New Hampshire Roofing Contractors

About New Hampshire Roofing

Roofing contractors perform many different tasks for homeowners. They can provide simple maintenance and inspection tasks such as clearing gutters or checking the status of shingles. They can also add additional ventilation to a home or completely replace shingles or other roof materials. Roofing contractors can also remove excessive snow and ice from a roof or halt the growth of algae and moss on a roof.

Typical Climate in New Hampshire

New Hampshire experiences widely varying temperatures both on a daily and a seasonal basis. Winters tend to be long, cold, and windy with a lot of snow. The state capital of Concord -- a small urban area near the center of the state just north of the state's largest city Manchester -- averages 37.6 inches of precipitation and 65 inches of snow (equal to 6.5 inches of precipitation) per year while mountain regions in the Northern portions of the state can get as much as 100 inches of snow each year. Homeowners in New Hampshire need to make roofing decisions with the tough climate in mind.

Common Roofing Issues in New Hampshire

Ice dams are a particular problem in cold weather areas including New Hampshire and can impact the performance of a roof. Ice dams occur when heat from a warm attic starts to melt snow which is then refrozen into ice upon contact with the cold roofing cover or eaves. This water can leak into the house causing water damage or even flooding inside.

In addition, the frequent rain and snow can cause problems with completing roofing projects in a timely fashion. The precipitation means roofs have to be replaced in small sections to ensure no (or minimal) damage to the buildings below them. New Hampshire homeowners should expect delays or build suitable downtime into the schedule they set with their contractors.

Licensing in New Hampshire

Roofing contractors are not licensed or certified in New Hampshire. Anyone can claim to be a contractor, so check references carefully. Look for contractors who belong to professional associations such as the National Roofing Contractors Association and check your local Better Business Bureau for complaints against contractors in your area.

Legal Issues and Complaints

New Hampshire residents can resort to lawsuits if shoddy or unsatisfactory work is performed by a roofing contractor, but state law requires them to attempt to rectify the problem through other means first. To start, homeowners must give written notice to their contractor outlining any defects or problems 60 days before initiating any legal action. In turn, the contractor has 30 days to respond in writing with one of the following responses:

1. An offer of financial compensation or repairs
2. An offer to inspect the property to determine the extent of the problem
3. A rejection of the homeowner's claims

If the contractor fails to respond in a timely fashion, rejects the claim, or refuses to make any settlement, the homeowner can bring suit immediately. If the contractor requests an inspection, the homeowner has 15 days to agree to the inspection (they are not legally required to comply with this request but it is strongly recommended by the state). The contractor then has an additional 15 days to propose a settlement of money or free repairs based on the results of the inspection.

The homeowner can reject any settlement proposal (in writing) and immediately start legal proceedings. They can also initiate a lawsuit if the contractor agrees to a settlement then doesn't follow through as agreed.

Despite this extensive process, lawsuits against roofing contractors do still happen in New Hampshire. One recent case involved the installation of solar panels on a residential home that may not have been well suited for solar power.

Energy Efficient Roofs in New Hampshire

ENERGY STAR lists one roofing partner in New Hampshire, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics in Manchester. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics makes SHEERFILL� architectural membrane, a new material that holds its shape in all weather conditions including heavy snow. It allows light to pass through unimpeded without any color changes and without any of the heat increases inherent with coatings and glazings. Roofs made from SHEERFILL decrease the energy needs of buildings through a decrease in electric lights. They also repel airborne particles and can limit the need for air filtering in large commercial structures.

Unusual Roofs in New Hampshire

New Hampshire is home to many interesting and unique buildings with unusual roofs. One of the more interesting roofs is on the library at Philips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire. Designed much like an old-fashioned flashbulb with sides that extend higher than the roof, the cubic building designed by Louis I. Khan was finished in 1972.

The Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth University in Hanover, New Hampshire also has an unusual roof. The building mixes neoclassical architecture with modern shapes and materials including a roof using vertical slats that look like frosted metal. Designed by Charles Moore and completed in 1982, the building manages to look futuristic and historical at the same time.

Perhaps the most interesting roof in New Hampshire belongs to the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium in Concord, New Hampshire. Named after the New Hampshire teacher killed in the Challenger explosion, the building uses a pyramid to enclose the top of its planetarium and provide a more interesting view that the traditional dome.