Emergency Roof Tarping in Calgary

When you need an emergency tarp

Call us right away if:

• water is dripping through a ceiling or light fixture after a storm
• shingles or sheathing are missing and you can see the underlayment or wood
• a branch or debris has punctured the roof
• flashing has pulled away from a chimney, wall or skylight
• a section of roof was torn open by wind

If the damage is minor and no water is coming in, book a free hail inspection instead. It costs nothing and we will still flag anything urgent.

What emergency tarping includes

1. Safety check. We look for sagging decking or loose material before anyone goes up.
2. Damage photos. Every opening is photographed before it is covered. These photos go to you for your insurer.
3. Heavy-duty tarp. We use thick, UV-resistant tarps that extend over the ridge where possible, so water cannot run under the top edge.
4. Secure fastening. Tarps are fastened through battens, not just weighed down, so chinook gusts do not lift them.
5. Interior advice. We point out wet insulation or ceilings that may need a restoration company, which is often a separate part of your claim.
6. Repair plan. You get a written note of what the permanent repair or replacement will involve.

Tarping and your insurance claim

Most policies expect you to prevent further damage once you know about it. Leaving a known leak can reduce what your insurer pays for the interior damage that follows. A tarp is the standard reasonable step. Keep:

• our invoice for the tarping
• the before-and-after photos we send you
• your own photos of any interior damage, with dates

Then report the claim. Our Alberta hail claim guide explains the next steps.

After the tarp: permanent repair

Once your adjuster has inspected, we do the permanent fix. That could be a targeted hail damage repair, a roof leak repair around flashing, or a full roof replacement if the storm damaged the whole roof.

Your first hour after storm damage

1. Stay safe. Don’t go on the roof or into an attic over a sagging ceiling. If you see sparking, smell gas, or part of the structure has collapsed, leave the house and call 911.
2. Cut power to wet circuits. If water is coming through a light fixture or near outlets, switch off that circuit at the panel.
3. Catch the water. Buckets, towels and plastic sheeting under drips. Move electronics, furniture and anything irreplaceable out of the room.
4. Relieve a bulging ceiling. A ceiling holding water can come down all at once. Poke a small hole at the lowest point with a screwdriver and let it drain into a bucket.
5. Photograph everything before cleaning up, with dates visible.
6. Call us, then your insurer. Tell us the address, where the water is, and when the storm hit.

Why DIY tarps usually fail

Most homeowner tarps blow off within days. Calgary’s chinook and storm gusts get under any edge that isn’t secured, and sandbags or bricks slide off a pitched roof. A tarp also has to run over the ridge, or water simply flows under the top edge and into the same hole.

We secure tarps with wooden battens wrapped in the tarp edge and fastened to the roof, so wind can’t peel them back. Fasteners make small holes in the decking. Those are sealed when the permanent repair or replacement is done, and we note them on your invoice so the adjuster knows they are part of the emergency work.

How we triage on storm days

After a major hail event the phones ring nonstop. We work in this order:

1. Active water inside the home
2. Open roofs with missing shingles or exposed decking, especially before more rain
3. Inspections, in the order they were booked

Phone is faster than the form for emergencies. Call [403-XXX-XXXX] and say “active leak”.

Water inside: drying matters as much as the roof

Wet insulation, drywall and subfloor need to dry quickly. Mould can begin to grow on damp materials within 24 to 48 hours. If more than a small area got wet, ask your insurer about a water damage restoration company to extract water and set up drying equipment. That is usually a separate line in the same claim. We document the roof side; they document the interior.

Winter tarping in Calgary

Tarps in winter face snow load, ice and chinook winds that can swing temperatures by 20 degrees in a day. We use heavier anchoring in winter, check tarps after wind warnings, and plan the permanent repair for the first suitable day rather than leaving a tarp on until spring.

For emergency tarping, call [403-XXX-XXXX]. Phone is faster than the form for active leaks.