Emergency Make-Safe and Board-Up in Melbourne
Something’s broken and your home or business isn’t safe or secure? We make it safe 24 hours a day: tarps on the roof, boards over broken windows and doors, bracing on damaged structures, and water and power isolated. Across Melbourne and towns within about a 2-hour drive.
Call us: 03 8583 2640 or 0426 204 244
What a make-safe is
I’m Victor from Holy Mess Repairs. A make-safe is the temporary work that stops damage getting worse and makes a property safe and secure until the permanent repair. Insurers often ask for one straight after a storm, impact or leak, and they usually want photos and a short report. We do both.
Every job is done by fully licensed tradespeople, either our own Holy Mess team or a fully licensed contractor we organise and manage.
Make-safe work we do
- Roof tarping and sandbagging over leaks, broken tiles and lifted sheets
- Boarding up broken windows and doors. Replacement glass is done by a fully licensed glazier we organise and manage. See emergency glass.
- Securing damaged doors and garage doors with bracing and refitted hinges
- Isolating water and stopping leaks at the source
- Bracing or propping damaged structures like pergolas, gables and ceilings. See structural propping.
- Clearing collapsed structures and debris safely
- Clearing blocked gutters, downpipes and valleys that are overflowing inside
Before we get there
- If anyone is in danger, call 000. For fallen power lines, stay well clear and call your electricity distributor’s faults line.
- Turn off the water at the main stop tap (usually near the meter at the front boundary) if a pipe or fixture is leaking.
- Turn off the power at the switchboard if water is near power points, lights or appliances, and only if you can do it safely without standing in water.
- Smell gas? Don’t use switches or flames, open doors and windows, get out and call the gas emergency line.
- Move valuables away from the water and catch drips with buckets and towels.
- Take photos and videos for your insurer, and send them to us on WhatsApp at 0426 204 244.
After-hours emergency pricing, up front
After hours there’s a $330 call-out fee, and the minimum charge for an emergency repair is $550. We tell you both on the phone before we head out, so there are no surprises at the door. If the job is bigger than an emergency fix, we make it safe first, then give you a written quote for the long-term repair before any more work starts.
Make-safe reports for insurers
Every make-safe comes with before and after photos and a written record of what we found and what we did, so your insurer and assessor can act quickly. Need paperwork for a claim? See our insurance reports and, if a builder or contractor caused the problem, our expert witness and building dispute reports.
How it works
- You call, a tradesperson answers. Any hour, 7 days, on 0426 204 244. Send photos and videos on WhatsApp.
- We confirm the cost on the phone. $330 after-hours call-out and a $550 minimum, before anyone heads out.
- We make it safe. Stop the water, isolate the danger, cover or secure what’s damaged.
- We fix the cause. On the spot where we can, by fully licensed tradespeople.
- Photos and a quote for the rest. Before and after photos for you and your insurer, and a written quote for the long-term repair.
Real reports from our jobs (names and addresses blacked out)
- Insurance report (make-safe), Belmont (Geelong) (2026-01): Insurance make-safe report from Belmont, Geelong, after a car hit a garage sectional door and knocked the panels off their hinges. Our team stabilised the door, refitted the hinges and added structural bracing so the property was secure and weather-tight until permanent repairs. The report explains each step and the reason for it, the way insurers and their agents need it.
- Insurance report (make-safe, before/after), Coburg (2026-02): Before-and-after make-safe report from Coburg. A rusted, failed skylight and a gap where the tiles meet the wall were letting water pour into an internal corridor and through the downlights. We tarped and sandbagged both areas to make the home watertight and checked the wet downlights for electrical safety, with photos of every step.
- Insurance report (forensic inspection & make-safe), Nicholls ACT (2026-04): Same-day forensic inspection and make-safe report from Nicholls, Canberra. Water was getting into a ground-floor bathroom, and we confirmed the source as badly deteriorated lead flashing where the first-floor roof meets the wall. We installed a temporary make-safe on the day and documented everything with before, during and after photos and video.
- Insurance quote (make-safe), Flynn ACT (2026-03): Insurance make-safe quote from Flynn, Canberra. Blocked gutters and downpipes were overflowing, so the quote covers clearing and flushing the gutters, removing the downpipe bends that standard flushing misses, a flow test, and a roof assessment. Every step lists what could go wrong and how we prevent it, with a total of $2,563 including GST.
See every published report on our real roof reports page.
Areas we cover
We cover all of Melbourne, plus the towns within about a 2-hour drive of the city:
- Geelong, Bellarine and Surf Coast: Geelong, Lara, Ocean Grove, Queenscliff, Torquay, Anglesea and Colac
- Mornington Peninsula: Frankston, Mornington, Rosebud and Sorrento
- West and Ballarat: Melton, Bacchus Marsh, Ballan and Ballarat
- Macedon Ranges and Goldfields: Sunbury, Gisborne, Woodend, Kyneton, Daylesford, Castlemaine and Bendigo
- North: Wallan, Kilmore, Seymour and Euroa
- Yarra Valley and Yarra Ranges: Lilydale, Yarra Glen, Healesville, Warburton, Kinglake and Marysville
- West Gippsland and Latrobe Valley: Pakenham, Drouin, Warragul, Moe, Morwell and Traralgon
- Bass Coast and South Gippsland: Phillip Island, San Remo, Wonthaggi, Inverloch and Leongatha
Not sure if your town is in range? Call 03 8583 2640 or 0426 204 244 and ask.
Why Holy Mess Repairs
- Fully licensed. Every job is done by fully licensed tradespeople, our own team or a fully licensed contractor we organise and manage.
- Insured through BizCover.
- 4.5 stars from 124 Google reviews.
- Photos of everything. You see the problem before we fix it and the result after.
- Prices before we start. You choose the option.
- Warranty that matches the work.
HOLYMESS PTY LTD · ABN 31 666 327 813
How we quote
Call or email us and I’ll give you a free estimate over the phone. There’s no fee for the estimate. Once you’re happy with it, we send you a written document that explains what to expect, the likely scenarios and what each one costs, plus the quality of work and the warranty. That way you know exactly what you’re getting before we arrive.
Send us photos and videos on WhatsApp: 0426 204 244. Send as many as you can. The more we see, the more accurate the estimate.
Melbourne make-safe and board-up FAQs
How much is an after-hours call-out?
After hours there’s a $330 call-out fee and a $550 minimum charge for an emergency repair. We confirm the cost on the phone before we come out.
Are you available 24/7?
Yes. Call or WhatsApp 0426 204 244 any time. A real roofer or plumber answers, not a call centre.
Is a make-safe the same as the repair?
No. It’s temporary work to stop further damage and make the property safe and secure. We then quote the permanent repair.
Will my insurer pay for the make-safe?
Often, if the event is covered. We give you photos and a report for the claim, but the decision is your insurer’s.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. Every job is done by fully licensed tradespeople, and we’re insured through BizCover.
Do you cover my town?
Yes, if you’re in Melbourne or within about a 2-hour drive. That includes Geelong, the Bellarine, Torquay, the Mornington Peninsula, Ballarat, Bendigo, Castlemaine, Kyneton and the Macedon Ranges, Seymour, the Yarra Valley, Healesville, Warburton, Warragul, Traralgon, Phillip Island, Wonthaggi and Colac. Not sure? Call 03 8583 2640 and ask.
Can I see your work before I book?
Yes. Visit our Reservoir showroom and warehouse at Unit 10, 236–244 Edwards Road, Reservoir VIC. It’s open 6am to 6pm, 7 days. Call ahead and we’ll make sure the right person is there.
Do you charge for a quote?
No. Call or email us and we’ll give you a free estimate over the phone, with no fee for the estimate. Send photos and videos on WhatsApp to 0426 204 244 and we’ll follow up with a written document setting out the likely scenarios, the cost of each and the warranty.
Need it made safe? Call now
Send us photos and videos on WhatsApp to 0426 204 244, or call for a free phone estimate.
Call Victor and the team: 03 8583 2640 or 0426 204 244
Visit our Reservoir showroom and warehouse: Unit 10, 236–244 Edwards Road, Reservoir VIC 3073. It’s our working base. Crews load materials there, our equipment and machinery are stored there, and the office is upstairs. There’s also a separate showroom where you can see examples of our roofing, plumbing and renovation work and meet the team. Open 6am to 6pm, 7 days. No booking needed, but call ahead and we’ll make sure the right person is there to meet you.
Holy Mess Repairs · 19 Chivers Rd, Templestowe VIC 3106 · Showroom and warehouse (call ahead): Unit 10, 236–244 Edwards Road, Reservoir VIC 3073 · Serving Melbourne and towns within about 2 hours