Why is a tarp a temporary measure and not a repair?
A tarp keeps the rain out of an opening but it does not restore the covering, the flashing or the deck. It holds the building until a repair can be planned, and it is only as good as its fixing.
A tarp that is fixed to the covering alone will lift in the next wind. The fixing is taken to the battens or framing, which is the part that stays put when the wind pulls, and the tarp is adjusted as the wind direction changes.
A tarp left on for many weeks can trap moisture beneath it and cause the deck to rot. The cover is checked after each rain and removed as soon as the permanent repair is in place.
What should a homeowner photograph before the crew arrives?
Photographs taken from the ground show the extent of the damage without climbing. The time, the room and the position of the stain or opening are the details that make them useful.
A photograph of the ceiling stain, the wall below it and the outside of the roof where it is visible gives the crew and any later adjuster the same starting point. The photographs should be taken before anything is moved or cleaned.
Do not climb a roof to take photographs. A zoomed picture from a safe position is enough for the first record.
Photographs of the roof surface from the ground show whether the covering has lifted, slipped or torn, and they show the position of any debris. A second set taken a day later, after the tarp is on, shows whether the cover is holding and whether any new movement has begun. Both sets are kept, since they show the change over the period the roof was open.
How is the tarp secured against wind?
The tarp is pulled taut over the opening, strapped to the structure and weighted at the edges. The fixing is checked after each gust, since a loose strap can pull the cover into a flap that tears.
Battens are fixed across the tarp at intervals, and the straps run through them into the framing. The edges are tucked under the sound covering where that is possible, so the wind cannot lift them.
The crew checks the tarp at the end of each day and after each heavy rain, and it is adjusted if the wind has moved it.
What happens after the tarp is on?
The tarp is the start of a process, not its end. The damage is scoped, the repair is written up and the owner decides on the permanent work, with the record of the storm in hand.
The scope names the covering, the deck, the flashing and the gutter, and records what was repaired on the day and what is to follow. Where an insurance claim is made, the record is shared with the owner for the claim.
No coverage is stated on this page. The policy and the insurer decide what is paid, and the owner should read the policy and speak to the insurer directly.
The owner should also keep a note of the time the damage was first seen and of any water that reached the building before the tarp went on. A short written note, with a date and the rooms affected, is more useful to a later repair or claim than a memory of the storm. It is written while the facts are fresh and filed with the photographs.
