New Roof Question

[everylastbreath]

Has anyone put a new roof on their home in the winter? DH says roof will not adhere to the house properly in the cold weather- Contractor says it's fine to do in the winter as long as there is no ice on the roof, project can wait until spring if better, not an emergency- Has anyone put a roof on in the cold weather, and if so was it a problem or No problem?

 

[Kies99]

The shingles will not adhere immediately in the cold weather. However, they will still be doing the job and once you get a warm, sunny day or two (and I'm talking 45-50 degrees and sun), then they'll even out and all will be well. There truly is no reason not to get a new roof in th winter other than if the weather is truly harsh out.

Actually, what you might want to consider is that it very likely would be quicker and cheaper to do it during the winter. The contracter won't have a lot of work so can fit you in faster as well as may be willing to discount as he's got to pay his guys if he wants to use them in the Spring.

 

[msmayor]

If you can wait, I would indeed wait until the warm weather arrives before getting a new roof.

Yes, it CAN be done in colder weather. But the longer it takes to get the shingle adhesive to lock everything in place, the more chance of damage in winter storms.

I live in a development that was all new construction when we moved in, and its very easy to pick out the "winter roofs" from the "summer roofs". Many of the roofs done in the winter, generally all clustered together, are missing shingles.

 

[everylastbreath]

Haha, thank you Both- I still have a 1 to 1- one says do it the other says wait... Need some more people please!!!

 

[Brer Shay]

For what it's worth - My dad was a building inspector for 20+ years. He said that, living in the Northeast, he wouldn't put a roof on his own house in the winter because of the possibility of a storm causing ice/moisture/wind damage due to improper shingle adherence in cold weather. We've done two roof replacements (different houses), one in April and one in October.

 

[Avonlady1001]

We had our roof replaced in winter last year (it couldn't wait til spring). It did take them a few days longer than anticipated, a few days there were so cold & windy it was too dangerous for them up there...and after they were done, we did lose a few shingles in the first storm we had. They came & replaced them no prob since it was under warranty. The roofer kept saying that once it got warm & the sun came out, that wouldn't happen anymore. I thought he was nuts...glad to see he wasn't just pulling my leg!

My sister had hers replaced (same town as me) in summer & had no problems.

I guess, if it can wait, wait. It might save some hassle in the long run.

 

[mjhd]

A little off topic, but have you considered a stone-coated steel metal roof? DH sells these and they are guaranteed forever through his company. Your asphalt roof is usually only good for approx 10 years and the warranties usually come with HUGE tricks hidden in them. Just a thought before you spend all that money!

 

[kassreese]

Wait until the weather is warmer. This is actually advice from our roofer. He does not do roofs once cold weather comes and he has been in roofing for over 30 years. He has done lots of repairs on our roof which was put on in cold weather (not by him, but by the builder of our house).

 

[tlh0726]

A little off topic, but have you considered a stone-coated steel metal roof? DH sells these and they are guaranteed forever through his company. Your asphalt roof is usually only good for approx 10 years and the warranties usually come with HUGE tricks hidden in them. Just a thought before you spend all that money!

interesting!
can you pm me the name of the company.

 

[SplashMo]

I would wait until summer....

If your house is under 2000sqft they ought to be able to finish in one day....

That is what I looked for in a contractor. The one that always finished in one day...

 

[Sadie22]

Your roof is too important to worry about whether the workers rush to install it. Unless there is something that needs to be repaired immediately, wait until spring.

 

[Colleen27]

I would agree with those who say to wait.

You can install a roof in the winter. We've done it for a couple of customers who had to wait for tax returns to repair leaking roofs and understandably wanted the work done ASAP. But it does take longer for the shingles to adhere properly because they need direct sun exposure to heat up enough to stick in cold weather (to the previous poster, it doesn't take 45-50 degrees; they'll adhere on a sunny day even when it is below freezing). And while you're waiting for the shingles to warm enough to stick, there's the risk of wind or ice lifting them or dislodging them completely unless the contractor used adhesive to prevent that - something not many like to do because of the additional time and expense involved. If any damage does occur, it becomes all about your contractor: a good one will come back and repair/replace any such damage but there are a lot of not-so-good ones out there.

If your roof isn't actively leaking and there's no question of additional damage being done by waiting, I would strongly recommend waiting until it is warmer. I see you're in New York, so your weather is much like ours here in Michigan - by late March/early April it is generally warm enough to ease those concerns.

 

[I loveStitchnippyjon]

Has anyone put a new roof on their home in the winter? DH says roof will not adhere to the house properly in the cold weather- Contractor says it's fine to do in the winter as long as there is no ice on the roof, project can wait until spring if better, not an emergency- Has anyone put a roof on in the cold weather, and if so was it a problem or No problem?

DSis had this experience a few years ago. Despite contractor's assurances, they lost shingles in high winds and being in Buffalo, there was ALWAYS snow on the roof until spring when they made the repairs! By then she had water damage to ceilings. All in all, she ultimately had to re-do the whole roof 5 years later.

 

[debbi801]

We had ours done in the winter. We were also in a "can't wait" situation. We bought and moved into an older house, knowing that it would need a roof. The previous owners gave us money at settlement for the roof. But we had thought we'd be able to wait until spring or summer. We got a horrible winter rain storm and water started coming in through my DD's ceiling.

Our roofer (who is consistently listed as a "best roofer" in local magazines) assured us that it would be fine and gave us a discount for doing the work during the winter. 10 years later and we've never had a single problem.