Our work in Simsbury
We have completed 4 roofs in Simsbury. That figure comes from our own job records rather than an estimate, and it moves as we work. The town is 45 miles from Bethel.
Simsbury is a 33.9-square-mile municipality in Hartford County.
Simsbury takes in Crowleys Corner, Firetown, Hoskins, Pine Hill, Simsbury Center, Tariffville, Tootin' Hills, Weatogue and West Simsbury. Age and construction of the housing changes between them, which is why we look before quoting.
Design criteria for a Simsbury roof
Appendix AY of the 2022 Connecticut State Building Code puts Simsbury at an ultimate design wind speed of 120 mph, a nominal design wind speed of 93 mph. That places Simsbury mid-range for the state, with 147 municipalities at or above it. As in every Connecticut town, a tear-off here triggers the sealed roof deck rule.
Ground snow load in Simsbury is 35 psf. Above the state baseline, which matters most where snow collects — valleys, dormer sides, and anywhere a roof steps down.
Connecticut amendments that apply here
Two Connecticut amendments matter on almost every job. The first is statewide ice barrier, R905.1.2: from the lowest edge of the roof to a point 24 inches or more inside the exterior wall line, measured on the slope. On a shallow pitch that is a surprising amount of membrane. The second is R905.1.1, the sealed roof deck rule, which has an exception for lumber sheathing of less than 3 feet nominal width — common on older housing stock here.
It matters here because 64.4% of Simsbury homes predate 1980 - the median was built around 1973 - so plank decking and older fastening turn up regularly on tear-offs in this town.
On nailing, be careful who you believe. Connecticut's code minimum is four nails per shingle. Six is what the shingle manufacturers require to keep a wind warranty in force, and six is what we install — but that is a manufacturer requirement, not a code requirement. A contractor telling you the code demands six is either mistaken or selling.
What the weather does to roofs in Simsbury
Here is what a roof in Simsbury is up against, measured rather than guessed: NOAA's 1991-2020 normals from the closest thirty-year weather record, about 8 miles from the center of town at Burlington.
Snow: 39 inches in an average year, which is about average for Connecticut. It falls across roughly 10 days that leave an inch or more, and 5 that leave three inches or more. Snow itself rarely hurts a sound roof. What hurts is meltwater running down to a cold eave, freezing, and backing up under the shingles - an ice dam. That is why the ice barrier at the eaves is the detail worth paying attention to on any re-roof here.
Freeze-thaw: about 142 nights a year drop below freezing, and 27 days never climb above it. Each of those nights works on whatever is already loose - a lifted tab, a tired boot around a pipe, a nail that has backed out. Winter finds the weak spot and makes it bigger.
Rain: 54 inches a year, including about 15 days when an inch or more falls in a single day and 3 that top two inches. That is a lot of water to move off a roof, and it finds the same three places every time: valleys, gutters that cannot keep up, and wall junctions with no kick-out flashing.
Source: NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals, station Burlington (8 miles from Simsbury).
Simsbury's storm record, from the National Weather Service
What has Simsbury actually been hit by? NOAA's Storm Events Database, 2015-2026, within ten miles of the center of town, says this.
61 damaging-wind reports, the strongest put at 81 mph. Wind works the edges first - the rake, the ridge, the starter course at the eave - and an old roof loses its seal strips long before it loses shingles.
9 hail reports, the largest 2.5 inches across - about the size of a tennis ball. Stones at that size do structural damage: split shingles, exposed mat, and dents in every metal surface on the roof. If that storm went over your house, the roof needs looking at properly.
Also on the record: 1 confirmed tornado touched down inside the same circle and the National Weather Service logged 27 winter-storm, heavy-snow or ice-storm events for Hartford County over the same years.
If your roof went through any of those, get eyes on it before the next one. The inspection is free in Simsbury, the photographs are yours, and the storm damage report gathers what an insurer will ask for.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, reports within 10 miles of the center of Simsbury, 2015-2026.
Permits and inspections in Simsbury
Roofing work in Simsbury is permitted through the town's building department. That office is headed by Danny Sousa. Full-time staffing means inspections here rarely become the bottleneck. The published number is 860-658-3234. Written questions go to dsousa@simsbury-ct.gov. We pull the permit as part of the job. No homeowner should be asked to pull their own roofing permit by a contractor working on their house.
A roof replacement permit in Connecticut is generally issued over the counter or online once the scope is submitted, with an inspection at completion. Where a house sits in a local historic district, or where zoning or health review applies, that approval comes first and can add real time. If your property is affected, we will tell you before the contract is signed rather than after the dumpster arrives.
Simsbury homes by age, and why 1960 to 1979 matters
The largest share of Simsbury's housing dates from 1960 to 1979. By the Census Bureau's 2019-2023 estimates, 39.1 percent of the town's 9,557 housing units were built in those two decades, well above Connecticut's 26.7 percent and the Capitol Planning Region's 27.3. The median year built is 1973, and the typical Simsbury home is about 53 years old, against about 60 for the region.
The rest of the stock is spread thinly on either side: 8.6 percent before 1940, 16.7 percent from 1940 to 1959, 21.5 percent from 1980 to 1999 and 14.1 percent since 2000. Owners occupy 73.9 percent of occupied homes, 6,864 of 9,286, and 71.8 percent of units are single-family detached, against 65.4 and 56.5 percent for the region. Buildings of five or more units make up 15.4 percent.
That big 1960-1979 block straddles the 1978 line in EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule, with most of it likely falling before the cutoff. The town's pre-1980 share, the nearest Census bracket, is 64.4 percent. In target housing, which the rule defines as housing built before 1978 with some exceptions, paid work that disturbs painted surfaces is covered. Outside the house, jobs disturbing 20 square feet or less of paint are a minor-repair exclusion, except for window replacement or demolition of painted surfaces. Replacing rotted fascia or painted rake trim alongside a roof can cross that threshold quickly, so it is worth knowing before the work is scoped.
On timing, a house built between 1960 and 1979 has likely had its original asphalt replaced at least once. InterNACHI's chart gives 3-tab about 20 years and architectural shingles about 30, and it says outright that weather, design, material quality and maintenance change the result. Whatever went on at that first replacement is now aging in turn, and for many of these houses the coming job may be the second replacement rather than the first. It will follow R908.3, which removes the existing layers down to the deck, apart from an ice barrier membrane adhered to the deck, which is allowed to stay and be covered. The 14.1 percent built since 2000 are on a different clock: the earliest of those are likely still on their first roof and moving into the 20-to-30-year window now.
| Housing (ACS 2019–2023) | Simsbury | Connecticut |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 9,557 | 1,536,049 |
| Owner-occupied homes | 6,864 | 939,912 |
| Share owner-occupied | 73.9% | 66.2% |
| Single-family detached | 71.8% | 58.7% |
| Median year built | 1973 | 1967 |
| Built before 1940 | 8.6% | 20.4% |
| Built 1940–1979 | 55.8% | 47.4% |
| Built 1980–1999 | 21.5% | 20.5% |
| Built 2000 or later | 14.1% | 11.8% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-year estimates, tables B25001, B25003, B25024, B25034, B25035. Estimates carry a margin of error, which is wider in smaller towns.
How Simsbury compares with the towns around it
Simsbury shares its design wind figure with all 5 of its neighbors, so specifications carry across these town lines cleanly. The permit process does not — each town runs its own.
| Bordering town | Design wind | vs. Simsbury | Ground snow | County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avon | 120 mph | same | 35 psf | Hartford |
| Bloomfield | 120 mph | same | 30 psf | Hartford |
| Canton | 120 mph | same | 35 psf | Hartford |
| East Granby | 120 mph | same | 35 psf | Hartford |
| Granby | 120 mph | same | 35 psf | Hartford |
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Common questions about roofing in Simsbury
Have you worked in Simsbury before?
Yes. Our records show 4 completed roofs in Simsbury. That count comes from our own job history.
What wind speed does a roof in Simsbury have to be designed for?
The 2022 Connecticut State Building Code assigns Simsbury an ultimate design wind speed of 120 mph. That figure sets the fastener schedule and the manufacturer wind rating we specify.
How many nails per shingle should be used in Simsbury?
Connecticut's code minimum is four. Shingle manufacturers require six to keep their wind warranty in force, and six is what we install. Six nails is a manufacturer requirement, not a code requirement.
Who is the building official in Simsbury?
Danny Sousa is the building official on record for Simsbury, per the State of Connecticut list of municipal building officials. Staffing changes — confirm with the town before relying on it.
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Simsbury?
Yes. A roof replacement in Simsbury requires a building permit, and we pull it as part of the job. The building department's published number is 860-658-3234 if you want to confirm anything independently.
Is ice barrier required on a Simsbury roof?
Yes — Connecticut requires it statewide under code section R905.1.2, running from the lowest roof edge to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line. With a 35 psf ground snow load in Simsbury, that detail is doing real work.
Does Simsbury get hail?
Yes, and it is worth taking seriously. NOAA has 9 confirmed hail reports within ten miles of Simsbury since 2015, the largest 2.5 inches across. That is destructive hail - it splits shingles and punctures the mat, and a roof caught by it usually needs replacing rather than patching.
Are ice dams a problem in Simsbury?
They are the winter problem worth planning for. The nearest long-record station averages 39 inches of snow a year across about 10 days that leave an inch or more, and roughly 142 nights below freezing. That is the exact recipe for melt at the warm middle of a roof refreezing at the cold eave. Connecticut's code answer is an ice barrier at the eaves; the practical answer is that plus attic insulation and ventilation that keep the roof deck cold.
Design criteria are taken from Appendix AY of the 2022 Connecticut State Building Code. Building department details come from the State of Connecticut list of municipal building officials, updated 04-06-2026. Municipal staffing and personnel change — confirm current details with the town. Stallion Ridge Exteriors is a service-area business based in Bethel, Connecticut.