Do this first
What to do right now
- Cut power to any circuit, panel or light fixture that water is reaching, and keep people out from underneath it.
- Move inventory, stock and electronics off the floor and out of the drip path, water damage claims usually cost more than the roof repair.
- Put buckets or a poly tarp under the drip and photograph everything before you move it. Timestamped photos are what an adjuster wants.
- Go up only if the roof is safe and dry enough to walk: check drains, scuppers and gutters for blockage, because a plugged drain causes more "leaks" in El Paso than membrane failure does.
- Note where the water lands inside and what is directly above it on the roof: HVAC curb, skylight, pipe boot, parapet wall, seam.
- Call for an emergency crew and ask specifically for a temporary dry-in today and a written scope tomorrow, do not accept a full replacement quote signed in the rain.
Low-slope roof failure in Central Texas: the specifics
- Ponding, defined
- Anything still holding water 48 hours after rain.
- Thermal range that opens seams
- Central Texas roofs live through 100 degrees F plus summer surface temperatures and then a 40-degree drop when a norther comes through.
- Usual failures, built-up and modified bitumen
- Blisters, ridging and failed base flashing at curbs.
- Usual failures, single-ply
- Seams, punctures from service traffic and detached pipe boots.
- What a legitimate emergency visit ends with
- The deck dried in, by heat-welded patch, peel-and-stick target patch, mastic and reinforcing fabric, or a tarp mechanically fastened at the perimeter, plus photos of what was found.
- What it does not end with
- A full replacement contract signed in the rain. Replacement is a capital decision made afterwards, in daylight, with a written scope and more than one number to compare.
Emergency repair and roof replacement are two different decisions
The first visit to a failing low-slope roof in El Paso should stop the water, not sell you a new roof. A legitimate
emergency call ends with the deck dried in, heat-welded patch, peel-and-stick target patch, mastic and reinforcing
fabric, or a tarp mechanically fastened at the perimeter, plus photos of what was found. Replacement is a capital
decision made afterwards, in daylight, with a written scope, a core sample or infrared scan if the insulation is
suspect, and more than one number to compare.
What actually fails on Texas low-slope roofs
Central Texas roofs live through 100°F+ summer surface temperatures and then a 40-degree drop when a norther comes
through. That daily and seasonal movement is what opens seams, fatigues flashing at parapet walls and pulls fasteners
through membrane. Add ponding, anything still holding water 48 hours after rain, and you get accelerated membrane
breakdown plus dead load the deck was never designed to carry. On older built-up and modified bitumen roofs the usual
culprits are blisters, ridging and failed base flashing at curbs; on single-ply it is seams, punctures from service
traffic and detached pipe boots.
Insurance: sudden and accidental, not worn out
Commercial property policies in Texas generally respond to sudden, accidental physical damage, a storm event, wind
uplift, impact. They generally do not pay to replace a roof that simply reached the end of its service life, and many
carriers write roofs on an actual cash value or cosmetic-damage exclusion basis. Emergency mitigation is different:
most policies require you to protect the property from further damage and will reimburse reasonable temporary repairs.
Keep those invoices separate from the permanent repair, notify your carrier promptly, and read your own declarations
page for the wind/hail deductible before you assume anything is covered.
What to have ready when a contractor calls back
Roof age and system type if you know it, square footage, number of stories, whether the building is occupied,
whether there is roof access without a lift, and photos from inside and out. That is usually enough to get a crew
dispatched instead of scheduled.
