Replacing a roof in late fall and winter

Short answer: yes. Roofs are replaced around Hartford all winter. The cold changes how the work is done and cuts the number of good working days, so it takes more planning, not a different kind of roof.

What the cold changes

Shingles seal more slowly

Asphalt shingles have a strip of sealant that bonds each course to the one below. Sunlight warms it and it sticks. In a Connecticut December it may not bond until spring, which leaves new shingles more open to wind lifting them in the meantime.

Manufacturers publish cold-weather instructions for this. They often include:

• Hand-applying dabs of roofing cement under the tabs.
• Keeping bundles somewhere warm until they go up.
• Taking extra care bending shingles over ridges and into valleys, because cold shingles crack more easily.

Fewer working hours

Crews need a dry deck. Frost and snow push morning starts back, and the light is gone by late afternoon. A job that takes one or two days in June can stretch across several in January. A well-run crew only tears off as much as it can close up before dark, so the house is never left open overnight.

Snow and ice on the ground

Ladders, dumpsters and debris have to work around icy driveways and frozen beds. Talk about where the dumpster goes and how walkways will be kept clear before the job starts.

Roofs the cold matters less for

• Slate and metal are fastened mechanically and do not rely on a sealant strip. See slate or asphalt for an older house and metal roof replacement.
• Flat and low-slope roofs vary. Some membranes need warm weather for adhesives and seams; others are mechanically fastened and can go on in the cold. See flat roof replacement.

Wait for spring, or go ahead?

Your situation	What usually makes sense
The roof is leaking now	Replace it with a careful winter job rather than let water work into insulation and ceilings through months of freeze and thaw
The roof is old but dry	Book for early spring and use the winter to choose materials and check contractors
Ice dams every winter	Plan the replacement, and make sure the new roof gets a full ice barrier at the eaves; see will a new roof stop ice dams
Insurance claim after a storm	Follow your insurer's timeline; ask whether a temporary cover is needed until the work can be done

Spring and early summer fill up quickly with crews in the Capitol Region, so homeowners who decide in January often have more choice of dates than those who wait until April.

The ice barrier matters most in winter

A winter replacement is the easiest time to see whether the eaves are protected the way Connecticut's building code expects. The code calls for a self-adhering ice barrier from the edge of the roof to at least 24 inches inside the heated wall line. On older West Hartford and Wethersfield houses with deep overhangs, that can mean two or more rows.

Before any work starts, check the contractor's state registration as described in how to check a Connecticut roofer, and see what happens on replacement day for how the job runs.