What to describe when you reach out
The most useful thing to tell us is where the water is showing up inside the house, when it happens, and what the weather was doing at the time. A stain that appears during a hard rain is a different problem from one that appears during a January thaw after a week of deep cold, and knowing which one you are dealing with saves a round of guessing before we even get to the house. A photo of the ceiling and, if it can be taken safely, a photo of the roof or gutter from the yard helps as well.
For gutter work specifically, telling us whether the problem is overflow during rain, standing water after rain stops, or a section that has visibly pulled away from the house points us toward the likely cause before we even arrive.
What happens after you reach out
We set a time to come inspect. On roof and gutter calls that means getting on the roof, into the attic, and checking every downspout to the ground, not a walk around the yard looking up from the driveway. On siding calls we check the wall behind any damaged section where we can access it.
You then get a written scope describing what we found and what we recommend, with separate options laid out plainly when more than one genuinely exists. It is written so you can compare it against another estimate if you want to.
If water is coming in right now
Put a bucket under the drip, and if a bulge has formed in the ceiling, poke a small hole at the low point so water drains through one spot instead of spreading and eventually collapsing a larger section of drywall. Move anything valuable out from underneath it. If the cause is an ice dam, do not go up on the roof with a hammer or a shovel; that breaks shingles and is how people get hurt on an icy roof. A sock filled with ice melt laid across the dam will start a channel through it until we can get there with steam.
If the damage is from a storm and part of the roof is open, a tarp is a reasonable stopgap, but only if it can be secured safely. In high wind after a storm a poorly secured tarp does more harm than good.
Timing and seasons
Late summer and early fall are the best time to get a roof or gutter system inspected before winter, since that gives time to schedule any needed repair before the ground freezes and before the first ice dam of the season has a chance to form. We handle emergency calls year round regardless of season.