Roof repair and storm work in Wilbraham, Massachusetts

What do wet snow and falling limbs do to a roof in Wilbraham?

Nor'easters are the main driver of winter roof trouble across the Pioneer Valley. The October 2011 Halloween nor'easter shows the pattern. Wet snow landed on trees that still had their leaves, on ground softened by a warm, rainy spell, so trees uprooted and limbs came down. Massachusetts had roughly 420,000 power outages from that storm. A roof under those trees takes the impact of a falling limb, the weight of heavy snow, and the constant rubbing of branches that sway in the wind.

Check what you can safely see from the ground: shingles on the lawn, granules in the gutters, bent flashing, or a ridge that dips. The state's snow guidance says to shave snow to two or three inches rather than scraping the roof clean, to use a plastic shovel rather than a metal one, and not to stand on a roof or use a ladder in icy conditions. If you see sagging, severe leaks, cracked or split wood, bends in supports, cracks in masonry, or hear creaking, leave the building without touching light switches and call 9-1-1 from outside.

Why do ice dams form at the eaves, and what does the fix involve?

An ice dam starts inside the house. Heat escapes through the ceiling into the attic, warms the underside of the roof, and melts the snow lying on it. That meltwater runs down to the eave, which is still cold, and refreezes there. The ice builds up, and water backs up under the shingles. The state's energy guidance names four causes: insufficient insulation, air leakage, attic heat sources and uneven snow depth. It also says to seal air leaks before adding insulation, so the first step is usually an energy assessment that finds the gaps.

Where ice can form along the eaves and back up water, the state building code calls for an ice barrier. That means two layers of underlayment cemented together, or a self-adhering polymer-modified bitumen sheet, laid from the eave edge to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line, over solid sheathing. Detached accessory buildings with no conditioned floor area are exempt. The building inspector confirms how far the barrier must run on a given roof. Do not chip ice from the ground or from a ladder, since the state warns against both. Attic air sealing, attic-floor insulation and ventilation usually come with a proper ice-dam repair, and the scope is set on site. See ice dam removal and prevention.

What did the June 1, 2011 tornado leave for Wilbraham roofs to learn from?

The June 1, 2011 tornado passed through Wilbraham on its run from Westfield to Charlton. NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information rated it EF3, with estimated winds of 160 mph. Its storm events record counts 13 homes destroyed in Wilbraham, against 51 in neighboring Monson. Those figures are the local benchmark for what a storm of that strength did to houses in this part of the valley, and they are the only town-level damage count this page relies on.

Roof work after a tree or wind event usually starts with the same questions: which shingles have lifted, whether flashing has moved, whether the decking has taken water, and whether the ridge is still straight. Insurance can come into it. The state Division of Insurance says ice-dam damage may be covered if it was sudden and not caused by lack of maintenance. Keep photographs and dates, and read the policy before anything is repaired. Coverage depends on the policy and the facts, and nothing here promises a claim outcome. See storm damage roof repair.

Who is allowed to do the roof work, and what paperwork should a Wilbraham owner expect?

Massachusetts has no roofing license. Two separate credentials apply, and neither replaces the other. Home improvement contractor registration with the state covers contractors working on existing, owner-occupied residential property of one to four units. The contractor who signs the contract with the homeowner must hold it. It involves no exam. A roof-covering specialty CSL is an examined license under the state building code, and it covers roof installation, repair and removal on one- and two-family dwellings. It stops short of structural roof work, and the building inspector and the state's Office of Public Safety and Inspections confirm where that line falls on a given job. The two credentials need not be held by the same person.

For new or replacement roofing, the state's work table generally lists a roof-covering CSL as the minimum, plus HIC registration and a building permit. For minor repairs it generally lists CSL plus HIC, with a permit depending on size. Under M.G.L. c. 142A, section 2, a written contract is required for residential contracting work over $1,000. It must describe the work and materials in detail, state the total price, and set out a payment schedule. A deposit before work starts may not exceed the greater of one third of the total contract price or the actual cost of special-order materials ordered in advance.

An owner who pulls the permit to do the work personally, or who hires a contractor not registered under HIC, has no access to the state arbitration program or the guaranty fund. That matters if someone offers a cheaper price on the condition that the homeowner handles the permit. Permits for Wilbraham addresses come from the town, and the sources behind this page describe Springfield's permit office rather than Wilbraham's. Ask the local building department which permits apply to the address.