24/7 Roof Leak Response
Ottawa Roofing Pros answers emergency roof calls 24 hours a day, every day of the year, for homes across Ottawa. When a storm, a falling tree or an ice dam lets water into your house, we come out, stop the water and make the roof safe until a permanent repair can be done.
Our crews have spent more than 17 years on Ottawa roofs, through derechos, tornado seasons and ice-dam winters. We know how to tarp a roof so it survives the next gust, and how to seal a leak in weather when proper shingle work isn't possible.
Every emergency visit ends with a dated photo report you can hand to your insurer.
A roof emergency is any situation where water is getting into your home now, or where the roof has been opened up or weakened. We respond around the clock, including nights, weekends and holidays.
Call us right away if you have:
On arrival, our crew's job is to stop the water. That means tarping the opening, sealing failed flashing or seams with materials that bond in cold and wet conditions, and clearing ice or drains so water can run off. The permanent fix follows once conditions allow it.
We serve homeowners, landlords and tenants dealing with an urgent leak anywhere in the city. From our Centretown base, suburbs such as Kanata, Barrhaven and Orléans are usually a 20 to 35 minute drive outside rush hour. A few missing shingles with dry weather ahead is not an emergency; book a standard roof repair visit instead.
Keep people safe first, then limit the water damage. Everything on a roof can wait for us.
Most emergency calls in Ottawa fall into four types: wind, trees, ice dams and flat-roof failures. Each needs a different temporary fix.
This city has seen how fast weather turns into roof damage. The September 2018 tornadoes that hit Dunrobin and the Arlington Woods area of Nepean, and the May 2022 derecho with gusts estimated near 190 km/h, each damaged roofs across the region within hours.
Wind peels shingles first at the rakes, ridge and eaves, where they have the least support. Once a few tabs go, the next gust lifts the course above.
We secure loose tabs, cover exposed deck with membrane or a tarp, and check flashing and vents that may have shifted. A roof that lost shingles once usually has more that are barely holding.
A falling limb can crack rafters, punch through sheathing and tear flashing loose in a second. Neighbourhoods with mature canopies, like many older streets in Gloucester, see this after almost every major storm.
A large tree resting on the roof needs an arborist to remove it first. Once the load is off, we screw plywood over any hole and tarp over the top, and we note any cracked framing, which will need a permit for repair.
When an ice dam forms at the eave, meltwater pools behind it and backs up under the shingles. It shows up as drips at window tops, wet exterior walls or stains near the outside edge of the ceiling.
We cut channels through the dam with low-pressure steam, which removes ice without damaging shingles the way hammers and chisels do. Steaming is billed hourly, and most homes take 2 to 4 hours. Our ice dam removal service and our Ottawa ice dam guide cover how to stop it coming back.
Flat roofs fail suddenly when a drain or scupper clogs, water ponds, and a weak seam or blister gives way. Heavy snow on a flat roof adds load and hides the problem until it leaks.
We clear drains and scuppers, remove water and snow from the damaged area, and seal tears with a compatible temporary patch. Permanent repairs follow under our flat roof repair and replacement service.
An emergency call moves through four stages, from your phone call to a permanent repair. The temporary fix buys you time; it is not meant to last a season.
We keep you informed at each step so you can make decisions with your insurer.
When you call (343) 504-9753, we ask where the water is, whether anyone is at risk, what kind of roof you have and what happened. That tells us what materials to load.
You get an arrival estimate and the call-out price before we leave.
The crew checks the attic and the roof, then stops the water. Tarps run up and over the ridge so water can't run underneath, and they're wrapped around wood battens fastened to the roof so wind can't get a grip.
Failed flashing or small holes get a temporary seal that bonds in cold and wet conditions. Soaked drywall and insulation are a job for a water restoration company, which your insurer can usually arrange.
We photograph the damage, the cause and the temporary work, and note the measurements and materials used. You receive the report with an itemized receipt for the emergency visit.
Once weather allows, we return to assess the full damage and give you a written quote for the permanent repair. Polyethylene tarps break down in sun and wind, so we aim to replace them with a proper repair as soon as possible.
If the damage is extensive or the roof was already near the end of its life, we'll show you the numbers for a full roof replacement alongside the repair.
Emergency pricing has three parts: the call-out, the labour time, and the materials used. We tell you the call-out cost on the phone before a crew is dispatched, so there are no surprises at 2 a.m.
For most homes, temporary tarping or sealing falls within the range of a minor repair, roughly $350 to $1,200. Ice dam steaming is billed hourly, and most homes need 2 to 4 hours.
What moves the cost:
The permanent repair is quoted separately, using our standard ranges of $350 to $1,200 for minor repairs and $1,200 to $3,500+ for larger ones. That permanent work carries our 1-year written labour warranty.
Every emergency visit comes with documentation an adjuster can use: dated photos, a description of the cause, the temporary work done and an itemized receipt. It makes the difference between a quick claim and a long back-and-forth.
Most Canadian home policies expect you to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage once a loss happens. Emergency tarping is exactly that, so keep our receipt with your claim.
Insurers generally cover sudden events such as windstorms, falling trees and hail, and generally exclude wear and tear or long-term leaks. Our photos show the cause clearly, which helps an adjuster tell the difference.
For the full claim process, from adjuster meetings to repair scopes, see our roof insurance claim support. This is one of several residential roofing services we provide across Ottawa.
Quick answers for when the water is already coming in.
We give you an arrival estimate on the phone, based on your location and how many calls we have. Most Ottawa suburbs are a 20 to 35 minute drive from our Centretown base outside rush hour.
After a major storm, calls spike city-wide. We triage by severity, so active water and open roofs come first.
Yes, temporarily. Tarps, wet-surface sealants and peel-and-stick membranes are designed to work when proper shingle work isn't possible.
Permanent shingle and flashing repairs need dry conditions, so we come back for those once the weather clears.
Call a roofer first if water is coming in, then your insurer. Waiting for an adjuster before stopping the water can make the damage, and your claim, worse.
Photograph the damage before and after our visit, and keep the receipt for the emergency work.
No. A tarp or temporary seal is designed to hold until a permanent repair, not to last.
The permanent repair we do afterward carries our 1-year written labour warranty, and any new materials carry their manufacturer's warranty.
Our crews dispatch from Centretown to every Ottawa community and anywhere within about 30 minutes of the city.
Free roofing estimate
Call (343) 504-9753 any hour, day or night. Tell us where the water is coming in and we'll give you an arrival estimate and the call-out price before a crew heads your way.