Emergency Roof Repair
Water coming into an occupied building is a different problem from a roof that needs replacing. The first job is stopping the damage. The permanent repair comes second, once the building is safe.
For an active leak, call. It's the fastest way to get someone moving.
While you wait for us
Four things worth doing
right now.
None of this fixes the roof. All of it reduces what the water costs you before we arrive.
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Protect what's below
Move stock, equipment, electronics and paper out from under the leak. Buckets and poly sheeting on the floor buy you time.
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Deal with electrical carefully
If water is near panels, fixtures or wiring, isolate that circuit. Don't stand in water to reach a switch. If in doubt, get an electrician moving in parallel with us.
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Don't puncture a bulging ceiling
A sagging ceiling tile or drywall bulge is holding water. It's tempting to relieve it — but do it into a container, at the edge, and only if it's safe. Otherwise wait.
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Photograph everything
Time-stamped photos of the water, the damage and the affected contents. Your insurer will want them, and memory is a poor substitute later.
Please don't go up on a wet flat roof to look. A wet membrane is genuinely slippery, and in winter it's worse. Most roof falls happen to people who went up "just to check."
What happens when we arrive
- Make the area safe. Roof access, fall protection and anything electrical or structural that needs isolating before work starts.
- Find the entry point. Not the interior symptom — the actual breach. On a flat roof these are frequently metres apart.
- Stabilize. Temporary membrane patch, sealed termination, cleared drain, tarping — whatever stops water entering the building tonight.
- Document. Photographs of the failure, the cause and the damage. This is what supports an insurance claim and stops the same argument later.
- Quote the permanent fix. Once the building is safe, you get a written scope and an honest read on whether it's a repair or the roof is at end of life.
Stabilization is not the repair. We're clear about that distinction on site. A temporary patch buys you weeks and a safe building; it doesn't restore the roof, and anyone telling you otherwise is setting you up for a repeat.
What counts as an emergency
- Active water entering an occupied building
- Storm, hail or wind damage that has opened the membrane
- Membrane blown off or lifted in high wind
- A ceiling holding water, or visible structural sag
- Water near electrical panels, fixtures or server equipment
- Blocked drains with ponding after heavy rain or rapid melt
- Damage caused by another trade working on the roof
Winter emergencies
Edmonton produces a specific kind of winter roof emergency: snow accumulates, a warm spell or interior heat loss melts the underside, the water runs to a cold edge or a blocked drain and refreezes. The ice dams, the water backs up under the membrane, and it finds a way in.
These leaks often appear during a thaw rather than during a storm, which confuses people into thinking the roof is fine. It isn't — it's telling you the drainage or the insulation needs attention before the next cycle.
Response times
We prioritise active water entering occupied buildings. Response depends on time of day, weather, travel distance across the service area, and how many buildings are calling at once — a major hail event means everyone calls in the same hour, and we'd rather be honest about that than promise something we can't hold.
Questions
Emergencies, answered.
We can always stop water entering the building — stabilization works in any weather. A permanent membrane repair is temperature-dependent, so in deep cold the honest sequence is stabilize now, repair properly when conditions allow. We'll tell you which one we're doing.
After-hours and emergency call-outs carry a premium — you're paying for immediate mobilisation rather than scheduled work. We'll be upfront about the rate when you call rather than after. A flat $250 after-hours call-out fee applies, credited toward the repair if you proceed.
Sudden weather-related damage is typically covered; gradual wear and deferred maintenance typically are not. Emergency mitigation to prevent further damage is also commonly covered — which is one reason to document everything and act rather than wait. See insurance claims assistance.
We'd rather you didn't. A wet flat roof is slippery, tarps catch wind badly, and an improperly weighted tarp can make the situation worse or become a hazard to the street below. Protect what's inside and let us handle what's on top.
Yes. Commercial and flat roofing is our specialty, but an active leak in a house is still an emergency and we respond to those as well.
Water coming in?
Call. We'll get moving.
We stabilize first so the damage stops, then deal with the repair.
Call (780) 974-6995