Part H · the register

Snow Guards on a Kirkwood Roof, Placed Where the Ice Will Fall

Snow guards hold ice on steep slopes above entries and walks, and the quote has to say where they land on your roof.

A snow guard is a bar, rail or pad fixed to the roof surface so that snow and ice stay in place instead of sliding off in one piece. On a Kirkwood house the reason to think about them is rarely the weight of the snow. The risk is what happens when a steep slope drops a sheet of frozen snow onto a front walk, a side door or the edge of a driveway. A sheet like that can take a light fixture, a gutter run or a person standing below it. Snow guards address that particular risk, and they should appear as their own line on a proposal, not folded invisibly into the shingle price.

Town roofing

St. Louis winters move back and forth around freezing. Sun warms a south or west facing slope enough to melt the bottom layer of a snow load. The meltwater runs under the snow, refreezes when the sun drops, and the whole layer loosens. Shaded north slopes hold snow longer but usually release it more slowly. The slope that causes trouble on a Kirkwood street is often the one above a front door, a porch or a walk, and it is frequently the steepest plane on an older house, where the pitch is higher than the rest of the roof.

Snow guards do not solve every winter problem. Water that backs up under the shingles at the lower edge is a separate question about attic temperature, insulation and ventilation. A snow guard will not stop that water. If you have both problems, ask the roofer to treat each one separately in the written scope so that neither gets assumed to be covered by the other.

Where the guards sit matters more than how many you buy. Installers usually set them in one or more rows running across the slope, starting near the eave and stepping up toward the ridge. The spacing between rows and the stagger from one row to the next should follow the guard manufacturer's instructions for that roof pitch and that shingle. The rows need to break the sheet before it reaches the spot you care about. A single row at the eave only holds the lowest slice of snow, and the rest can still slide over the top of it and drop onto the walk anyway.

Attachment is the part to check closely. A guard fastened only into roof decking can pull out when a heavy load pushes on it. Many installers locate the rafters beneath the decking and drive fasteners into framing. That requires the right fastener length to pass through the shingle, the underlayment and the sheathing and still bite into solid wood. Ask how the rafters are located, what length of fastener is used, and what type of fastener it is. Every fastener is a penetration the roof has to keep sealed, so the scope should also say how each one is sealed and with what material.

Timing belongs in the conversation too. Snow guards are normally installed after the shingles are down, so the crew has to set the guards into the finished roof. If you add them after the new roof is complete, the work becomes a second visit with a second setup and a second walk across shingles that are already in place. Decide before the tear-off whether the guards are part of the job.

What it costs

The cost of snow guards depends on how much roof they cover, how many rows the slope needs, how many fasteners each guard takes, and how hard the framing is to locate. A short run of guards above one entry is a small line on a proposal. Full rows across a long front slope on a steep pitch take more time on the ladder and more material. Access also matters. A roof that is hard to stand on, or that needs staging or a lift to reach safely, costs more to work on than one that does not.

Keys Roofing does not give a price for snow guards in this article, because the number depends on the roof the installer is standing on. What to look for on a proposal is a separate line for the guards, with the number of rows, the linear feet of guard, the product named by model and the fastening method all written down. A single lump sum that says snow guards are included somewhere inside a shingle price cannot be checked against the next bid, and it cannot be checked against the work after the crew leaves.

Ask whether the quote includes a second trip for the guards, or whether they are included in the same mobilization as the shingle work. Ask as well whether any change to the rows after you sign will be priced as a change order, and in what form that change would be written. A change in row count or placement is a change to the scope, and it should be on paper before the crew starts.

Keys Roofing documents damage, puts a written scope with photos and measurements in the homeowner's hands, and attends as the contractor on the roof. Snow guards are a roofing decision made before anything goes wrong, so they belong on the scope from the beginning. They are not a claim item, and a roofer cannot tell you how an insurer will treat them.

What to ask

• Which slopes are getting guards, and why those slopes. Ask for the roof marked on a photo or a simple sketch that shows the front door, side entries, walks and the driveway edge the guards are protecting.
• How many rows, at what spacing, and whether that spacing follows the guard manufacturer's instructions for this pitch and this shingle.
• How each guard is attached, how the rafters are located, and what fastener length and type go through the shingle, the underlayment and the sheathing.
• How every penetration is sealed, and what sealant or flashing material is used. Ask for the product to be named in the scope.
• Which guard model is quoted. The model name should be on the proposal so you can check it against the manufacturer's published data after the work is done.
• Whether the guards go on during the shingle installation or later on a second trip, and what the second trip would cost if it becomes necessary.
• Who inspects the guards after installation, and whether the crew walks the slope again to check the fasteners and the rows before the crew leaves.
• Who backs the guards. The manufacturer usually covers the product and the roofer usually covers the labor, but get both sets of terms in writing rather than accepting a verbal assurance.
• Whether a permit is pulled for the work, and whether the municipal permit desk needs to see the plan before the crew starts.
• Where the debris goes. Guard packaging, offcuts and fasteners fall to the ground around the house, and the scope should say the yard and the walks will be cleaned before the crew leaves.

If the proposal you have does not mention snow guards and your front slope drops onto a walk or an entry, ask for them to be added in writing before you sign. Keys Roofing's office is at (314) 220-2333, and the question is simpler to settle before the tear-off than after the first hard freeze.