If water is coming into your building right now, call (919) 977-5318. Red Letter Roofing runs emergency roof repair across Raleigh, Garner, Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill, Wake Forest, Morrisville, and 20+ North Carolina counties, and we can stabilize a roof before the next round of weather makes it worse.

While you wait, here is what to do, what we will do when we arrive, and how the cost usually works.

What Counts as a Roofing Emergency

• Active water entering the building
• A tree or limb down on the roof
• A section of shingles, membrane, or metal blown off
• A visible hole, puncture, or opening in the deck
• A sagging or bulging ceiling
• Water near electrical panels, wiring, or server equipment
• A collapsed or partially collapsed section
• Any roof damage with more rain in the forecast

If it is on this list, it does not wait until Monday. Water spreads sideways through insulation and framing, and the difference between a same-day tarp and a three-day wait is often the difference between a roof repair and a full interior restoration.

What to Do in the First Hour

• Handle safety first. If there is a downed power line, a structural collapse, or water near electrical equipment, get everyone out and call the utility and fire department before anyone else.

• Move what you can. Furniture, inventory, files, electronics. Cover what cannot be moved.

• Contain the water. Buckets and trash cans under active drips, towels around the edges.

• Relieve a bulging ceiling. A sagging ceiling is holding a lot of water. Punch a small hole at the low point and drain it into a container. A ceiling that lets go on its own does far more damage.

• Photograph everything before cleanup. Wide shots and close shots of every stain, every wet surface, every damaged item. This is what an adjuster wants.

• Do not get on the roof. Wet, storm-damaged, or iced roofs put people in the hospital. Damaged decking can look completely normal.

• Call us. Tell us the address, what you are seeing, and whether the building is occupied.

What Happens When We Arrive

We make it safe and stop the water. Emergency tarping, shrink wrap, temporary membrane patches, dry-in of open sections, and board-up where needed. The first priority is always stopping additional damage.

We document the damage. Photos of every affected slope and elevation, the interior, the attic, and the point of entry. If there is an insurance claim, this documentation is the foundation of it.

We tell you what is actually wrong. Sometimes the emergency is a failed pipe boot and the permanent fix is a small repair. Sometimes the roof is done and the real conversation is roof replacement. You get the honest version either way.

We give you a path forward. A permanent repair scope, or a replacement plan, or a claim strategy. If it is a storm event, our storm damage restoration team can meet your adjuster on site so damage gets agreed on rather than argued about later.

Commercial Buildings and Occupied Properties

Roughly 85 percent of our work is commercial, so an emergency call at an occupied building is normal for us.

That means low-slope membrane repairs, mechanical room and tenant space protection, working around business hours, and communicating with property managers and tenants directly so you are not relaying messages. We can stabilize a roof overnight and complete the permanent repair on a schedule that does not shut down your tenants.

If you manage a portfolio, having our team already familiar with your buildings takes hours off the response. That is one of the reasons owners put us on their commercial roofing programs. Homeowners get the same response, handled through our residential roofing team.

What Emergency Roof Repair Costs

Emergency work is typically priced as a service call plus materials and labor, with after-hours rates for nights, weekends, and holidays. Tarping and dry-in are usually a modest cost compared to the interior damage they prevent, and most insurance policies cover emergency mitigation because your policy requires you to prevent further damage.

Keep every receipt. Tarps, fans, dehumidifier rental, and temporary relocation costs generally go on the claim.

We will give you a number before we do the work. Nobody gets a surprise invoice from us because they called at 2 a.m.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are you really available 24/7?

Yes. Call (919) 977-5318 any hour. Response times depend on how many buildings are affected, and after a widespread storm we triage by severity, prioritizing active water intrusion and unsafe conditions.

Will emergency tarping damage my roof further?

Done properly, no. Tarps are secured to minimize fastener penetrations and those points are addressed during the permanent repair. Done badly, a tarp can create new leaks, which is why this is worth handing to a roofer rather than doing yourself.

Should I call my insurance company or a roofer first?

Call a roofer first to stop the damage. Your policy requires you to prevent further loss, and emergency mitigation is a covered expense on nearly every policy. Open the claim right after, and you do not need a repair estimate to get a claim number.

Can you do a permanent repair the same night?

Sometimes, for small punctures and flashing failures. More often we stabilize first and return in daylight for the permanent fix, because a proper repair needs a dry surface, the right material, and safe conditions.

Call Now for Emergency Roof Service

Do not wait for the next storm to make it worse. We will stabilize the roof, document the damage, and give you a straight answer about what comes next.

Call (919) 977-5318 now for 24/7 emergency service. For non-urgent issues, see roof repair or reach out to our team.