How To Temporarily Fix A Hole In The Roof

If you have a vent pipe in the way skip to step 5.

How to temporarily fix a hole in the roof.

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. The trick is securing it in place. For temporary coverage our favorite is the ubiquitous blue tarp. Pull the tarp tightly down onto the roof and smooth it out.

Install a 2 by 4 brace under a small hole that extends three times the width of the opening. Hold it against the inside of the plywood by pulling up through the hole while driving deck screws through the roof and into the brace. Use 1x2 along the perimeter of the tarp and a few nails or screws to hold them in place. Use a jigsaw to cut a rounded shape from the plywood to the exact size of the hole.

There are a variety of materials you can use. Really you don t want to be up on the roof in a storm trying to retrieve your flapping tarp. All the tools products i used for the repair i bought at home depot. Make sure you get one that is large enough to cover the entire affected area and one that is meant to be used outdoors.

Covering the roof is the short term goal. On the undamaged side wrap one end of the tarp around the 1 3 furring strip making sure the furring strip extends past each end by 1. I cut out the existing shingles in the area around the hole. Wind can be powerful and damned persistent.

Temporarily screw the rolled end down to the roof with at least two or three screws.