Emergency Roof Repair in Southfield, MI

A tarp that works goes over the ridge, so water can't run under its top edge, and is held by 2x4 battens screwed through the tarp into the deck. Sandbags or a few nails through the plastic tear loose in the next gust. The tarp should extend past the damage on every side, and the battens sit where the shingles get replaced later anyway. Tarp thickness matters if the permanent repair is weeks away. HomeGuide says a heavy 10-mil tarp can hold for up to 2 years, while thinner ones last up to 3 months.

First check for wires. If a line is down or tangled in the branch, stay at least 25 feet away, call 911 or DTE Energy at 800-477-4747, and assume it's live even if it isn't sparking. A heavy limb isn't just pulled off the roof. Cutting it in place can drop the weight through the deck, so it's cut in sections from the top down, sometimes with a tree crew. Once it's off, the roofer checks the rafters and decking from the attic, then tarps or boards the opening.

Inside, the goal is to keep a leak in one place. Spread plastic, move furniture and electronics out of the drip line, and put a bucket or bin under the drip. If water is running near a light fixture, a ceiling fan or an outlet, shut that circuit off at the breaker panel and leave it off until an electrician says otherwise. Water in the attic spreads along the top of the drywall, so a second stain often shows up a few feet from the first. Put towels and a bucket there too.

When the wind takes shingles and some decking with them, a tarp alone sags into the hole and holds water. The roofer screws plywood over the opening first, then covers it with underlayment or a tarp lapped under the shingles above. If only shingles blew off and the deck is sound, a strip of self-adhering membrane can seal the bare deck until matching shingles arrive. Collect any blown-off shingles from the yard. They help match the color later.

When you call, the request goes straight to the contractor; how fast a crew can get there depends on the weather, the hour and how many roofs the storm hit. Climbing a wet roof in the dark or in lightning is dangerous, so at night the first step is often inside containment, with tarping at first light. HomeGuide lists after-hours tarping at $1.00 to $2.80 per square foot, plus a possible $100 to $200 call-out fee.