Somerset County, NJ Metal Roofing for Colder Winters

Snow and steel

How do you design a Somerset County metal roof for snow?

We start with the snow load, then choose the seam, then plan where sliding snow will land.

The design number comes from the house’s own coordinates. Under DCA Bulletin 19-1, designers look up that exact location in an ASCE 7 hazard tool, since a value taken for a town center or ZIP code may come in low. Somerset’s fallback, used only if that tool reports a case study, is 30 pounds per square foot.

Seam type comes next. Sheffield Metals lists a 2/12 minimum pitch for its snap-lock panels. The company’s 1.5-inch mechanical seam also starts at 2/12 and can go as low as 1/12 in steel when inseam sealant is used and conditions allow. Because Sheffield also flags snap-lock seams as more likely to come apart under shifting snow and ice, we favor mechanically seamed panels on low-pitch and heavily shaded roofs here.

• Rows of snow guards wherever sliding snow could hit people, cars or a lower roof, mounted with seam clamps rather than screws through the panel
• Gutters set slightly below the roof plane, so snow sliding off the panels passes over the front edge instead of ripping the gutter loose, a placement a University of Illinois guide recommends for snowy areas
• Peel-and-stick membrane along the eaves as our standard, although New Jersey’s code mandates an ice barrier in Sussex County alone
• Metal shingles for houses where a shake or slate appearance suits the neighborhood better than vertical seams

Homes and upgrades

Which exterior upgrades suit Somerset County homes?

The answer depends on the age of the house; our metal roofing overview covers every roof system. Somerset mixes older borough centers such as Somerville, Bound Brook, Raritan and Manville with large townships. In Franklin, Bridgewater and Hillsborough, many neighborhoods were built out in later decades.

Windows for the Northern zone

Hitting 0.22 usually takes a third pane. EPA’s draft analysis for ENERGY STAR Version 7 found typical U-factors of 0.28 to 0.31 for double-glazed vinyl units with one low-E layer and argon fill. Comparable triple-glazed units with two low-E layers came in around 0.22 to 0.23 (EPA). Compare triple-pane windows with the rest of our window options.

Siding, and when a roof can go over shingles

Vinyl, fiber cement and steel are compared side by side on our siding page. For roofs, New Jersey’s Rehabilitation Subcode lists three cases where the old covering must come off. They are two or more existing layers, a wood shake, slate, clay or cement tile roof, and a roof too water-soaked or worn to work as a base (N.J.A.C. 5:23-6.4).

So a metal roof can cover one sound layer of asphalt on a sound deck, and only where the panel maker’s instructions allow it. Our page on metal roofs over shingles explains the checks.

Approvals and contracts

What approvals and paperwork come with a Somerset County job?

For a detached house, usually just a written contract; attached homes and some local districts add steps.

No permit is needed to re-roof a detached one- or two-family home or to replace siding on a one- or two-family home; the state code files both under ordinary maintenance (N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7). Attached homes such as townhouses are a different case and generally require one from the local construction office. Polypropylene siding requires a permit on any house.

A local historic preservation ordinance can add its own review, and the permit exemption does not cancel it. Any job priced above $500 must be covered by a written contract that both sides sign. New Jersey also lets you cancel any time before midnight on the third business day after you receive your copy (N.J.S.A. 56:8-151).