Are you aware of the gravity of the situation?

All kidding aside, snow and rain are not a healthy mix for your home.

Just how heavy is snow? Take a look at this. It assumes a 2000sf roof and 3 inches of snow, not unusual in our area.

• Fresh snow adds an extra 1500-2000 lbs.
• Settled snow comes in at 6200-9400 lbs. Imagine two SUVs on the roof.
• Make it wet, and we’re at 12,500-26,000 EXTRA pounds.

Now add rain. The existing snow acts like a sponge soaking up the water, and you have:

31,000 pounds of extra weight on your roof.

That’s a snow load GLACIER on your roof! Here’s a snow calculator you can use yourself. Obviously, the actual size of your roof and the amount of snow varies the equation. The age of your home, your roof’s condition and the pitch (steep vs flat) all factor in.

And please, DON’T GO CLIMBING UP ON YOUR ROOF to remove snow. Leave that to snow removal professionals!!!

However, all kidding aside, snow and rain don’t mix. And problems with your roof can cause:

– Ice dams (ice along edge of roof)
– Icicles (large ones can mean escaping heat in the roof and cause roof & gutter damage)
– Mold from moisture entering your roof & into your walls
– Flooding in basements & crawl spaces due to runoff over gutters & snowpack melting against outer walls

Be aware of how the stress of snow, ice and rain can impact your home’s infrastructure.

We can help assess the situation and discover if snow, ice, rain, and freeze/thaws have caused water intrusion and damage. Our job is to discover the not-so-obvious trouble that you can’t see from the distanced perspective and help you correct and prevent.  

Some warning signs:
– New discolored stains on your ceiling.
– Dripping sounds where you’ve never heard any before.
– Things wet downstairs that shouldn’t be wet.
– Moldy smells inside low cabinets.
– Gas odors from the furnace or water heater you shouldn’t be smelling.

Check out these snow load photos from our recent snow storm.