Roof leaking in a storm? What to do in the first hour (Christchurch guide)

Put buckets under active drips and move furniture, electronics, and anything that stains away from the wet zone. If water is near light fittings or power points, turn off the affected circuit at the board if you can do so safely.

Do not climb on the roof yourself, especially in wind or wet conditions. Photos from inside showing stain location help us, but calling first matters more than getting the perfect picture.

If water is actively breaching the ceiling, if sheets are lifting or missing, or if more weather is forecast before you can dry the building out, call now. Buckets buy minutes, not a dry house.

You do not need to know exactly where water enters before you ring. Tell us your suburb, what you are seeing, and whether it is still dripping. We advise immediate steps and a realistic arrival time.

After a big storm in Sumner we had a crew on site within an hour of the call. In Prebbleton, wind damage overnight was met with the same response time. In St Albans we pulled up an aerial view within minutes of the call to plan the job, made temporary repairs, then returned for the permanent fix.

When most of a roof blew off in high winds, we were on site within an hour, worked past 10pm securing the building, then returned two days later working past 8pm to fit new steel before forecast heavy rain. The first visit is about stopping water and making the building safe.

Nine times out of ten we stop active leaks on the spot with a temporary repair while we are there. That might mean securing lifted sheets, temporary cover, or sealing a failed penetration until dry weather allows permanent work.

Permanent repair starts with tracing the source. Water rarely drips where it enters. We find the actual fault, quote clearly, and credit the call-out fee toward the final invoice when you proceed with the quoted permanent work.