Did a strong storm just pass by your house and cause some significant damage to your roof? If water is now coming into your home, you'll need to contact a professional roofer for some emergency roof repairs. However, you'll also want to stop that water from coming into your home until they arrive. Here are some tips for covering your roof to prevent more damage from happening.

Tools and Materials

You'll need a few things in order to protect your roof, which can be found at a local home improvement store. Start by finding a tarp that is large enough to cover up the damaged portion of the roof and extend to the other side. You'll also need some 2x4s to cover the perimeter of the tarp and some roofing nails that are long enough to go through the wood and into the roof.

Place The Tarp

Start by placing the tarp on the roof. The tarp needs to be large enough so that it can cover the damaged part of your roof that is leaking water but also extend to the other side of the roof's peak, even if it's just a foot over the ridgeline. Secure the tarp in place with a couple nails, and then measure all of the lengths on the perimeter of the tarp on each side. There will be six measurements that you need to get.

Cut The 2x4s

Get out a saw and start cutting the 2x4s so they match the six measurements that you just recorded. These pieces of wood are going to go along the border of the tarp, so it will be easier if each length uses a single piece of wood. However, using multiple pieces of wood is fine, as well. 

Secure The 2x4s

The first piece of wood should be the two sections that are parallel to the peak of the roof. Wrap the tarp around the 2x4s so that it goes over the top of the wood. Then, nail through the tarp and 2x4s together so that the two are held to the roof. Do the same for the side pieces, but wrap the tarp under the wood so that the tarp is flat across the roof's surface.

The side wood pieces need to have the tarp flat and underneath the wood prevent wind from getting under the tarp and ripping it off. The parallel sections with the roof's peak need to go over the wood so that rain can flow off the surface and not get trapped behind a 2x4.

With the roof protected, you can now wait until professional help arrives to fix your roof.

To learn more about emergency roof repairs, contact roofers in your area.