Emergency Roof Tarping

Mother Nature just pulled a prank on your house – a good old hailstorm with torrential rain and gusty winds for added flavor!

As the storm subsides, you realize it’s not all fun and games: shingles are scattered around your yard like confetti and the threat of more inclement weather looms large. You picture the looming disaster – a waterfall cascading from your ceiling, drenching your priceless Persian rug and making your antique heirloom furniture look like it just participated in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Those family treasures – the ones money can’t replace – suddenly seem more vulnerable than ever. So, what’s the plan, Stan?

WARNING: You may not want to do this yourself. There’s plenty of midland roofers who are capable of taking care of this daunting task for you.

First off, you’ve got to protect the irreplaceable, the things you wouldn’t trade for all the tea in China. Start a little relocation project for them – move them to areas of the house that don’t look like future indoor rainforests, or give them a DIY armor with blankets and then wrap them in thick plastic, creating little disaster-resistant cocoons. Places like Home Depot and Lowes are bursting with stuff that can turn your house into a veritable fortress – so get shopping!

The next part involves some heroism, as we move on to battlefield – your damaged roof. Ideally, you’d want a squad of roofing professionals, those valiant knights of the construction world, to swoop in and perform an emergency tarping operation. Thankfully, your insurance will cover the costs for this emergency band-aid. However, if it was a particularly boisterous storm and every roofer in town is working overtime, you might be in for a bit of a wait.

But if the clock’s ticking and you feel like you’re starring in your own disaster movie, you can take matters into your own hands. Now, listen closely here: don’t play the daredevil by clambering onto a wet, slippery roof – leave that to the professionals. Wait until the roof is as dry as a bone to start your temporary repair mission.

Head over to your nearest Home Depot or Lowes and get yourself a tarp large enough to cover the damaged roof area, like a giant Band-Aid. While you’re there, grab some 1X3s, long enough to secure the perimeter of the tarp. The tarp should have a good three-foot buffer around the damaged area – no skimping on size here!

Once you’ve assembled your supplies, it’s time for a little rooftop DIY. Wrap one end of the tarp around a 1X3 and secure it firmly to the roof, giving it about 1.5 feet of extra space past the damage. Repeat this on all sides, pulling the tarp as tight as a drum as you go, and make sure to cover the ridge if necessary.

Avoid trapping ventilation pipes under the tarp like a scared mole. Instead, waterproof them with tape before tarp deployment, cut a neat little hole in the tarp for the pipes, and then secure the tarp around them.

If your roof looks like it’s auditioning for a disaster movie and needs full coverage, it’s probably best to leave it to the pros. After all, you want this tarp to hold up until the insurance company can send their own team to survey the storm’s handiwork, and they might take a while, especially if it’s peak storm season. So sit tight, make a cup of hot cocoa, and enjoy the rain from your dry and cozy home.

Different Types of Roofing Shingles

When choosing a roof for your home, it is important to carefully consider what material you should choose. The type of material you should use can depend on expense, style, size, color, and other factors. Here is some information on different materials for your roof.

Asphalt shingles are among the most common and inexpensive shingles you can choose. Asphalt shingles run about $100 to $150 per shingle on average. Depending on several factors like size and shape, it could cost from $1700 to about $8400 to install on your roof. There are several variations for asphalt shingles including size, colors, and styles. Many of the asphalt shingles are approved by Energy Star, meaning you could save money on your energy bills. Cons of these shingles include that they are not ideal for areas where temperature fluctuates on a regular basis. Since asphalt shingles are made of weaker material, they are more likely to crack than other materials available. They should only be used on roofs that have steep slopes. Some popular styles and colors include weathered wood, slate, charcoal, and barkwood.

The next shingle we will discuss is fiberglass shingles. This is another popular type of material to roof your home with. These shingles tend to cost $3800 to $8000 to install. While this is more expensive than regular asphalt shingles, they are still more inexpensive than the majority of other materials and there are many more benefits to fiberglass. Some of these benefits include that they are more durable, lightweight, and have a longer warranty. Along with this, fiberglass shingles have a waterproof coating. This is achieved by wet fiberglass is layered together, and glued together with strong urea-formaldehyde adhesive. After this, it is coated with asphalt and filled with small minerals to make the material completely airtight. Fiberglass is also resistant to fiber and UV rays resistant.

Tile shingles are another option. These tend to more expensive at $300 to $700 per shingle. Since these tiles are heavy among other complications, it will cost from $10K to $14K to install these on your roof. These shingles are extremely attractive and popular. They can be molded to many shapes, and tend to come in lighter shades, keeping your home cooler. These tiles tend to look best on Spanish or Mediterranean looking homes, but are good options for other stylish homes. Plus, these tiles often last around eighty years! However, these shingles are among the very most expensive, and you must be careful to check the structure of your home to see if it is fit to hold such heavy materials. This should always be checked by an experienced and reputable roofing contracting. Leaks, small cracks, holes, cracked and broken tiles are some of the more common issues with tile roofs, but these issues can be fixed with roofing plastic cement or a simple replacement of the tiles.

These are just a few of many options for materials to roof your home with. All are good shingles; what matters is that it is the ideal shingle type for your area and your roof.