Temporary Roof Repair After a Houston Storm

The number one cause of post-storm injury in Houston is not the storm itself, it is homeowners climbing wet roofs in the wrong shoes. Before you do anything else, run this checklist:

• Is there active lightning within 10 miles? Wait.
• Are there downed power lines on or near the house? Call CenterPoint at (713) 207-2222, do not approach.
• Is the roof still wet? Wait for it to dry, or work from a ladder only, not on the roof.
• Is the slope steeper than 6/12 (rises 6 inches over 12 inches)? Hire a contractor, do not climb.
• Are you alone? Get a spotter. Most roof falls happen with no one to call 911.

The roof is replaceable. You are not. When in doubt, do the documentation and the interior protection from inside the house, and let a contractor handle the exterior.

The single biggest mistake we see in denied claims: the homeowner tarped the damage immediately and now the adjuster cannot see what was actually broken. The carrier will argue that the damage was preexisting, or was caused by the tarp installation, or was never visible to begin with. Photos taken before the tarp went on end this argument before it starts.

From the ground, walk every elevation of the house with your phone in panorama mode. Then close-up photos of: every section of visible damage, every patch of debris on the lawn (especially shingle fragments and hail stones), and any interior water staining or active drip. Date-stamp all of it. Email the album to yourself so it lives on a server you do not control.

If you can safely get on the roof, repeat the process from above. Drone photos from a contractor count too. The goal is a photo record that proves what the roof looked like the morning after the storm.

Call your carrier's claim hotline first and get a claim number in writing. Do not let the adjuster pressure you into a preferred contractor before you have called your own. The carrier's preferred network is built on volume discounts and faster cycle times, both of which usually translate to a lower scope than what your roof actually needs. You are entitled to choose your own licensed contractor under Texas law. Open the claim, get the number, then call your roofer.

A real emergency tarp is not a Walmart blue tarp held down with bricks. That fails in the first 25 mph gust and the insurance adjuster will not pay for the secondary damage. Here is what we install and what you can install if you cannot wait for a contractor:

• Heavy-duty 6 mil poly tarp (blue or silver), sized to cover the damage plus 4 ft of overlap onto sound shingles on every side, including 2 ft up over the ridge.
• Six 1x4 furring strips, length matched to the tarp.
• Box of 2 inch wood screws (not nails, screws come out cleanly when the permanent repair goes on).
• Cordless drill with a Phillips bit and extra battery.
• Roofing cement or butyl tape to seal screw holes on the upslope furring strip.

Total cost: $80 to $140 from any Houston Home Depot or Lowe's. Save the receipts. Carrier reimburses.

Step 1. Lay the tarp over the damage with 4 ft of clean overlap on every side and 2 ft draped over the ridge.

Step 2. Sandwich the upslope edge of the tarp between two furring strips on top of the ridge. Screw the sandwich together through both strips and into the decking with 2 inch screws every 12 inches. Seal each screw head with roofing cement.

Step 3. Sandwich the downslope edge of the tarp between two more furring strips at the eave. Screw through both strips and the tarp into the decking the same way. Do not seal these screws, they need to come out cleanly.

Step 4. Repeat on the left and right edges with the last two furring strips, screwed into the deck through the tarp.

The water flows downhill across the tarp and exits at the eave the same way it does on a working roof. The upslope sandwich is the only part that needs to be water-tight because that is where wind tries to lift the tarp. Done right, this holds 30 to 90 days through summer thunderstorms. Done wrong, you find a soaked living room ceiling at 2 AM during the next squall.

If water is already coming through the ceiling, move furniture and electronics away from the active drip. Put a 5-gallon bucket under the drip and a plastic sheet over anything you cannot move. If the ceiling is bulging from trapped water, poke a single small hole with a screwdriver in the lowest point of the bulge and drain it into the bucket. Holding back the water by leaving the ceiling intact is how you turn a $400 patch into a $4,000 ceiling collapse.

Photograph everything. Wet drywall, wet carpet, wet electronics. Carrier pays for interior damage under Coverage A (dwelling) or Coverage C (contents) depending on the item. The photos are what unlocks the payment.

1. Signing a contractor's Authorization to Inspect that is actually a contract. Read the fine print. A real AOI gives the contractor permission to inspect, nothing more. A disguised contract obligates you to use that contractor regardless of price or scope. If the document mentions assignment of insurance proceeds, do not sign.

2. Letting the contractor "waive your deductible." Illegal under Texas Insurance Code 27.02(d). Carrier will void the claim and you absorb the full repair.

3. Doing permanent repairs before the adjuster sees the damage. Once the roof is fixed, the carrier has nothing to inspect and can deny the claim entirely. Tarp is fine because it is clearly temporary. New shingles are not.

4. Filing too late. Most Texas policies require notice of claim within 1 year of the loss event. Some carriers require 30 days for storm claims. Call your carrier within 72 hours of the event, even if you do not yet have damage photos.