A tarp fitted over a wind-opened or storm-damaged roof section to keep rain out until the repair.
Fastest: call (833) 751-2102. Or send this and we call you back.
Emergency roof tarping in Fontana covers an open or wind-damaged roof section with a secured tarp to keep rain out until a permanent repair is made. The crew records the roof before the tarp goes on. Fontana Roofing connects callers in Fontana and San Bernardino County with a local crew that can attend the call.
A strong wind can open a roof in an hour. Shingles lift, a ridge cap goes or a piece of flashing tears away, and the next rain runs straight into the attic and the rooms below. A tarp over the open section is the step that keeps the water out while the permanent repair is planned,.
This page explains what an emergency tarp does, what a crew does before and after it goes on and what a homeowner should do first. It does not promise an arrival time, because it depends on how many calls are open at the time.
A roof with an open section is unstable and can be slippery after rain. Do not climb onto the roof to fit a tarp yourself, and do not walk near the open area. Keep clear of downed wires and branches, and do not touch power lines near the roof. Switch off electricity to a wet area only if it can be reached safely. (833) 751-2102 connects you with a local crew that fits the tarp from a safe position.
A section of shingles lifted or missing across a slope is covered with a tarp fixed at the edges and over the ridge. It keeps the rain off the boards until the repair is made. The crew checks the tarp's fixing against the wind forecast.
A ridge cap or flashing that has gone is covered so that the open line does not take rain into the attic. The crew fixes the tarp across the ridge and checks that water cannot run under its edge.
Where water is coming through a ceiling, a temporary cover is placed in the room below and the roof is checked above. The cover catches the water and protects the floor, while the roof is made safe.
Branches and roofing pieces that are lying on the roof or the gutters are cleared where it is safe to do so. A crew does not climb a wet or windy roof to clear debris, and it notes anything it leaves in place.
Tell us when you need someone and we book the earliest visit a emergency roof tarping technician has, and you approve the price before any work starts.
A tarp keeps rain off an open section of roof until the permanent repair is made. It is a temporary cover. It does not repair the covering, the flashing or the deck, and it does not stop the damage that has already happened under it.
A tarp that is fixed well will shed the rain away from the open area, so the attic and the rooms below stay dry for the time it is in place. Its fixing is the weak point, and a crew checks it against the wind that is forecast.
The permanent repair is a separate job. The tarp should be removed when the repair is made, and the crew explains what the repair will need before the tarp is taken off.
Move valuables and furniture away from the wet area, place containers under drips and keep people out of the room below. Do not climb onto the roof. Photograph the open area from the ground, and note the time the damage was first seen.
Clear a path to the door and the electrical panel, and switch off any light fixture or outlet in the wet area if it is safe to reach them. Water near wiring is a hazard that comes before any roof work.
Keep a note of when the wind or rain began and what you saw, so you can tell the crew and the insurer when the damage happened. A dated note is more useful than a guess made later.
No arrival time is promised. The crew attends when one is available. Say clearly when you call whether rain is coming into the house now and how much of the roof is open.
Storms bring many calls at once. The crew does not promise a time it cannot control, and it will say what it can and cannot do when you call.
While you wait, keep the room below clear and dry, and watch the ceiling for new stains. Tell the caller if the situation changes.
A tarp that protects the house from further water is a reasonable step, and it is a reasonable step to take. Whether a policy responds to the damage is for the insurer and your policy to decide. The crew records the roof before and after the tarp so that the record is clear.
Keep the crew's dated note and the photographs with your insurance papers. Give copies to the insurer if it asks for them. The tarp is a temporary measure, and the note says so.
If the insurer asks for the damage to be kept for review before any permanent repair, tell the crew, so it can record the damage in full before the repair begins. A dispute about a claim can be raised with the California Department of Insurance.
After the tarp, the permanent repair is planned. The crew checks the roof, writes the scope and gives the homeowner the choice of a repair or a larger job. The tarp is removed when the permanent repair is made, not before.
The permanent repair may need the covering, the flashing or the deck to be replaced, and the crew explains which. A tarp left in place for a long time can wear or tear, so it is not a long-term fix.
Once the repair is made, the crew checks the roof, removes the tarp and records the finished state. The homeowner keeps the record with the roof papers.
The homeowner moves valuables away from the wet area, places a container under any drip and keeps people out of the room below. The crew asks about the open area before it arrives, so it can plan the tarp on the call.
Before the tarp goes on, the crew photographs the open section and records its position, its size and the damage around it. The record is made first so that the state of the roof at the time is kept.
A tarp of suitable size is laid over the open area and fixed to the roof with battens or fixings that do not pierce the sound covering more than needed. The edges are sealed so the rain runs off the tarp and not under it.
The crew checks that the tarp holds in wind and that no edge is lifting. A tarp that is loose in a gust can flap and tear, so the fixing is checked before the crew leaves.
The homeowner receives a dated note of what was covered, how it was fixed and what the permanent repair will need. The crew explains that the tarp is temporary and that the permanent repair is quoted separately.
A tarp in Fontana is most often needed after a windy night in the cooler months, when the Santa Ana winds lift shingles and ridge caps along the edges. The National Weather Service high wind warning of February 2022 that covered Fontana, Riverside and San Bernardino is the kind of event after which a tarp call comes in.
Dry wind can be followed by a sudden rain, and an open roof section can take water in very quickly. A crew covering an open section in Fontana works on the windward edge first, where the wind has done the most damage.
After the tarp, the permanent repair is planned with the same care as any other job on the roof. The crew does not treat the tarp as the repair, and it records the open area before the tarp is fitted so the next crew can see the condition.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Repair of shingles, ridge caps and edge flashing lifted by a Santa Ana wind event.
A dated, written inspection of a roof after wind or rain, recorded before any cleanup or repair.
Repair of a leaking, cracked or lifted roof section, done before water reaches the roof boards.
Repair of roof leaks that appear at the first heavy rain of the season, after months of dry weather.
Santa Ana winds are dry, strong winds that blow from the desert toward the coast and reach the Inland Empire in the cooler months.
A homeowner policy in California generally responds to sudden and accidental damage to the dwelling, such as wind uplift, and generally excludes wear and lack of maintenance.
No arrival time is promised. The crew attends when one is available. Tell the caller whether water is coming in now and where, so the call carries that detail.
Climbing onto a windy or wet roof is a serious fall risk, and a tarp fixed badly can tear in the next gust. If water is coming in, protect the room below with containers and towels and wait for the crew. A tarp fitted from the roof by a crew is safer.
A tarp is a temporary cover and is not meant to stay on for a long time. It can wear, tear or lift in wind and sun. The crew explains how long the tarp is expected to last and when the permanent repair should be made.
No. A tarp keeps rain out while the roof is repaired. The covering, flashing or deck still needs the permanent repair, which is quoted separately. The tarp is removed when that repair is made.
Yes. Photographs from the ground, dated, are useful for your records and for any insurer. The crew also photographs the open area before the tarp is fitted, so the state of the roof at that time is kept.
Ask for the contractor license number and the C-39 roofing classification, and check the number with the Contractors State License Board. Ask for a current workers' compensation certificate for the company that attends, and ask for the written note of the tarp.