If water is coming in right now, call. Fitchburg is our closest market at seven miles — nearer to our shop than much of Madison is. That matters most in the hour after something goes wrong, and it is the reason we can usually be on a Fitchburg roof the same afternoon rather than the next morning.
Local conditions
What kind of roof you have changes what has gone wrong and how it gets stabilised.
Ponding, not holes
A membrane roof rarely fails from a hole. It fails because water ponds at a low spot and works through a seam or a fastener. That means the entry point is often nowhere near the drip, and a tarp is not always the right stabilisation — sometimes a seam patch is.
The familiar failures
Missing shingles, lifted courses, failed pipe boots and flashing that has pulled loose at a chimney. Same as anywhere, and tarping works the way you would expect.
Where they meet
A leak at the line between your low-slope addition and the steep roof above it is the most common Fitchburg emergency call. It usually appears on the addition ceiling, which sends people looking at the wrong roof.
1970s shallow pitch
Shallow roofs hold snow longer, which gives it more time to melt and refreeze at the eave. Steam removal, never chipping — chipping damages the shingles you are trying to protect. More on why shallow roofs get ice dams.
Seven miles out. Steep systems tarped, low-slope systems patched or sealed depending on the failure. It’s part of the emergency flat and steep roof repair we run across Dane County.
Seam and fastener failures on EPDM and TPO. A tarp on a flat roof is often the wrong answer.
On a mixed-system house the entry point is frequently on a different roof from the drip. We trace it.
The most common Fitchburg emergency. Often a repair rather than a replacement. When it isn’t, our Fitchburg roof repair and replacement team takes it from there.
Steam, never chipping.
Photographed before anything is covered, because the adjuster cannot assess what is under a tarp. See how we handle storm damage claims in Fitchburg.
Details that matter
Five things that limit the damage and protect your claim.
| 1. Photograph everything | Before you move anything |
|---|---|
| 2. Move belongings out | Away from the drip |
| 3. Contain the water | Buckets, tarps inside |
| 4. Do not go on the roof | Ever, in weather |
| 5. Puncture a bulging ceiling | Yes — controlled drain |
| 6. Call your insurer | After you call us |
Pricing
Straight numbers so you are not deciding in the dark at 11pm with a contractor at your door.
| Option | Best for | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Inspection and documentation | Always | FREE |
| Emergency tarping, steep roof | Typical Fitchburg home | $400–$1,200 |
| Low-slope seam repair | Membrane failure | $400–$1,500 |
| Localized permanent repair | Once weather allows | $450–$2,500 |
If the damage came from a storm event, emergency mitigation is frequently covered by your policy. Our insurance restoration help covers what the adjuster needs to see. Keep the receipt and photograph everything before anything gets covered.
Your local exterior experts
Fitchburg Exterior Emergency Questions
Not necessarily, and this catches people out. On a mixed-system house the water frequently enters at the tie-in where the steep roof meets the low-slope one, then runs down and shows up on the addition ceiling. Repairing the sunroom roof when the leak is at the tie-in is how people pay twice. It’s one reason choosing a reputable roofing company matters.
You can, and often you should not. A tarp on a low-slope roof traps water rather than shedding it, and the fastenings needed to hold it down create new penetrations. If the failure is a seam or a fastener, a proper patch is faster, cheaper and more effective than a tarp. We will tell you which applies when we see it.
Faster than anywhere else we work. Seven miles from our shop on S. Stoughton Road, which is closer than much of Madison. Same-day and usually within a couple of hours. After a major storm the queue is longer because everyone calls at once, and we will give you a real time.
Put a bucket underneath and puncture it in the centre with a screwdriver to drain it in a controlled way. A ceiling that collapses on its own does far more damage than a small hole you made on purpose.
No. Wet roofs are how people get seriously hurt, and on a low-slope roof an improperly placed tarp makes the ponding worse. Contain the water inside and let us handle the roof.
A tarp is not — it buys weeks, not months. A properly executed membrane seam repair frequently is, and we will tell you honestly which one you have got rather than booking a replacement you may not need.
Built for Wisconsin · Backed by Expertise
Get your free, no-obligation inspection today.
