Roofing services in Worcester, MA

Worcester's housing stock shapes the work. Three-deckers built from the 1880s to the mid-1920s, in Queen Anne and Colonial Revival forms, carry steep roofs over tight side yards, and the mill villages of the Blackstone valley have whole streets of same-age roofs. Winter adds its own load. Nor'easters, most frequent from September through April, bring wet snow and gale-force gusts, and freeze-thaw cycles weather asphalt shingles. Ice dams form when heat escapes from the living space and melts snow on the warm part of the roof, and the meltwater refreezes at the cold eaves.

Flat and low-pitched roofs carry the greatest snow-collapse risk. Clear snow with a plastic shovel or snow rake, leaving two to three inches rather than scraping to the shingles. If a roof sags, leaks badly, shows cracked wood members or has doors popping open, leave the building and call 911 from outside. Work that alters a Worcester structure needs a permit from the Department of Inspectional Services, and in a local historic district a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Worcester Historical Commission. See the ice dam service and the permit guide before you start.