, and photograph the damage. Do not climb onto the roof.
Safety comes first. Do not climb onto a damaged roof, do not walk a roof in wind or snow, and do not enter an attic where the ceiling is bowing or the decking looks wet and soft. Stay clear of any line that is down, and treat any tree still resting on the house as unstable.
The Palouse has a record of strong winds, and the National Weather Service and NOAA document reported gusts that brought trees down onto homes and power lines.
The Weather Service Spokane office reports a gust of 63 miles per hour at Pullman in December 2000, with numerous trees and power lines down across the Palouse. In December 2006 it reported 61 miles per hour at Pullman, with the College Hill area hit hardest, and 77 miles per hour on West Hill in Colfax. In November 2010 a tree in Pullman landed on part of a home. These are reports from scattered stations and spotters, and they are written here as reported, not as measured on any particular roof.
Snow and ice make the roof slower to work and more hazardous to walk. A crew covers the opening first and completes the repair once the weather allows.
Snow on the roof, a frozen deck and short daylight all slow the work. The crew decides whether it can safely reach the opening, and if it cannot, it tarps the area from the safest position it has and returns when conditions allow. A tarp in winter also needs checking after heavy snow, since snow can load the sheet and pull at its fasteners.
Call (833) 751-2102; the line is answered around the clock. The crew asks where the opening is, whether water is coming into the house, and whether anyone is at risk from a damaged ceiling or a limb that is still hanging. Those answers decide how the crew responds and what it brings. No arrival time is promised, because weather and roads decide it.
Before anyone works on the roof, the crew secures loose covering, removes debris that could fall, and judges whether the decking will bear weight. A limb still wedged in the structure, or a sagging ceiling, is treated as a hazard in its own right. Utility lines are kept clear, and a line that is down is a matter for the utility rather than the roofing crew.
A heavy waterproof sheet is laid over the opening so that it runs past the damage onto sound roof. It is fastened to the framing with battens and fasteners set into the structure, rather than only through the sheet, so that wind cannot pull it loose. The edges are secured so that water runs off the sheet instead of pooling beneath it.
The crew advises on what to do indoors: moving furniture away from the leak, placing containers under a drip, and checking the attic for water running along the framing. Where a ceiling is wet and bowing, the crew may recommend keeping the area below clear until the ceiling can be looked at.
A tarp is a temporary measure and is checked until the permanent repair is made. The crew explains what the permanent work will involve, which permit applies, and when the work can be scheduled around the weather. In Moscow a reroof is its own small permit category, and in Pullman reroof is a listed permit category.
Moscow's record includes tree damage inside the city. The November 2006 windstorm reported gusts of 71 miles per hour south of Moscow and trees falling on homes in Moscow, which is why a tree near a house is a reason to call early. A crew tarping a Moscow roof will look at the trees around the house as well as the roof itself.
Pullman had its own record of damage. In December 2000 a gust of 63 miles per hour brought numerous trees and power lines down across the Palouse, and in December 2006 the College Hill area of Pullman was hit hardest. Pullman is in Washington, so a tarp is the same physical job on either side of the line, but the permanent repair and any permit follow the rules of the state and city where the house sits.
Colfax, the Whitman County seat, sits among wheat-covered hills at the forks of the Palouse River, and it recorded 77 miles per hour on West Hill in December 2006. A roof on a hilltop there faces wind that a roof in a sheltered draw does not, because the rolling hills shape exposure street by street. The crew decides how to fasten the tarp with that exposure in mind. The Colfax area page describes the town.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Repairing shingles, flashing and roof edges that wind has lifted, cracked or opened on a Moscow or Palouse house.
Emergency roof repair after a tree or limb comes down on a house, starting with safety and a temporary cover.
Finding and sealing the path water takes into your Moscow or Palouse home, from attic stains to flashing at the eave.
Resetting or replacing the metal at valleys, chimneys, sidewalls and vent pipes that keeps water out of a Moscow roof.
Neither Idaho nor Washington licenses roofing as a trade, but both require contractors to register with the state.
After a windstorm the first steps are safety, documentation and a call to your insurer.
No. A tarp is a temporary measure that keeps water out while the permanent repair is planned. The crew checks it until the repair is made, and it may need adjusting after heavy wind or snow. The permanent repair restores the covering, the flashing or the decking as the damage requires.
Stay well away from any line that is down or touching the structure, and treat every wire as live. Call the utility, not the roofing crew, for a line that is down. Once the line is cleared, the roofing crew can come to the opening. Do not attempt to move a limb that is in contact with a power line yourself.
Often, yes, when the weather and the roof allow it. Snow, ice and short daylight make the work slower, and the crew decides from a safe position whether it can fasten the tarp. A tarp on a winter roof needs checking after heavy snow, because the snow can load the sheet and pull at its fasteners.
Moscow treats a reroof as its own small permit category, and Pullman lists reroof as a permit category. The crew explains which permit applies to the repair and how the paperwork is handled. Permit rules outside those two cities are set by the county or city where the house sits, so ask the building department before the permanent work starts.
Say where the opening is, whether water is coming into the house, whether a ceiling is wet or sagging, and whether a limb or tree is still on the roof. Say whether anyone is at risk and whether a power line is involved. Those answers shape the response and what the crew brings. The crew will ask for any other detail it needs.
A tarp stays in place until the permanent repair is made, and it is checked during that time. The timing depends on the weather, the extent of the damage and the work that follows, so no date is promised. The crew tells you what to watch for and when to call back if the tarp moves.