Roofing In The Winter Time
Can I get a new roof in the winter?
Many homeowners ask whether they can have a roof installed in the winter time. Can a new roof be installed in the snow? Will the shingles be too brittle to install in the cold?
Here in Central Ohio we are able to work most winters. The key issue for us is whether or not there is snow on the roof. After speaking with many homeowners over the years I have discovered they may not realize that there is often snow on the ground and not on the roof. The roof of the house is warmer than the ground due to the UV heating the shingles and the heat in the attic. We are installing a new roof on a house today and it is 17 degrees without the wind chill. There is about an inch of snow on the ground but none on the roof. We lay tarps on the ground as we usually do to make clean up easier.
Some folks have expressed concerns about the effect of temperature on the shingles. Some have asked whether the shingles will shatter when they are nailed or if they will seal down in the cold. Our answer to these concerns is that the make and manufacture of shingles we install are routinely installed in Canada during times when it gets down to 20 below zero without any ill effects on the shingles (although I can't imagine how it doesn't affect the roofers). We generally never have to install below 20 degrees here in Ohio. Some homeowners worry that we are uncomfortable at these temps, but most roofers say they prefer cooler temps over warmer temps. The strenuous nature of roofing couple with the fact that it is actually ten degrees warmer on the roof, make cooler temperatures a welcome change from the summer heat.
Another concern that is sometimes expressed is that the shingles won't seal down. As you may know, there is a seal down strip of roof cement on each shingle. This helps hold down the shingle in high wind so that it doesn't blow off the roof. The shingle manufactures began adding this strip as a defense against improper shingle installation. If a shingle has the proper number of nails applied in the correct place they will not blow off. The manufacturers sought to prevent warranty claims for the times when the workmanship wasn't quite up to snuff.
In all the time we have been roofing we have never had any shingles blow off, nor have we ever done a repair work for roofs we didn't install that had shingles blow of that were correctly installed. As professional roofing contractors we consider proper installation to be essential.
We were installing a roof in Dublin about ten years ago when the temperature went down to five degrees. Over the next couple of weeks the weather remained cold. I checked the shingles and even though it had not been above freezing the shingles had still sealed.
If you would like to replace or repair your roof during the winter, please don't let concerns about the weather stop you!
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614-792-6797
