Why tarping matters
An opened roof does not wait politely for repairs. Every hour it sits exposed, water finds insulation, decking, wiring, and drywall, and a problem that started as a few torn shingles grows into ceilings coming down and floors buckling. The strike from the falling limb is often the smallest part of the eventual bill. The water that follows is what does the real damage, and it works by the hour.
That is why tarping exists. It is the mitigation step insurers expect from a homeowner after storm damage: a temporary, weather-tight cover that stops the loss from growing while the claim and the repairs catch up. Northwest Georgia weather rarely gives you a long dry window after a storm, so the gap between the damage and the next rain band is the whole game. Done fast and done right, a tarp turns an emergency into a scheduled project.
How we tarp a roof
There is a right way to tarp a roof, and it is not a thin bedsheet of a tarp with bricks on the corners. That version ends up in the neighbor's yard by the weekend, and the roof drinks water the whole time.
We carry the tarp over the ridge so water cannot run in under the top edge, extend it well past the damage with the correct overlap on every side, and batten the edges down with furring strips so wind cannot get underneath and start peeling. Seams run with the flow of water, never against it, and the whole cover is tensioned so it sheds instead of pooling. The result is a tight membrane that behaves like a roof instead of a sail.
We also photograph the damage before it disappears under the tarp. That matters more than most homeowners realize once an adjuster gets involved, because the tarp that protects your house also hides the evidence.
When tarping is the right call
Tarping earns its keep any time the roof is compromised but the full repair cannot happen on the spot:
- After a tree strike, once the tree is lifted off the structure
- Wind-lifted or missing shingles that leave felt or bare decking exposed
- Hail punctures and cracked sections that have started to leak
- While you wait on an adjuster, materials, or a repair slot
If your roof is open right now, do not wait for a convenient time to deal with it. Call 470-77-STORM, day or night, and get it covered before the next band of rain arrives.
From tarp to repair
A tarp is a bridge, not a destination. Its job is to hold the line while the real fix gets organized: the photos taken, the insurance claim moving, the scope agreed on, the materials ready. We install every tarp with that timeline in mind, so it stays tight for as long as the process reasonably takes.
When you are ready for what comes next, our storm damage restoration service picks up where the tarp leaves off: repairing wind and hail damage, clearing debris, and working alongside your insurance claim until the roof sheds water on its own again. One crew from the first emergency call to the last repair, and no gap in the middle where the house sits exposed.