Why emergency tarping matters more than you think
Emergency tarping is not a stopgap. It's the most important first action between the storm and the full roof replacement. A properly installed tarp does three things at once: it stops new water from entering the home, it keeps a roof problem from becoming an interior-and-mold problem, and it buys you the time to plan the repair properly.
Skip tarping and a roof problem becomes a roof-plus-interior problem. Water that keeps entering for 72 hours turns a straightforward roof replacement into a project that also involves soaked insulation, sagging drywall, and mold remediation — often several times the cost and weeks more work. Every hour the roof stays open, the eventual bill grows.
Tulsa's specific tarping reality
Tulsa storms rarely come alone. The pattern across the spring season is a severe storm followed within 24–72 hours by additional rain — sometimes another severe round, often just steady rain that finds every weakness the first storm created. This is why response speed in Tulsa matters more than in milder regions: the next storm isn't weeks away, it's often hours.
Our emergency tarping fleet runs throughout severe weather seasons. After major events (the April 25, 2020 hail; the 2015 Sand Springs tornado), we've had crews on roofs continuously for 5–7 days, working priority queues based on severity. We never bill emergency-time premium pricing; tarping is priced the same whether you call Sunday morning or Tuesday afternoon.
What a proper emergency tarp looks like
Improperly installed tarps can do more damage than the storm did — they channel water into the home along folds, lift in the next wind, or punch holes through shingles that weren't damaged. Done right, tarping is a careful, methodical process.
- Safety setup. Harnesses, anchor points, fall protection. Damaged roofs are dangerous — the deck under apparently-intact shingles may be compromised.
- Damage assessment. We identify the boundary of the damage area so the tarp covers it fully plus 2–3 feet of overlap onto undamaged areas.
- Tarp selection.20-mil reinforced poly tarp for damage areas under 200 sq ft; we run multiple tarps for larger damage with proper overlap. Cheap blue hardware-store tarps are 6-mil and tear in the first windstorm; we don't use them.
- Anchoring.1×3 furring strips wrapped at the tarp edges, screwed into the deck (not nailed through shingles). Screw spacing 8" on edges, 16" on intermediate runs.
- Perimeter sealing. Roof cement at the tarp boundary where the tarp meets the undamaged roof, plus mastic at the screw heads to prevent water entry through the holes.
- Drainage check. The tarp must shed water — no pockets, no folds that pool. We test by pouring water on a sample area before leaving.
- Documentation.Photos of the tarp install (before, during, after) go to your file as a record of the work and the roof's condition.
When tarping is the right call (and when it isn't)
Tarp when:
- You can see daylight from the attic, or you have visible holes/missing sections of the roof.
- Water is actively entering the home through the ceiling.
- Multiple shingles are missing in a single area, exposing felt or deck.
- A tree branch or debris has punctured the roof.
- The roof deck has structural damage (sagging, buckling, visibly bowed).
Skip tarping (go straight to inspection) when:
- Damage is hail-only with no missing shingles and no active leak.
- Damage is limited to lifted shingles that haven't torn off (sealant break — needs assessment, not a tarp).
- Damage is purely cosmetic (gutter dents, AC fin damage) with no roof penetration.
We'll tell you which category you're in when you call. Tarping a roof that doesn't need it costs you money and could damage shingles unnecessarily. Not tarping a roof that needs it costs you far more in interior water damage.
What emergency tarping costs
Emergency tarping costs $400–$1,500 depending on damage area, roof pitch, and complexity. It's a small fraction of what interior water damage costs if the roof stays open — which is exactly why tarping first is almost always the right move.
We invoice the tarp work separately from the full restoration, so it's clear exactly what the emergency stabilization cost versus the final roof. Keep the receipt and the tarp photos for your own records.
What happens after the tarp goes on
- Full damage inspection. Once the roof is stable, we do the full inspection — see our storm damage restoration service.
- Damage documentation. We compile the photo log and measurements into a written report and estimate for the full repair.
- Material selection. You choose your shingle line and color while the schedule firms up.
- Scheduling. Full restoration is scheduled around your calendar — most projects start within 7–14 days.
- Final install. The tarp comes off as part of the full replacement. Until then, it holds — 30–90 days routinely, longer if needed.
Why work with us for emergency tarping
- 24/7 storm-season response*. Crews on call during active weather.
- Proper materials and methods. 20-mil reinforced tarps, furring-strip anchoring, perimeter sealing. Not blue-tarp-and-nails.
- Thorough documentation.Photo logs and tarp install records — a clear paper trail of the roof's condition and the work done.
- Full restoration follow-through. The same company that tarps your roof restores it. No handoffs.
- No emergency-time price gouging. Same pricing on Sunday morning as Tuesday afternoon.
- Tulsa-local.We're here in February too — not chasing storms from out of state.
If water is actively entering your home, stop reading and call now. If you can wait a few hours, call anyway and we'll dispatch as soon as active crews finish current jobs. Either way — call before the next rain.