The first five minutes
- People and pets away from the area. Nobody on the roof.
- Power off at the breaker to any room where water is near wiring or a fixture.
- Pierce a bulging ceiling at the low point into a bucket rather than waiting for it to let go.
- Photograph everything before you clean up. This is the evidence nobody can recreate later.
- Call us and say it is active.
What to do right now, before we get there
- Do not tarp it yourself. Wet roofs and ladders are how people get seriously hurt, and a tarp that is not fastened properly comes off in the next gust and takes more roof with it.
- Contain what is already inside. Buckets, sheeting over furniture, and power off at the breaker to any area where water is near wiring.
- Pierce a bulging ceiling at its lowest point into a bucket rather than letting it collapse on its own schedule.
- Photograph the damage before anything gets covered. Once a tarp is on, nobody can see what was underneath, and that is the evidence a claim runs on.
- Clear what you can from below the affected area so the crew can work and so nothing else gets ruined.
What we do when we arrive, by service
Emergency Roof Leak Response
Roof open, water coming in, or damage you can see from the ground. Call now and tell us it is active. Active-water calls go ahead of scheduled inspections.
We make it safe and we make it stop. That usually means a properly fastened emergency tarp, or a temporary dry-in at the entry point, photographs of the failure before we cover it, and a clear explanation of what caused it and what the permanent repair is. Stabilisation is not the repair. It stops the damage getting worse while the real work gets scoped and scheduled.
Bethesda · Silver Spring · Rockville · Gaithersburg · Baltimore · Columbia · Annapolis · Alexandria · Arlington · Fairfax · Falls Church · Springfield · Woodbridge · Frederick
Roof Leak Diagnosis
A stain on the ceiling, a drip in the attic, or water tracking down a wall. The leak is almost never directly above the stain. We find where it actually enters.
We work backwards from the stain and forwards from the roof. Water travels along framing and decking before it drops, so the wet spot on your ceiling is frequently several feet from where it entered. We inspect the roof surface, every flashing detail, every penetration and the drainage, and we photograph the whole path. Then we tell you what it is. If it is not conclusive, we say so instead of guessing on your money.
Bethesda · Silver Spring · Rockville · Gaithersburg · Baltimore · Columbia · Annapolis · Alexandria · Arlington · Fairfax · Falls Church · Springfield · Woodbridge · Frederick
Storm Damage Emergency Response
Wind, hail, a limb through the roof, or a section gone. Call now for stabilisation, and get the damage documented properly before anything gets covered up.
Stabilisation first, documentation at the same time. We tarp or temporarily seal the failure with proper fastening, and we photograph the damage in detail before we cover it — because once a tarp goes on, the evidence of what was underneath is gone. You get a dated photo report you can hand straight to your carrier, and an honest assessment of whether this is a documentable storm loss or wear that a claim will not help with.
Bethesda · Silver Spring · Rockville · Gaithersburg · Baltimore · Columbia · Annapolis · Alexandria · Arlington · Fairfax · Falls Church · Springfield · Woodbridge · Frederick
Emergency Roof Tarping
Get the water stopped now, before the ceiling, the insulation and the framing become part of the problem. A tarp buys you time to make a good decision instead of a fast one.
A proper emergency tarp is not a sheet held down with bricks. It is sized to cover the failure and run past it, run up over the ridge or the parapet where the geometry allows so water cannot get under the top edge, fastened at the perimeter into something structural, and secured so wind cannot get beneath it. We photograph the damage before we cover it and we tell you how long the tarp is good for. A tarp is a temporary measure, not a roof, and anybody who leaves you with one and no plan has done half a job.
Bethesda · Silver Spring · Rockville · Gaithersburg · Baltimore · Columbia · Annapolis · Alexandria · Arlington · Fairfax · Falls Church · Springfield · Woodbridge · Frederick
Where we respond, and what fails there
Roofs in this part of Maryland do not fail the same way street to street. What we expect to find before we arrive, by area:
Bethesda
Mature tree canopy. The overwhelming majority of emergency calls here start with a limb, not with a worn-out roof. Our office is in Bethesda, so this is the shortest drive we make.
We cover Bradley Hills, Glen Echo Heights, Westbard, Bethesda Row, Burning Tree and Wyngate, across 20814, 20816, 20817.
In Bethesda: Emergency Leak Response · Roof Leak Diagnosis · Storm Damage Emergency Response · Emergency Roof Tarping
Silver Spring
Post-war ramblers and split-levels. On a split-level the leak is usually not where the stain is — it is at the wall transition where the roof planes step. Dense, close-in, and a short run from our Bethesda office.
We cover Four Corners, Woodside Park, Kemp Mill, Northwood, Forest Glen and Wheaton View, across 20901, 20902, 20903, 20904, 20906, 20910.
In Silver Spring: Emergency Leak Response · Roof Leak Diagnosis · Storm Damage Emergency Response · Emergency Roof Tarping
Rockville
A wide age range of housing on the same streets. Twinbrook-era roofs fail at flashing and at end of life; the newer townhome stock fails at the roof-to-wall detail and at penetrations. Rockville permits work inside city limits itself, which matters for the permanent repair, not for stopping the water tonight.
We cover King Farm, Twinbrook, West End, Fallsgrove, Rockville Town Center and Hungerford, across 20850, 20851, 20852, 20853, 20855.
In Rockville: Emergency Leak Response · Roof Leak Diagnosis · Storm Damage Emergency Response · Emergency Roof Tarping
Gaithersburg
Large stretches of 1970s to 1990s townhome and cluster housing where roofs run continuous over several units, so water entering above one unit can appear inside another. Montgomery Village and the townhome clusters usually need the association notified as well as you.
We cover Kentlands, Montgomery Village, Olde Towne, Washingtonian, Quince Orchard and Lakelands, across 20877, 20878, 20879, 20882, 20886.
In Gaithersburg: Emergency Leak Response · Roof Leak Diagnosis · Storm Damage Emergency Response · Emergency Roof Tarping
Baltimore
Rowhouse roofs are flat or low-slope. Water ponds instead of running off, and it finds seams, the party-wall flashing, the rear drain and every roof-deck post before it finds you. On a rowhouse, a leak in your ceiling can originate on the neighbour's side of the party wall. We find out which before anyone tears anything up.
We cover Federal Hill, Canton, Fells Point, Locust Point, Patterson Park, Mount Vernon and Hampden, across 21201, 21202, 21224, 21230, 21231, 21211.
In Baltimore: Emergency Leak Response · Roof Leak Diagnosis · Storm Damage Emergency Response · Emergency Roof Tarping
Columbia
Complex village-house roof geometry — multiple gables, dormers and valleys. Valleys clog with leaf debris and then back water up under the courses. Columbia Association covenants govern the permanent repair's appearance. They do not govern an emergency tarp.
We cover Wilde Lake, Long Reach, Owen Brown, Hickory Ridge, Kings Contrivance and River Hill, across 21044, 21045, 21046, 21029.
In Columbia: Emergency Leak Response · Roof Leak Diagnosis · Storm Damage Emergency Response · Emergency Roof Tarping
Annapolis
Open-water wind exposure plus a historic core with low-slope rear sections, standing-seam metal and slate. Wind lifts an edge and driven rain does the rest. Historic district properties have review requirements on permanent exterior work. Emergency stabilisation to stop active water is a different matter, and we document what we did.
We cover Historic District, Eastport, Murray Hill, West Annapolis, Admiral Heights and Hillsmere, across 21401, 21403, 21409.
In Annapolis: Emergency Leak Response · Roof Leak Diagnosis · Storm Damage Emergency Response · Emergency Roof Tarping
Frederick
The downtown core has genuinely old roofs — standing-seam metal, slate, and low-slope rear additions — which fail differently from the shingle roofs in the surrounding subdivisions. Downtown historic properties have review requirements for permanent work. Emergency stabilisation is documented and reversible.
We cover Downtown Frederick, Baker Park, Ballenger Creek, Worman's Mill, Spring Ridge and Urbana, across 21701, 21702, 21703, 21704.
In Frederick: Emergency Leak Response · Roof Leak Diagnosis · Storm Damage Emergency Response · Emergency Roof Tarping
Questions people ask at 11pm
What counts as a roofing emergency?
Active water entering the house, structural damage, a tree or limb on the roof, a section of roof or membrane that has come off, or anything that is going to get materially worse before a normal appointment. Missing shingles with no water coming in is urgent but it is not an emergency, and we will tell you that rather than charging you emergency rates for it.
Will you come out at night or in a storm?
We prioritise active-water calls and we tell you honestly on the phone whether we can reach you safely, and when. Nobody goes on a roof in lightning, high wind or ice — a crew that promises that is either lying or unsafe. If we cannot get there tonight, we tell you what to do in the meantime, on the call, for free.
Do you charge for the emergency call?
Emergency stabilisation is chargeable work and we tell you the basis before we dispatch, not after. The follow-up inspection and the written photo report for the permanent repair are free.
Why is the leak not where the stain is?
Because water runs. It enters at a failed flashing, a split boot or an open seam, then travels along the underside of the deck or down a rafter until it finds a low point or an obstruction and drops. Chasing the stain is how homeowners pay for three repairs that do not work.
Can you fix a leak without replacing the whole roof?
Very often, yes. A single failed penetration, a bad length of flashing or a lifted edge on an otherwise sound roof is a repair, and it buys real years. A roof failing in several places at once, or one with soft decking underneath, is a roof where repairs become an annuity you pay somebody else. We will tell you which one you have and show you the photographs.
It only leaks in heavy or wind-driven rain. Is that still a roof leak?
Sometimes, and sometimes it is not the roof at all. Wind-driven rain gets in through siding, window and door flashing and wall penetrations at the same rate it gets through roofs, which is why we inspect the whole water path.
Should I call my insurer or a roofer first?
Get eyes on the damage first if you can do it quickly, so you know what you actually have before you open a claim. But do not let that delay emergency stabilisation — most policies expect you to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage, and a tarp is exactly that. Document it, keep the receipt.
Someone knocked on my door offering a free inspection after the storm. Should I let them?
Be careful. Storm-chasing crews follow weather across state lines, sign as many contracts as they can, and are gone by the time anything goes wrong. Before anyone gets on your roof, ask for an MHIC licence number, a local address and proof of insurance — then verify them. Never sign anything that assigns your claim benefits without reading it carefully.
Will you tell me if there is no damage?
Yes. That is the whole point. Filing a claim on a roof that is simply old does not help you, and an inspection that finds nothing is a free, dated record that your roof was fine on this date, which is worth having.
How long can a tarp stay on?
It depends on how it was installed and what the weather does, but treat it as weeks rather than months. Tarps degrade in UV, they work loose, and they hold water where the roof underneath is already compromised. It buys you time to scope, permit and schedule a proper repair. It does not replace it.
Will insurance pay for the tarp?
Emergency mitigation is frequently reimbursable, because most policies expect you to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage. Keep the invoice and the photographs. Whether your specific policy covers it is your carrier's determination, not ours.
Can you tarp a flat rowhouse roof?
Yes, and it is a different job from a pitched roof. There is no slope and no ridge to run the tarp over, so it is about sealing the opening and making sure the tarp is not creating a new pond. On an attached house we also check whether the failure is even on your side of the party wall.