Does your home start to look like this during a long Twin Cities winter? We know that those picture-perfect icicles may put some in the holiday mood, but when we see them we get real worked up, and not for good reasons.  The truth is those icicles are tell-tale signs that major roof damage is going on.   Those icicles indicate an ice dam has formed at the roof edge. And if it's not taken care of immediately (and preferably permanently), you could be facing some major repair bills.

Damage That Results from Ice Dam Formation

We've had more than one homeowner contact us to put an end to ice dams for good.  One of the best ways we know to do that is by replacing an asphalt roof with a steel or other metal roof.  Why?  Because snow generally slides off a metal roof rather than building up and melting.

If you get ice dams on your roof edge each winter, here's just a few of the problems you could be looking at:

  • The weight of the ice can rip gutters off, including anything they are mounted to, like soffit or fascia boards.  Some gutters use a system that mounts them underneath a strip of shingles, so shingles might get torn off as well.
  • Melting ice will find its way underneath your roofing material and down the walls and into the interior of your home.  When this happens you could be looking at major problems with wet insulation, crumbling drywall, and even ceiling collapse.  The water seeps in slowly, and you're likely to have a lot of issues before you realize there's a leak. 
  • And of course of major concern is damage to your roofing as well as any underlayment or structures underneath the roofing. 
Any homeowner who gets ice dams on their home needs to first of keep snow off the roof so it doesn't build up, melt, and form ice ridges.  The next thing is to talk to a roofing company like ours that can install permanent ice dam prevention.

Don't wait until your ceilings are streaked with brown stains (or worse).  If ice is forming a ridge on your roof edge like the photo above, contact us today for a free inspect and our recommendation for a permanent ice dam prevention system.  Text or call us at 763-785-1472.

Quarve Contracting/Minnesota Metal Roofing & Siding is a licensed home improvement contractor serving the greater Twin Cities metro area.  We specialize in durable, energy-efficient exterior services.