Emergency Roof Repairs in Canberra
Hail through the tiles, a gum branch through the roof, or water pouring in after a summer storm? Call us any hour. We make the roof safe properly, record the damage for your insurer, and price the permanent repair. Canberra, the ACT, Queanbeyan and towns within about an hour’s drive.
Call now, 24/7: 03 8583 2640 or 0426 204 244
When a Canberra storm hits
Canberra’s summer storms can bring hail, strong winds and a lot of rain in a short time. Hail cracks concrete and terracotta tiles, breaks skylights and dents metal. Wind lifts tiles and sheets and drops branches from big eucalypts. Then the rain finds every gap.
When you call us, a real person answers, day or night. We don’t just inspect and book you in for later while water keeps coming in. Our vans carry all the roof tools and materials for temporary repairs, including tarps, make-safe tape and sealants, plus lights for working at night, so we can stop the water on the first visit wherever that’s safe to do.
Hail damage: what we check
- Tiles. Cracked or holed concrete and terracotta tiles, and broken ridge caps.
- Metal roofs. Dented sheets, cappings and flashings, and split sealant at the laps.
- Skylights and vents. Cracked domes, polycarbonate and vent caps.
- Gutters and valleys. Hailstones and shredded leaves pack valleys and gutters and make them overflow, often the real cause of water inside after a hailstorm.
Not every leak after a hailstorm is hail damage, though. On one Curtin roof, the question was whether hail had caused the leak. We found no impact marks. The leak came from a building defect where a tiled roof meets a flatter metal section. We’ll tell you straight what we find and photograph it, because your insurer will ask.
What to do right now
- Get people clear of bulging or sagging ceilings and anywhere water is near lights or power points. Switch the power off at the board if it’s safe.
- Catch and contain the water with buckets and towels. Move electronics and documents.
- Don’t climb up. Hail-covered and wet roofs are treacherous, and storms can come back.
- Photograph everything inside and out, before anything is moved.
- Call us. In a life-threatening emergency, call 000. For storm help, the ACT SES is on 132 500.
How we make a roof safe
- You call, we answer, 24/7. Send photos if you can.
- We keep you safe while we’re on the way.
- We stop the water. That might mean replacing cracked tiles, clearing hail and leaves from valleys and gutters, resealing a flashing or skylight, or tarping the damaged area.
- We document the cause with before and after photos, ready for your insurer or assessor.
- We price the permanent repair, so the make-safe doesn’t just sit there for months.
After-hours emergency pricing: After hours there’s a $330 call-out fee, and the minimum charge for a make-safe, repair or patch done on the spot is $550. We’ll confirm the cost on the phone before we head out.
Our tarping method
Tarps fail when they’re done cheaply. Bricks and sandbags make water pool, wear the tiles and let the tarp flap until it tears. On tiled roofs, we lift the top course of ridge tiles and tuck the tarp underneath, so water flows over it like a shingle. The tarp covers the whole valley or damaged area, the bottom edge goes into the gutter, and tensioned ropes stop it flapping. We use 180 GSM UV-rated tarps that last months, not the thin ones that tear in weeks, and we don’t tarp in winds strong enough to make it unsafe.
Real Canberra make-safe jobs
Flynn: tarp and blocked downpipes
Water was getting in near a bathroom window, and the valley was the suspected failure point. For the insurance builder, we quoted an 8 m × 9 m, 180 GSM UV-rated tarp tucked under the ridge tiles, bridging the valley and roped down: $1,900 + GST. The gutters and downpipes were blocked too. Instead of just blowing them out, which pushes the debris into the downpipe bends, we quoted taking the downpipes apart, clearing them and flow testing: $430 + GST. Inspection photos were included.
Nicholls: water into a ground-floor bathroom
A two-storey Nicholls home had water coming into a ground-floor bathroom. Working for the insurance builder, we traced the leak to the lead flashing, made it safe on the day, and wrote a detailed report on where the water was getting in.
Curtin: “is it hail?”
As above: the question was hail, but the cause was an existing defect where the roof pitch changes. Getting that right meant a targeted repair, quoted at $1,900 + GST, instead of an argument with the insurer.
Real quotes and reports from our jobs
These are real quotes and reports we sent to customers, published with their permission. Names, street addresses, contact details and claim numbers are blacked out. Click a page to open the full PDF.
InsuranceSame-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
Gutter/downpipe flow restoration & roof assessment · Flynn ACT
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.
- Pre-arrival estimate
Roof water-ingress repair · Curtin ACT
Insurance repair quote for a roof leak in Curtin, Canberra, prepared before attending from the homeowner’s photos and video and the insurer’s assessment report. We reviewed the evidence, identified likely flashing defects, and priced the repairs with dye testing to confirm the cause. It shows how we can give a quick, evidence-based quote without a first site visit.
Watch
The first video is one of our Melbourne jobs: tracing a persistent leak at a wall and box gutter junction.
Insurance and make-safe reports
We do make-safe work for homeowners and for insurance builders in Canberra. Our reports record the cause of damage (storm, hail or existing wear), with before, during and after photos, the make-safe work done, and a priced scope for the permanent repair. Insurers and assessors can act on that without a second visit. Whether your claim is accepted is up to your insurer.
Want a full report on the roof? See roof reports in Canberra.
After the storm
A make-safe is temporary. Once the weather clears, we come back and do the permanent repair: new tiles, re-bedded ridges, new valleys or flashings, replacement sheets, or a new roof if the damage is that bad. The warranty follows the repair and matches the material supplier’s warranty: around 2 years for a silicone patch, and 20 years on labour for a full roof replacement, with the supplier’s 15 to 20-year materials warranty matched. We register BlueScope warranties for our clients.
Leak still there after the repair? A dye test finds it. For non-urgent repairs, see roof repairs in Canberra, or our box gutter repairs.
Areas we cover
We cover all of Canberra and the ACT, plus the towns within about an hour’s drive of the city, including the NSW towns around Canberra. Our Canberra base is at 4/9 Dines Place, Bruce ACT 2617.
Towns we cover include:
- Queanbeyan and the south: Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra, Googong, Michelago and Bredbo
- North and Yass Valley: Hall, Sutton, Gundaroo, Murrumbateman, Yass and Binalong
- East: Bungendore, Captains Flat, Tarago and Braidwood
- Federal Highway: Collector, Gunning and Goulburn
Not sure if your town is in range? Call 03 8583 2640 or 0426 204 244 and ask.
Recent Canberra jobs include Flynn, Nicholls, Curtin, Weston, Deakin, O’Malley, Cook, Dunlop, Ngunnawal and Phillip.
Why Holy Mess Repairs
- Genuinely 24/7. A real person answers.
- We come equipped. Our vans carry all the roof tools and materials for temporary repairs, including tarps.
- Make-safes done properly, ridge-tucked and roped, never sandbagged.
- Honest about hail, with photos to back it up.
- Fully licensed in Canberra. Every job is done by fully licensed tradespeople, with a compliance certificate for the work every time. Insured through BizCover.
- Insured through BizCover.
- Around 4.4 stars from 120+ Google reviews.
HOLYMESS PTY LTD · ABN 31 666 327 813
Non-urgent jobs: 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.
Canberra emergency roof repair FAQs
Do you do emergency roof repairs at night in Canberra?
Yes. We answer 24/7, and our vans carry the tools, materials and tarps for temporary repairs, plus lights so we can work on roofs after dark when it’s safe to do so.
Can you fix hail damage straight away?
We stop the water straight away: replacing cracked tiles where we can, clearing hail and leaves from valleys and gutters, resealing, or tarping the damaged area. The permanent repair follows once it’s priced and the weather allows.
How do I know if my roof has hail damage?
Look for cracked or holed tiles, dented metal or flashings, broken skylights, and new leaks after the storm. Stay off the roof. We’ll inspect and photograph it, and tell you honestly whether it’s hail or existing wear.
Why do you tuck tarps under the ridge instead of using sandbags?
Sandbags and bricks make water pool, wear the tiles and let the tarp flap until it tears. Tucking the top edge under the ridge tiles and roping it down sheds water over the tarp and holds it in the wind.
How fast can you get to me?
It depends on where you are and how many calls come in after a storm. We’ll give you an honest arrival time on the phone.
Will you help with my insurance claim?
Yes. We record the cause of damage with before and after photos, the make-safe work and a priced permanent repair scope. Whether the claim is accepted is up to your insurer.
How much does an emergency make-safe cost?
After hours there’s a $330 call-out fee, and the minimum charge for a make-safe, repair or patch done on the spot is $550. Beyond that, it depends on the size of the area and the access. As an example, we quoted a Flynn make-safe using an 8 m × 9 m heavy-duty tarp at $1,900 + GST, plus $430 + GST to clear the gutters and downpipes.
Do you cover my town?
Yes, if you’re in Canberra, the ACT or a town within about an hour’s drive, including the NSW towns around Canberra. That includes Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra, Googong, Hall, Sutton, Murrumbateman, Gundaroo, Yass, Bungendore, Braidwood, Michelago, Collector, Gunning and Goulburn. Not sure? Call 0426 204 244 and ask. Storms often hit the whole region at once, so on a big night we’ll tell you honestly how soon we can get to you.
Are you licensed in the ACT and NSW?
Yes. Every job in Canberra and the surrounding NSW towns is done by fully licensed tradespeople, and you get a compliance certificate for the work every time. We’re insured through BizCover.
Do you charge for a quote?
Not for non-urgent jobs. Call or email us for a free estimate over the phone, send photos and videos on WhatsApp to 0426 204 244, and we’ll follow up in writing with the scenarios, costs and warranty. Emergencies attended after hours are charged at the after-hours emergency rates above, which we confirm on the phone first.
Storm damage? Call now
03 8583 2640 or 0426 204 244, 24/7.
Holy Mess Repairs · Canberra base: 4/9 Dines Place, Bruce ACT 2617 · Main office: 19 Chivers Rd, Templestowe VIC 3106 · Serving Canberra, the ACT, Queanbeyan and towns within about an hour