How To Temporarily Cover A Hole In The Roof

Pull the tarp tightly down onto the roof and smooth it out.

How to temporarily cover a hole in the roof.

The most popular item used to cover a roof is a tarp. One of the fastest and least expensive ways you can make a temporary emergency roof repair is to cover the involved area with a plastic tarp. A few holes in a roof that needs fixing anyway is pretty cheap insurance. Roll the tarp over the damaged area taking care that it extends at least 3 on all sides.

Place the plywood or sheet metal over the hole and use roofing nails and a hammer or decking screws and a cordless drill to secure the plywood to the roof. The 2 by 4 should be about 2 feet longer than the tarp width. Partially unroll your tarp to cover the damaged area from the roof s eaves to peak. Of rope for each corner of your home.

Then fold the excess tarp under a few rotations for a tight clean fit. Really you don t want to be up on the roof in a storm trying to retrieve your flapping tarp. Use 1x2 along the perimeter of the tarp and a few nails or screws to hold them in place. Wind can be powerful and damned persistent.

If the distance from the roof to the ground is 20ft then you would need to use 40ft. There should be an additional 4 feet of tarp on every side. Next on the peak side attach the tarp to the 2 by 4 using cap nails. Make sure you get one that is large enough to cover the entire affected area and one that is meant to be used outdoors.