Moderate difficulty  ·  About 1–2 hours

Step by step

1. 1

   Decide honestly whether to climb at all

   Before anything, make the safety call. Never get on a roof that is wet, steep, icy, or higher than a single story, and never during a storm or high wind. If you can’t reach the damage safely from a ladder or a low, dry, walkable roof, stop here and call an emergency roofing service. A tarp is not worth a fall from a Houston two-story.

2. 2

   Wait for dry conditions and daylight

   Only work when the rain has passed, the roof surface is dry, and you have full daylight. A wet or algae-slicked roof is dangerously slippery, and Houston roofs stay damp long after the rain stops. If the leak is actively pouring, manage it from inside with buckets and tarps over your belongings until conditions are safe outside.

3. 3

   Set up the ladder safely with a helper

   Place the ladder on firm, level ground at the right angle (one foot out for every four feet up) and have someone hold the base. Keep three points of contact climbing, and never lean out past the ladder’s side rails. Most of the work — and the risk — is on the ladder, so take your time here.

4. 4

   Position the tarp to shed water over the ridge

   Unroll the tarp so it covers the damaged area with generous overlap on all sides, and run the top edge up and over the roof ridge if you can. Water needs to run down the tarp and off the roof, so the high edge must sit above the leak — a tarp that stops below the damage will just funnel water underneath it.

5. 5

   Anchor the tarp without creating new leaks

   The pro method is to wrap the tarp’s top and bottom edges around 1x2 or 2x4 wood strips and screw those strips down through the tarp into the roof, so the fasteners are sandwiched and sealed by the wood. On a low-slope roof you can often skip nailing entirely and hold the tarp down with sandbags — safer for you and it puts no new holes in your roof.

6. 6

   Secure loose edges against Houston wind

   Gulf Coast winds will peel a loose tarp off in minutes and can turn it into a sail. Make sure every edge is either fastened to a furring strip, weighted with sandbags, or tied off. Trim or roll excess tarp so there’s nothing flapping for the wind to grab.

7. 7

   Treat it as temporary and call for the real repair

   A tarp is a stopgap, not a fix — most last only a few weeks before UV and wind break them down. Photograph the damage and the tarped roof for your insurance claim, then get a professional inspection and permanent repair scheduled right away, before the next storm rolls through.

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