Temporary cover for holes and open roof sections after wind, hail, tree or ice damage in Lawndale and Cleveland County, until a permanent repair.
Fastest: call (833) 751-2102. Or send this and we call you back.
Emergency roof tarping covers an opening with a waterproof tarp, fastened so that wind and rain stay out until a permanent repair can be made. A technician anchors it to the roof structure rather than to loose shingles and checks that it will hold in the next gust. It is a temporary measure and does not replace a repair.
A storm can open a roof in an afternoon. A limb comes down on the ridge, a sheet of metal lifts off the eave, or hail splits the shingles, and then the next rain finds the gap. In Lawndale the storm pattern is mostly severe thunderstorms with wind and hail in the spring and early summer, plus the inland remnants of tropical systems later in the year. Each can leave an opening that needs cover before any permanent work can start.
Tarping is the step between the storm and the repair. The N.C. Department of Justice storm checklist says to cover roof or wall holes with a tarp if it is safe to do so, and that advice is the reason this service exists. A tarp keeps water out of the attic, the insulation and the ceiling below, which is where much of the expensive damage from an open roof happens. It does not fix shingles, flashing or decking, and it is not meant to stay up for long.
A technician will come out to fasten the tarp, but the first safety decision is always yours. If the roof is steep, wet, or has lines or limbs on it, stay on the ground and call for help. The phone is answered around the clock at (833) 751-2102, so you can reach someone at any hour. A visit depends on who is free and what the roof needs, and an arrival time is not promised.
Only if it can be done safely, from a secure position, in dry weather. The state's advice is to cover a hole with a tarp when that is safe, which is not the same as climbing a wet or steep roof.
A tarp that is not anchored to sound framing can slide or blow away, and a fall from a wet roof is far more serious than a little water in the attic. If you can reach the opening from the ground or from a ladder on firm footing, cover the area from there and keep the rest of the roof untouched.
Stop if the wind is gusting, if lightning is near, or if the roof is steep or slick. Waiting for the weather to settle is safer than working in it, and water in the house is a problem that can be managed in the meantime.
A tarp is a temporary cover and not a repair. It should stay up only until the permanent work is done, and the crew will explain what to expect before the cover goes on.
Sun and wind wear down a tarp over time, and a tarp left in place for months can tear or lift at the edges. The longer it stays, the more it needs checking, which is one reason a permanent repair should be scheduled as soon as the roof is safe to work on.
Ask the technician how the tarp will be checked and who to call if it loosens. Keep that number near the front door so that anyone in the house can reach it.
The size of the opening, the height and pitch of the roof, the access on the lot, and whether a permanent repair follows all move the price. The price is explained and approved before work starts.
A small opening on a low roof with a clear path to the eave takes less time than a large opening on a steep roof that has to be reached from a ladder. The tarp itself is one part of the job, and fastening it safely is the other.
Photograph each damaged area from the ground, from the roof if it is safe, and from the attic. Include any debris and the direction the storm came from across the yard.
Close photos show the shingles, the holes and the nail lines, and wider photos show where the damage sits on the house. Date the photos on your phone, and take a few of the ceiling stains inside, since they show the path the water took.
Keep the photos with any written notes, receipts and the estimate. Your insurer and any adjuster will want them, and the insurance claims guide explains what to gather.
Your policy and your insurer decide what counts. A tarp is usually treated as temporary protection rather than the permanent repair, so keep the receipt and the written estimate with your claim papers.
Ask your insurer, before the work starts, what it will accept as temporary protection and whether it needs to approve the cover. Some insurers require an adjuster to approve work before it begins, and that conversation is easier before a tarp is already on the roof.
The N.C. Department of Justice also advises paying by credit card where possible for dispute protection, and never paying up front without a written contract. Those points apply to tarping as much as to a full repair.
Do not climb a wet, steep or sun-warmed roof, and never walk on a roof with broken decking. Keep clear of power lines and of any limb resting on the house or the wires. Do not use a ladder on soft ground or in wind. If a tree is on the house, call for help and keep people and pets out of the rooms below the impact.
Before anyone climbs, the technician checks for downed lines, unstable limbs and the condition of the roof itself. Power lines are kept at a distance, and any section that could give way is left alone. If the roof cannot be walked safely, the tarp is fastened from a ladder or from the ground where that is possible.
The damaged area is measured so the tarp overlaps the opening on every side. The tarp is laid so water runs off it and not into the opening, with the upper edge set above the lower one so that rain sheds down the slope.
Battens or straps are fixed to the roof framing or to sound decking rather than to loose shingles, so the tarp does not pull out in the next gust. Edges are sealed and loose debris is cleared from the tarp so that water does not pool on it.
The damage is photographed from the yard, the roof and the attic before the tarp is fastened. These photos are the record you give your insurance company, along with notes on when the damage was found and what was covered.
The technician explains what a permanent repair would involve and gives you a written estimate before anything else is committed. The tarp is a holding measure, and it stays up only until the permanent work is done.
Wind can lift a section of roof covering and leave the decking exposed. The tarp covers that area and is fastened beyond the edge of the damage so it does not tear at the lift point. Shingles that are still in place are not worked on until the permanent repair, since moving them can open new gaps.
Hail can split shingles and crack the mat, and a small puncture can let a surprising amount of water through. A tarp over a hail-damaged area covers the cracked shingles and the nail holes around them. The technician checks the decking under the cover for soft spots before deciding how large the tarp needs to be.
A limb can break through the roof and push decking and rafters out of line. The tarp is only a cover in this case, and the framing has to be looked at before the roof is closed. Any tree or limb that is still on the house is a job for a tree service first, and the roof crew works around it.
Ice and wind can tear gutters and the drip edge away from the eave, leaving the roof edge open to water running behind the fascia. A tarp can be fastened along the eave to direct water away from the wall while the gutter is repaired or replaced.
Tell us what's happening and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a quick fix, and what emergency roof tarping should cost.
Rural lots add time to a tarping job, since the crew and the materials have to reach the house down a long drive or across a yard. Farm buildings and older houses out on the county roads often have long runs of roof with few trees or buildings to block the wind, so an opening can be bigger than it first looks from the ground.
Lawndale's mill-village houses and their neighbors on the Second Broad River were built in short periods, and their roofs come due together. An opening on one roof can mean the next house has a similar problem, and it is worth looking at the whole street after a storm.
Tropical remnants and summer thunderstorms are the two patterns that open roofs here. The National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg office covers this area, and its warnings and the NCEI Storm Events Database are the places to check what a storm brought to Cleveland County.
Repair for shingles, ridge caps and flashing that straight-line wind lifts, creases or tears away in Lawndale and across Cleveland County.
Checking and repairing hail-bruised shingles, dented metal and cracked flashing after a storm in Lawndale and across the county.
Roof repair after thunderstorm wind, hail, tropical remnants or falling limbs, with a written check and clear steps for insurance.
Finding and sealing the entry point of a roof leak, from worn flashing and valleys to nail holes, in Lawndale and the county.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
After a storm damages a roof, call your insurance company before anyone starts work, because some insurers need an adjuster to approve repairs first.
Your policy and your insurer decide. Ask the insurer what it accepts as temporary protection before the work starts, and keep the written estimate and the photos. The N.C. Department of Justice recommends contacting your insurance company early, since some insurers need an adjuster to approve work before it begins.
The phone is answered around the clock. A crew comes out when one is free, and no arrival time or same-day visit is promised. If the opening is dangerous or water is coming in, say so when you call so the call can be prioritized.
A properly fastened tarp keeps most rain out of an opening while it is in place. It is not a seal, and wind can work water under the edges, which is why the tarp is checked and why a permanent repair follows.
Move valuables and boxes away from the damaged area if it is safe to do so. Wet insulation holds water against the ceiling below, and it can stain or sag if it is left soaked.
Do not try to remove a tree from a roof yourself. Keep away from the tree and any lines, and tell the crew about the tree when you call. The tree damage roof repair page covers how the roof work follows the tree removal.
The tarp is removed when the permanent work starts, and the old material is cleared away as part of that job. The crew will show you what will happen to the tarp before it comes off.