Speed is the whole job
When a storm opens up your roof, the racing clock isn't the shingles. It's the water. One open valley or punched-through decking can move a surprising amount of rain into your insulation, drywall, and flooring in a single wet night, and that interior damage routinely costs more than the roof repair itself. Emergency roof tarping exists to stop that clock. We secure a heavy-duty tarp over the damaged section, fastened so Indiana wind can't peel it, and buy you the time to make good decisions about the permanent fix.
Johnson County has needed this more than most counties lately. The Whiteland EF3 in March 2023, the Bluff Creek EF2 that June, and repeat hail seasons since have all put local families in the "there's sky where my roof was" position. That's the call we drop things for.
What happens when you call
- Tell us what happened. A photo by text helps us bring the right materials the first time.
- We secure the damage. Heavy tarps, properly battened and fastened, covering the compromised area and its water paths. Not a loose blue sheet with bricks on it.
- We document everything first. Photos of the damage before it's covered, because your insurance adjuster needs to see what the storm did, not what the tarp hid.
- You get a plan. A clear read on whether this ends in a repair or a replacement, and help with the insurance claim if the damage qualifies.
Does insurance pay for tarping?
Usually, yes. Most homeowner policies not only cover emergency mitigation, they expect it. Policies require you to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage after a loss, and a documented professional tarp job is exactly that. Keep the invoice; it typically rides along with the storm claim.
Tarping questions, answered first
A properly installed tarp is good for a few weeks to a couple of months, which covers the insurance claim timeline. It's a bridge, not a roof. We schedule the permanent fix as part of the same conversation.
Please don't. A wet, damaged roof is the most dangerous place on your property, and a badly fastened tarp becomes a sail in the next gust. This is genuinely one of those jobs where the pros are the reasonable option.
It depends on the size and pitch of the damaged area, and we'll give you the number before we climb. It's a small fraction of what one rained-in ceiling costs, and it's usually claimable on your policy.