Can A Roof Be Replaced In The Winter?

The winter season brings about a few challenges for each homeowner. Aside from the need to bring up your home’s heating, you also need to make sure that your entire house is sealed in if you don’t want the cool winter breeze seeping in. Unfortunately, for some people, it might be too late to work on last-minute home repairs.

One of the most difficult things to repair during the winter is the roof. The cool weather, with the added snowfall and formation of ice dams makes it hazardous to get on top of a roof and work on repairs. Even worse is when your roof needs to be replaced. Unfortunately, when a roof warrants repairs or a full-on replacement, you will definitely want to have the work done as soon as possible – even when it is during the winter.

So, what should you do when your roof needs to be replaced in the winter?

Is it even possible to get a roof replacement during the winter?

While it is definitely possible to get your roof replaced despite harsh weather conditions, there are a few measures that need to be taken to avoid erroneous installation, breaking of roofing materials, and the occurrence of accidents. Proper installation techniques should be administered and the entire process should be done by skilled roofers. While some DIYers may find winter roofing a challenge, doing any work on your roof during the cold season is not recommended.

Here are a few of the common problems you’ll encounter if you try roofing during the winter:

A Roof Covered in Snow

Clearing your roof of the snow that tends to pile up after heavy snowfall can be daunting and dangerous. If you don’t have the right tools, you might accidentally slip since you have limited visibility of the roof. Some roof structures are not built to carry the added weight of snow and people on the roof so this could even mean that your roof could fall under all the pressure.

With this in mind, just starting the process of roofing can be difficult since you need to clear out all the snow and other debris that has mixed in with everything. When you start roofing, the tendency for more snowfall could cause a build up of snow on your roof while you are still installing shingles. In this case, getting snow caught in between the layers would be severely problematic and damaging to the entire roof since the snow will eventually melt; the moisture could damage the roof internally.

Brittle Asphalt Shingles

If you’re planning to install new asphalt shingles on your roof, this can pose an even larger problem since asphalt shingles can become brittle and fragile under cold temperature. When you try to nail them down to the roof deck, the shingles could break easily. Also, the self-adhesive materials that are at the edge of each shingle won’t stick when it is too cold.

Replacing A Roof In The Winter

With all of these problems hindering roofers from installing a roof in the cold, is it even still a possible feat?

Here are a few things that need to be done in order to successfully install a roof during the winter season.

Warm Roof Shingles

It is imperative that roof shingles are stored and kept at a warm temperature despite the cold. For as long as you can, keep your new roofing shingles inside your home and next to a heater to avoid breaking. The shingles tend to become brittle in the cold.

Seal The Shingles

Using an extra roofing sealant to attach the roofing shingles can help secure each shingle to the roof deck. Since the existing sealant on the shingle edge does not activate in colder temperatures, this step is necessary. However, even extra sealants don’t work right away. These will effectively stick when a bit of sunlight hits your roof.

Use The Right Tools

A special set of tools may be necessary to clear off the snow and to nail down roofing materials. The right tools will depend on the specific roofing material that you plan to have installed. Another thing to keep in mind is that special roofing tools can be expensive.This is one of the reasons why Roofer Franklin TN during the winter should only be done by experienced and skilled roofing professionals.

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