Can I use roofing tar as a temporary fix?

It is not recommended even temporarily. Tar smears trap moisture, contaminate shingles that then cannot be repaired cleanly, and rarely seal the actual entry point because the stain is seldom below it. A properly installed tarp by a roofer is the right temporary measure for major damage.

How do I tell a roof leak from a plumbing leak?

Timing is the clue. Roof leaks appear or worsen with rain, especially heavy or wind-driven rain, while plumbing leaks correlate with fixture use and can occur in dry weeks. Attic inspection above the stain usually settles it: roof leaks show a wet path from the deck down.

Is it safe to inspect from a ladder at the eave?

Looking from a properly placed ladder at eave height, without stepping onto the roof, is the outer limit of reasonable DIY. You can photograph gutters and eaves from there. Do not lean out over the slope, and skip it entirely on tall or steep homes.

Will a roofer charge just to find the leak?

Practices vary, so ask when you call. What matters is that the finding is documented: the entry point identified, photographed, and tied to a written repair scope. Clark Brothers Roofing provides photo documentation with inspections; call +1 470-613-9333 to ask about your situation.

Clark Brothers Roofing Blog

How to Find and Fix a Roof Leak Yourself, and Where DIY Should Stop

Homeowners can do genuinely useful leak detective work without ever stepping on the roof. Mapping the stain, checking the attic safely, and photographing the slopes from the ground give a roofer a head start and sometimes reveal an obvious cause like a debris-choked valley. The diagnosis is DIY-friendly; most of the fixing is not.

By Clark Brothers RoofingPublished October 22, 2026Updated October 22, 2026

This guide draws the line clearly: what to check, what never to do, and the signals that mean call a professional now. Smearing tar on a shingle or walking a wet roof in the rain causes more damage and injury than any leak. If your checks point to the roof surface, call Clark Brothers Roofing at +1 470-613-9333 for leak detection and repair.

Key points

Safe DIY Diagnosis: Attic, Stains, and Photos

Start dry and on foot. In the attic during daylight, look for dark streaks on rafters, damp or matted insulation, moldy decking, and pinpoints of daylight, working from the stain location uphill. On the ceiling below, outline the stain lightly in pencil and date it, so you can tell after the next rain whether it grew. From the yard, photograph each slope, valley, chimney, and vent with a zoom lens, and note which downspouts overflow. This record, stain map, attic findings, dated photos, is exactly what speeds up a professional trace.

A few fixes are legitimately yours. Clear gutter overflow by cleaning gutters from a stable ladder at the eave, following ladder safety basics, or hire it out. Note debris dams visible in valleys and tell your roofer rather than raking them from a ladder. Inside, manage water with buckets and protect finishes. What you cannot fix from the ground is the entry point itself: boots, flashing, valleys, and shingles live on the slope, and that is where the boundary sits for both safety and workmanship.

Do not walk the roof during or right after rain, when algae-slick and wet shingles are at their most treacherous. Do not smear roofing tar or caulk over shingles, seams, or nail heads as a fix: it traps water, hides the real failure, voids careful diagnosis, and usually has to be removed at your expense during the real repair. Do not pry up shingles to look underneath, since breaking the sealant bond creates the next leak. And do not pressure-wash anything on the roof, for any reason.

Simple Causes You Can Address From the Ground

Call when the leak is active and recurring, when the stain grows between storms, when you find attic mold or soft decking, when the suspect area involves a valley, chimney, or wall flashing, or when the roof is steep, tall, or two stories. Leak repairs commonly run $400 to $1,500 in Marietta, and a traced, warranted repair costs less than repeat DIY attempts plus ceiling and insulation damage. Bring your stain map and photos to the visit; they genuinely shorten the job.

The facts in this guide are drawn from the official and primary sources below, checked October 2026.

Safe DIY diagnosis happens in the attic and from the ground: stains, photos, and patience
Never smear tar on shingles, and never walk a wet roof in the rain
Spreading stains, soft decking, and repeat leaks mean it is time to call a professional
Attic: streaks, damp insulation, daylight, highest wet point
Pencil-outline and date every ceiling stain

Still wondering? Call +1 470-613-9333 — we are open 24 hours.

What Not to Do, Ever

Call +1 470-613-9333 any time — we are open 24 hours. You can also visit us at 1122 Powers Ferry Rd, Marietta, GA 30067, or find us on Google Maps.

Roofing for Marietta homes and businesses — honest pricing, photographed inspections, and a crew based right here on Powers Ferry Road. Open 24 hours.

Services

When to Stop and Call a Professional

Service areas

Contact

Ground photos of valleys, vents, and flashing with zoom
Record which rains make the leak active
Gutter cleaning at the eave, with proper ladder safety

Clark Brothers Roofing

Sources & Official Resources

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Open 24 hours — 1122 Powers Ferry Rd, Marietta, GA 30067

Helpful next steps

Our site was rebuilt in October 2026 and some pages were merged. Try the services hub, the service areas hub, or the blog — or call +1 470-613-9333 and we will point you the right way.

A Marietta Roofer, Up Front About Everything

Interior water containment while you wait for repair
Document valley debris rather than climbing to clear it
Entry-point repairs belong on the roof, to a roofer
No roof walking in rain or on wet, algae-slick slopes
No tar smears or caulk patches over shingles

Clark Brothers Roofing is based at 1122 Powers Ferry Rd in Marietta, GA 30067, and this page is about how we work rather than a polished origin story. We inspect roofs carefully, photograph problems instead of describing them from the driveway, explain repair-versus-replace honestly, and put pricing in writing. If a roof has good years left, we will say so — even when a replacement would pay us more.

Contact Clark Brothers Roofing

We are also up front about the trade itself. Georgia does not license roofers, prices in this market vary wildly, and storm season brings out-of-town crews who disappear. Our answer is simple: local address, published phone number +1 470-613-9333, open 24 hours, and business licence and insurance certificates available on request for every customer who asks. That approach shapes everything on this page: how we inspect, how we price, and how we handle the paperwork Georgia homeowners actually need.

Every job starts with a real inspection: shingles, flashing, valleys, vents, decking where accessible, and the attic side when a leak is involved. You get photos and a plain-language explanation of what is failing, what is cosmetic, and what can wait. Then you get options — repair, maintenance or replacement — each priced separately, so you can choose the scope instead of being sold the largest one by default.

Many roofing websites imply a state licence that does not exist. Georgia does not license roofers; roofing is a traditional specialty trade under O.C.G.A. 43-41-17. We will not dress that up. What we can show you is our business licence and current insurance certificates, on request, before you sign anything. Ask any roofer you interview for the same documents — a legitimate local company will hand them over without hesitation.

That page has moved

About Clark Brothers Roofing

As of October 2026, our published ranges are architectural shingle at $4.50–$7.00 per square foot installed, typical replacements at $12,000–$22,000, and most repairs at $300–$1,500. Quotes are calculated from measured roof area, not living area, and include tear-off, underlayment, drip edge and ventilation checks. If a permit applies to your parcel in the City of Marietta or unincorporated Cobb, we confirm that before quoting rather than adding it later.

How We Work, Step by Step

Our base at 1122 Powers Ferry Rd puts us minutes from East Cobb, the Marietta Square, Franklin Gateway and the I-75 and I-285 corridors. We work on the housing stock we know: Marietta homes with a median year built around 1984, Cobb homes around 1989, layered shingle roofs, aging flashing and heavy tree cover. Local means accountable — you know where to find us after the job, not just during it.

Honest About Licensing in Georgia

Clark Brothers Roofing is a roofing contractor based in Marietta, Georgia. We work from 1122 Powers Ferry Rd — our mailing address, our base, and where our crews roll out from. Mailing address: Clark Brothers Roofing, 1122 Powers Ferry Rd, Marietta, GA 30067. Call us at +1 470-613-9333 — we are open 24 hours, including for emergency roof work.

Honest About Pricing, Too

We inspect, repair, and replace roofs across Marietta and Cobb County: roof replacement, roof repair, roof inspections, emergency and storm damage work, leak detection, metal and shingle roofing, flat and commercial systems, gutters, and maintenance. Every job starts with photographs and a written scope.

Rooted on Powers Ferry Road

Georgia does not issue a state roofing licence — roofing is a traditional specialty trade under Georgia law, so treat any roofer who implies a state roofing licence with suspicion. What you can verify about us: our local business licence and current insurance certificates, available on request before you sign; a written, photographed scope before any work; and published pricing that carries the date it was set. Verify any Georgia contractor the same way, using the official sources below.

Who We Are

Call +1 470-613-9333 for a photographed inspection and a written scope. Clark Brothers Roofing is based at 1122 Powers Ferry Rd, Marietta, GA 30067 and open 24 hours.

Open 24 hours · 1122 Powers Ferry Rd, Marietta, GA 30067