Winter can be a tough time for your roof, and if your roof is leaking or ice breaks up your shingles, you may find yourself in need of roofing repair. But do residential roofing contractors actually work during the winter?
Often, it depends on the job. After all, if residential roofing contractors stopped working altogether when snow started to fall, they’d go out of business entirely.
Generally, it’s best to get your roof repaired as soon as there’s a problem to avoid creating larger problems for yourself. For instance, if you have shingle breakage from a major snowstorm and you leave it alone, ice can seep into your roofing system and drive it apart, creating opportunities for water to get in.
Repairs can be done with snow on the roof sometimes, but it’s usually better to call residential roofing contractors in before or between major snowfalls.
Re-roofing is another story. Many flat roof systems depend on the heating and cooling application of flat roof coating substances and are much more difficult to repair and replace when temperatures are cold. However, flat roofs that utilize heating torches can usually be constructed year round, and so can systems that use mechanical fasteners.
Installing new shingle roofs in the winter can cause a dip in quality, but if you have a roofer who demonstrates a clear understanding of how winter temperatures affect your roof, and you’re using shingles that can handle wind speeds more intense than those in your area, you might be okay.
Roofing systems that are considered “hard,” like metal, slate, wood shakes and other solutions use fasteners rather than heated tar to stay together, so with a few modifications, they can be installed fairly easily when it’s cold. As long as your roofer takes the proper precautions, a winter installation won’t damage the lifetime of these systems.
Obviously with winter roof repair, delays or adjustments due to weather have to be expected, but it’s no different than delaying for rain in the warm seasons. If you have an urgent roofing job, don’t be afraid to contact residential roofing contractors in your area during the winter.