Florida Certified Roofing Contractor CCC 1334537
The flat-rate roof tarping specialist in Virginia Gardens, FL
Roof Tarping & Shrink Wrap for homes in Virginia Gardens and the surrounding area — from our Sunrise headquarters. Free quote.
Virginia Gardens is wedged against Miami International Airport, and its older neighborhoods are mostly modest concrete block and stucco homes built from the 1940s through the 1960s, many with low-slope or shallow-pitched roofs. When a storm opens one of those roofs, rain gets into decking, insulation and ceilings quickly. When you are choosing who covers it, look for a roofing-only contractor with a verifiable state certification, proof of insurance, and a written flat-rate quote that says what is included.
Flat Rate Roofing Inc is a Florida Certified Roofing Contractor (CCC1334537), a state certification you can verify on the Florida DBPR website, and the company is insured. We put temporary blue tarps and shrink-wrap covers on storm- or leak-damaged roofs. A cover is temporary until the permanent repair is done. It is never the repair itself. We also give you a free written flat-rate quote for that permanent repair or re-roof.
Virginia Gardens lies in Miami-Dade's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, and tropical systems from June through November are the dominant storm threat. Wind can lift tile, shingles and flashing on the village's older block homes, and the afternoon thunderstorms that run roughly May through October push rain into any opening. The humidity, which routinely sits above 70%, leaves wet decking and insulation slow to dry. Even though the village is several miles inland, marine air carries enough salt to attack exposed metal. A cover that sheds water over the roof, rather than letting it run in underneath, matters here, and so does moving on to the permanent repair.
Problems to watch for in Virginia Gardens
Tile, shingles or flashing lifted by wind
Tropical-storm and hurricane wind can strip roofing from the older low-slope and shallow-pitched roofs found on many Virginia Gardens block homes. Once the surface is open, the next rain goes straight to the deck.
Limbs puncturing the roof deck
A fallen limb or tree can punch through the deck and leave a hole that needs covering before the next afternoon thunderstorm.
Wind-driven rain soaking ceilings
With summer thunderstorms from roughly May through October, an open roof can soak decking, insulation and ceilings in a single storm. High humidity then slows drying and adds mold pressure.
Tarps fastened the wrong way
A tarp fastened through the middle of the roof, or stopped short of the ridge, can let water run in underneath it. Battens along the edges and a run over the ridge, where the roof allows, keep water shedding over the cover.
Covers worn down by sun and wind
Sun, heat and wind wear a cover down the longer it stays up. That is one more reason to treat any cover as temporary and schedule the permanent repair.
Waiting contractors after a widespread storm
After a storm that hits a whole region, roofers and materials are in demand across South Florida. Calling early and getting a written scope helps you plan the permanent work.
What we do
- Look at the damage and the deck firstBefore any cover goes on, we look at the damaged area and the deck beneath it, so the cover is fastened where it will actually hold.
- Blue tarps secured with battensPolyethylene tarps are fastened with wood battens along the edges and run over the ridge where the roof allows. Water sheds over the cover rather than under it.
- Shrink-wrap roof coversPolyethylene film is heat-shrunk tight over the damaged section or the whole roof, leaving fewer loose edges for wind to lift. Shrink wrap is designed to last up to about a year (a typical lifespan, not a promise), longer than a standard blue tarp.
- Fastened to suit your roof typeCovers are fastened to suit tile, shingle, metal and flat roofs, including the low-slope roofs on many mid-century Virginia Gardens homes.
- Photos and a written flat-rate quoteWe take photos before and after for your records and any insurance claim. You also get a written flat-rate quote for the permanent repair or re-roof that says what is included, with rotten plywood and fascia replacement in the scope.
Licenses, permits and codes in Virginia Gardens
The regulator for Florida contractors is the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), through the Construction Industry Licensing Board. For the permanent repair or re-roof: "Roofing work in Florida legally requires a licensed roofing contractor and generally a permit from the local building department; a contractor's license is verified on the Florida DBPR website." Whether a temporary cover needs a permit is up to the local building department, so confirm with them. A tarp or shrink wrap is not a code-approved roofing product. Product approvals apply to the permanent roof: "Miami-Dade and Broward are Florida's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone. Roofing products used there need a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA) for that use; elsewhere in Florida they need a Florida Product Approval (or local approval). Either way the product is installed per its approval." Permanent repairs can also raise the 25% question: "Florida's 25% roof rule (Florida Building Code, Existing Building volume, section 706.1.1): when more than 25% of a roof or roof section is repaired, replaced or recovered in any 12-month period, the entire roof or section has to be brought up to current code." It continues: "How it is applied can vary, so verify with your city or county building department."
When to call
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and tarping is needed after hurricanes, tropical storms, severe thunderstorms and fallen trees, in any month. In Virginia Gardens, demand tends to rise ahead of and during hurricane season, especially when a named storm enters the forecast cone. The phone at (954) 775-8990 is answered around the clock, and our Sunrise office keeps weekday hours, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. You can also request a free estimate with the form on this page. We can't promise arrival or completion times, but we will tell you what is included in writing.
We serve Virginia Gardens and nearby areas including Grapeland Heights, Miami Springs, Doral, Airport West, Fontainebleau, Flagami, Medley, Allapattah, Westchester and Hialeah.
Roof Tarping in Virginia Gardens: questions we hear
- Is a tarp or shrink wrap a roof repair?
- No. Both are temporary covers that keep water out until the permanent repair or re-roof is done. In Virginia Gardens, where Miami-Dade's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone rules apply to permanent roofing products, the lasting fix still needs the right approved materials.
- How long does shrink wrap last compared with a blue tarp?
- Shrink wrap is designed to last up to about a year (a typical lifespan, not a promise), longer than a standard blue tarp. Sun, heat and wind wear any cover down the longer it stays up, so plan the permanent repair rather than relying on the cover.
- Does a temporary cover need a permit?
- That is up to the local building department, so confirm with them before work starts. The permanent repair is different: Florida roofing work generally needs a permit, and we pull permits under our own license.
- What should I do about my insurance after storm damage?
- Photograph the damage, keep records of everything, and talk to your insurer or agent. We take photos before and after the cover goes on for your records. We cannot say what a claim will or will not include.
- Can an older block home with a low-slope roof be covered?
- Covers are fastened to suit tile, shingle, metal and flat roofs, so the low-slope and shallow-pitched roofs on many 1940s-to-1960s Virginia Gardens homes can be covered. We look at the damage and the deck first, then explain what the cover will involve.
Get a free roof tarping quote in Virginia Gardens
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