Roofing in Wethersfield, CT

What is different about roofing a house in the Old Wethersfield district?

With more than 150 buildings from before 1850, the district is full of roofs whose frames are older than any shingle. The framing may have been altered over the years, the roof may include a chimney that is part of the structure, and the original materials may be different from what a standard suburban roofer reaches for first.

Roofs on very old houses in a historic district can involve special materials or local review. Before you sign a contract, ask the town building office whether any district rules apply, and tell the roofer you are in the district so the quote and the permit reflect it. Our page on roofing for historic homes covers the questions to put to a contractor.

Ask the roofer what they have done on older houses and what they would do with the existing deck, flashing and chimney. Registration still applies: Connecticut issues no roofing licence, and contractors doing roofing on homes register as Home Improvement Contractors with the Department of Consumer Protection.

What do roofs outside the old village need?

Beyond the old village, the town is mostly later suburban housing, and asphalt-shingle roofs and ice-dam checks are the common topics. A shingle roof in Connecticut is usually asked to last 20 to 30 years, and many in town are past that. Granules in the gutter, curling edges and bare patches are the signs. The asphalt shingle roofing page explains what changes between a repair and a replacement.

Ice dams are the other regular problem. They form when heat escaping into the attic melts snow that then refreezes at the cold eaves, and the low-20s temperatures that Hartford sees in a cold January are exactly the right conditions. If you see icicles along an edge, treat it as a signal to check the attic, not a cosmetic issue.

Replacing a roof in Wethersfield, like anywhere in Connecticut, needs a building permit for a full re-roof under the 2022 state code, with minor repairs typically exempt. Rules vary by town, so confirm with the Wethersfield building office.

How do I vet a roofer for an old Wethersfield house?

Start with registration. Contractors who do roofing on homes register as Home Improvement Contractors with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, which handles complaints about registered contractors. You can look a name up in the CT eLicense database, and the status should read Active. Registration needs at least $20,000 in liability insurance and proof of a $15,000 surety bond or participation in the Home Improvement Guaranty Fund.

Then ask for a written contract. Connecticut requires one for jobs over $200, and a three-day right of cancellation applies to door-to-door sales. On a house that is a century or two old, the contract should say what is being removed, what goes back, how the chimney and wall flashing will be handled and who pulls the permit. Our guide to checking a roofer's registration lists the steps.

Last, ask what the roofer has done on older houses. Look at the attic if you can reach it and tell them what you see: boards that are wide or hand-hewn, ceilings that are low, a chimney that rises through the middle. Those details tell a roofer more than the age of the shingles.

How do I describe a roof problem on a very old house?

Say how old the house is if you know, whether you are in the old village and whether the roof has been touched recently. Mention any attic boards you can see and whether the ceiling stain is below a chimney. A roofer serving the area can tell you whether a visit is the next step. A roofer comes when one is free, and no arrival time can be promised.