REPAIR FIRMS INUNDATED WITH REQUESTS FOR SERVICE.

Byline: Gregory J. Wilcox Staff Writer

The unrelenting rain has created a soggy mess for home and business owners and left repair companies facing a big backlog of work Monday.

Patience will be needed before permanent repairs can be made, said the owners of businesses that fix roofs, provide waterproofing services and clear out trees uprooted by what is now the fifth-rainiest season in L.A. history.

In most cases, companies take repair calls on a first-come, first-served basis or by the severity of the problem.

And it seems like everyone has turned into a weather watcher.

David Paine, owner of Preferred Roofing Co. in Van Nuys, keeps a Doppler weather radar image just a mouse click away on his firm's computers.

``We're incredibly busy. We're booked out right now about two months,'' he said.

A lot of that work is temporary, such as nailing plastic sheeting over leaky roofs.

``That's what we're doing today, emergency tarping.''

That's about all that can be done until the rain lets up and an assessment in made on whether a home just needs a patch or a complete roof.

But once workers start on a new roof, the project can take just two to three days, he said.

Tarping a flat roof is not a good idea, though, because water can pool up and a collapse is possible.

Doug Wood, owner of Hawthorne-based GutterMasters Inc., which operates from Ventura to San Clemente, was also inundated with calls Monday but most callers were told that not much could be done until the rain stops.

``Unfortunately, it's not safe to work in the rain on top of a slippery roof. During the rain it's impossible to try and fix these problems,'' he said.

The best advice is for homeowners to clean out their gutters before the rainy season starts. And it takes scrubbing as well as a garden hose to clear gutters.

Gutters can become clogged with debris washed off from roofs, and the added weight can cause them to break or help water work its way into a house, he said.

Varda Lifshitz, owner of Flexi Tech Contracting in Reseda, a waterproofing company, said about all that can be accomplished during a storm is a damage assessment.

Current clients get top priority; others get a spot on what's becoming a substantial waiting list.

``Right now when people call I tell them I won't be able to schedule the work in the next few weeks ... because of the rains,'' she said. ``And right now in the rains there isn't anything you can do permanently.''

Tim Sokolowski, vice president of Urban Tree Care, which has an office in San Fernando, expects business to pick up a few days after the storm clears. Typically once the system passes, wind moves in.

That can be bad news for property owners with trees sitting in waterlogged ground, said Sokolowski, whose company provides tree care for such place as college campuses and golf courses.

But he advises homeowners to thin out their trees on a regular basis to prevent costly cleanup and repair costs.

``The best thing to do is keep them maintained. If a tree is thinned out the wind will sail right through, but if it's not the wind will hit it like a wall,'' he said.

Gregory J. Wilcox, [phone]

greg.wilcox(at)dailynews.com

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