Emergency Roof Repair

What Happens When You Call

If a storm has opened your roof up, a limb has come through, or water is dripping through a ceiling, call (855) 556-6337 first and read the rest of this page second. On the phone we'll ask what you're seeing (a drip, a stain, missing shingles, a bulging ceiling) and how fast it's getting worse, and we'll tell you when we can be there.

For active leaks and storm damage we move fast, and in most cases we can get a secure tarp over an open roof the same day. That tarp-and-secure visit typically runs $500 to $800. It buys weeks, sometimes a couple of months. Its only job is to stop the damage inside your house from spreading while the permanent repair gets scheduled.

The inspection and the permanent fix

Once it's safe to get on the roof, we inspect it properly, from on the roof and in the attic rather than from the driveway. We trace the water to where it's getting in, which is rarely directly above the stain, and we go into the attic if we need to. While we're up there we photograph everything to the standard your insurance adjuster needs, because adjusters want evidence that the wind did it.

Then we lay out the permanent fix. If a repair will hold, we repair it. Storm damage repairs run $800 to $2,500 and up depending on what got hit. If the roof is old enough, or the damage wide enough, that a patch is throwing good money after bad, we show you both options with the photos and let you decide. No pressure either way; it's your roof.

What to do while you wait

A few things to do before we arrive.

• Bucket under the drip.
• Move anything valuable out from under the wet spot.
• If a ceiling is bulging with trapped water, a small hole poked at the low point drains it into the bucket and keeps the drywall from coming down all at once.
• Photograph what you can reach safely.
• And don't climb onto a wet or storm-damaged roof to patch it yourself; that's how a repair bill turns into an emergency room bill.

One more thing, since it comes up after every big storm. Once a nor'easter or a summer squall has been through, every roofer in the area is booked, and the trucks that show up fastest aren't always the ones you want on your roof. We're a Delaware company with an office in Wilmington and one phone number, and when a question comes up next spring you'll reach the people who did the work.

Insurance: What We Document and What to Know

• Most homeowners policies cover storm damage (wind, hail, a fallen tree) but not normal wear or deferred maintenance. Check your deductible, typically $1,000 to $2,500, because small repairs often don't make sense to file on.
• Replacement Cost Value pays what it costs to replace with equivalent materials. Actual Cash Value deducts depreciation, and on a 20-year-old roof that can be half the replacement cost. Find out which you have before you need it.
• Most policies give you a limited window to report storm damage. Get it documented promptly, even if nothing is leaking yet.
• We photograph and write up the damage, separate storm damage from age so the claim holds up, and can be on site when the adjuster comes. Adjusters cover everything from water heaters to foundations. Our people have looked at nothing but roofs.
• We can't promise how your carrier will rule, and we won't inflate a claim or let one get lowballed.

Storm Damage Without a Leak

Hail and high winds knock granules off shingles, crack them, or lift the edges without a drop getting inside. By the time a brown stain shows on a ceiling, water has usually been working its way in for weeks.

If a proper storm came through, book a free storm damage inspection even when everything looks fine indoors. It takes about half an hour, we photograph what we find, and if the roof is fine we say so and leave it at that.