There is a gap between what people expect from an emergency roof call-out and what is actually possible in bad weather, and closing that gap is more useful than a promise nobody can keep. Here is what can genuinely be done on the day, and what cannot.
An emergency visit is not the repair. Its purpose is to stop the situation getting worse and to remove immediate danger, in conditions that are usually poor, so that the proper repair can be done well later rather than badly now.
That distinction matters because it sets expectations correctly. A roofer who arrives at nine on a wet November evening is there to make the building safe, not to relay a slope.
That fourth one is worth dwelling on, because it is the most underrated emergency job there is. A surprising share of storm leaks are not holes at all — they are a valley or a gutter overwhelmed by debris the same storm delivered, with water backing up and running under the covering. Clearing it stops the leak that evening, and it is often achievable when getting onto the roof is not.
Being straightforward about this is more useful than being optimistic.
There is a wind speed above which nobody should be on a roof, and a sheet of roofing material or a tarpaulin in a gale is a sail with a person attached to it. If we tell you we cannot go up yet, that is not reluctance; it is the reason we will still be trading next year.
Mortar does not cure properly in the wet or the cold. Lead needs to be dressed onto a dry, clean surface. Adhesives and flat-roof systems have temperature and moisture limits printed on the tin. A permanent repair carried out in the wrong conditions is a repair that fails, and doing it twice costs you more than waiting.
Possible in some circumstances with proper lighting, and a bad idea in most. Assessment in the dark is close to useless: you cannot see the surrounding condition, which is precisely what decides whether a repair will hold.
After a named storm every roofing company in the region has more calls than it can answer that day. How they are ordered matters, and it should be by risk rather than by who rang first.
If you are in the last category, you should be told that clearly rather than being given a time that quietly passes. We would rather tell you Thursday and come on Thursday.
Where a roof is open and conditions allow, a temporary covering keeps water out until the repair. Properly done, that means sheeting of the right weight, fixed to something structural, with the edges and the direction of fall thought about so water runs off rather than pools or gets underneath.
Badly done, it is a builder's tarpaulin held down with blocks, which lasts until the next gust and can take tiles with it when it goes. It is one of the more common things we are called out to repair after somebody else has been.
Temporary covering has a lifespan measured in weeks, not seasons. It is not a cheap alternative to the repair and it should never be sold to you as one.
The most common failure after storm damage is not the emergency work. It is that the emergency work holds, the panic subsides, and the permanent repair never gets booked. Six months later the sheeting has perished and the roof is open again, usually in another storm.
If somebody has made your roof safe, get a date for the repair before they leave. We will always tell you plainly whether what we have carried out is temporary or permanent, and what remains outstanding.
T & T Roofing South Wales covers fifteen areas of South Wales from our base in Neath, for emergency work and for the repair that should follow it.
We will come out and make the ground safe and assess what we can. Whether anybody goes onto the roof depends on the wind, and there is a point above which nobody should. We will tell you honestly which situation you are in.
No, and it should never be sold to you as one. Its lifespan is measured in weeks. It buys time for the repair to be done properly in the right conditions.
Mortar will not cure in the wet or cold, lead needs a dry surface, and flat-roof systems have moisture and temperature limits. A permanent repair done in the wrong conditions fails, and you pay twice.
That is a common call-out. Sheeting needs the right weight, fixing to something structural, and the fall thought about, or the next gust takes it and sometimes tiles with it. Call us and we will look.
Storm damage in South Wales? T & T Roofing South Wales will assess the roof, explain what needs repairing and give you a free, no-obligation quotation. Storm Damage Roof Repairs South Wales has the full detail, or call us on 07766 547309.
Tell us what the weather has done and what you can see from the ground. We will come back to you — usually the same day.
If water is coming in now, please call rather than email — 07766 547309.
