Water near light fixtures
Water tracking along wiring is an electrical hazard, not just a stain.
Emergency roof repair across New York, NY, day or night
Rain through a light fixture, a membrane lifted by wind, a skylight cracked by a falling branch. Call at any hour and a person answers. The first job is stopping the water.
- We answer 24/7
- New York, NY
- Flat and pitched roofs
Quick answer: When water is coming through a roof in New York, NY, the first job is a temporary seal: a tarp, a membrane patch, or clearing a blocked drain that is flooding the roof. The permanent repair is scoped once the roof is dry and safe to open up.
What the job involves
What an emergency roof call involves
Most roof emergencies in the city come down to three things: wind getting under a membrane edge or a run of shingles, water finding an open seam or flashing in a hard rain, and drains that clog until the roof holds water. Each needs a different temporary fix.
On a flat roof we clear the drains first, because a flooded roof keeps leaking whatever else is done, then seal the entry point with compatible material. On a pitched roof we secure loose material and tarp the damage, fastened so the tarp does not become its own wind problem.
How it runs
From your call to a watertight roof
- 1
Phone triage
Where the water shows, what kind of roof, how we reach it, and how to protect the room below.
- 2
Make it safe
Check the roof can be walked, clear the drains and remove loose debris.
- 3
Stop the water
A tarp, patch or temporary seal fastened for the weather expected over the next days.
- 4
Document the damage
Photos of the entry point and the surrounding roof for you and your insurer.
- 5
Scope the permanent repair
A written scope, with repair versus replacement laid out if it comes to that.
Warning signs
Signs a roof problem cannot wait until morning
A bulging ceiling
Trapped water is heavy, and a bulging ceiling can come down.
Membrane flapping in wind
Once wind gets under a flat roof it keeps peeling it back.
A flooded roof after the rain
Standing water above the drain line means a blocked drain and growing load.
Daylight through roof boards
Seen from a top-floor closet or attic, it means an open hole.
Water running down an inside wall
Often a parapet or coping failure, and it spreads fast inside masonry.
Variations of the job
Emergency calls we handle most
Storm and wind damage
Wind lifts membrane at roof edges and around rooftop units, and peels shingles from the rakes and ridge first. We refasten or cut out loose material, seal the edge and check the rest of the roof, since storm damage is rarely limited to one spot.
Emergency tarping
On a pitched roof an anchored tarp buys time until shingles or slate can be matched. On a flat roof a tarp can hold water and blow loose, so a temporary membrane patch usually holds better until the permanent repair.
Active leak at night
After dark we talk you through protecting the room below, then get on the roof once it is safe to walk. Wet membrane, ice and darkness are how roofers get hurt.
Fallen branch or debris
A limb through a roof usually damages the deck, not just the covering. We remove the debris, check the rafters or joists for cracks, and close the opening with sheathing and a temporary cover.
Local conditions
Why drains come first in a city downpour
On the night of September 1, 2021, the National Weather Service measured 3.15 inches of rain in one hour in Central Park, beating a record set during Tropical Storm Henri less than two weeks earlier. Rain like that overwhelms roof drains that are only partly clogged, and a flat roof in Manhattan with a slow drain fills like a tray and finds every weak seam. That is why our emergency visits start at the drains.
Cost factors
What moves the cost of an emergency repair
Time of the call
Night, weekend and storm-day visits pull crews off scheduled work. Ask for the rate before anyone comes out.
Roof type and height
A garage roof and a six-story walk-up are different jobs once access and hoisting are counted.
How far the water traveled
Wet insulation has to be cut out eventually, and more of it means a bigger permanent repair.
Temporary versus permanent
Some damage is repaired properly on the first visit. Some needs a seal now and a second trip.
Material matching
Common membranes and shingles match easily. Old slate, discontinued shingles and copper take longer.
Damage below the covering
Broken decking or a cracked joist turns a roof repair into a small structural job.
Do it yourself or call
What you can do before we arrive
Safe to do now
- Move furniture, rugs and electronics out from under the leak.
- Catch the water with buckets and towels, and empty them often.
- Photograph the ceiling, the water and any damage for your insurer.
- Switch off the affected circuit if water is near a fixture and the panel is dry and safe to reach.
Leave to a roofer
- Walking a wet, icy or dark roof.
- Tarping a pitched roof, which means ladder work at the edge in wind.
- Patching a membrane with roof cement or generic sealant, which can damage it.
- Pulling up flashing or coping stones to look for the leak.
Questions we hear
Emergency roof repair questions
We answer around the clock and tell you on the call when a crew can reach you. If the roof is not safe to walk in the dark or in lightning, we talk you through protecting the inside and schedule the roof visit for first light.
A well-fastened temporary seal is meant to hold for days, sometimes a few weeks depending on the weather. It is not meant to last a season.
Stop the water first, since most policies expect you to prevent further damage. Photograph everything, keep receipts for the emergency work, and call your insurer as soon as practical.
No. A drip that stops when the rain stops can usually wait for a scheduled visit. Water near electrics, a sagging ceiling, a flooded roof or material blowing loose cannot.
Stay away from the fixture and the wet area, switch off that circuit at the panel if it is dry and safe to reach, and do not use the fixture until an electrician has checked it.
Related services
Related roofing work
Roof Leak Repair
Ceiling stains rarely sit under the hole. We trace the water back to the seam, flashing or drain that is letting it in, then fix that.
Learn moreRoof Leak Detection
For the leak three roofers have already patched. Moisture surveys, core cuts and water tests show where the roof is wet and why.
Learn morePonding Water Correction
Water still sitting two days after rain wears a membrane out early. We correct the slope with tapered insulation, added drains or deck repair.
Learn moreWater coming in right now?
Call and a person answers, day or night. Tell us what you see and we will tell you what happens next.