Our work in Union
No completed jobs in Union yet — said plainly, because the alternative is implying something that is not true. It is 77 miles from Bethel, comfortably within where we work.
Union covers 28.8 square miles in Tolland County.
Neighborhoods and villages here include Mashapaug. What is on the roofs differs across them, and so does what should go back on.
Design criteria for a Union roof
For Union, the governing figure is an ultimate design wind speed of 120 mph (93 mph nominal), straight out of Appendix AY of the 2022 state code. That places Union mid-range for the state, with 147 municipalities at or above it. Connecticut's amended R905.1.1 applies statewide, so the sealed roof deck requirement is triggered on a full tear-off here.
Snow loading here is 40 psf at grade. That is the top of the state's range. It is the reason we are reluctant to lay new shingles over old in this part of Connecticut — the structure is already carrying more than most of the state.
Connecticut amendments that apply here
Connecticut amends the international code on two points that touch nearly every roof we do. Ice barrier is required statewide under R905.1.2, running from the lowest roof edge to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line — measured along the slope, so a low-pitch roof needs more membrane than people expect. The sealed roof deck amendment, R905.1.1, carries an exception: it does not apply over lumber sheathing under 3 feet nominal width, which is what sits under the shingles on a great many pre-1950 Connecticut houses.
Union is newer than most of Connecticut: only 53.4% of its homes predate 1980 and the median was built around 1978, so plywood or OSB decking is what we usually find, and the plank exception rarely comes up.
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 Union
Weather is what wears a roof out, so the local numbers are worth knowing. NOAA's 1991-2020 normals, taken about 6 miles from the center of town at Southbridge 3 Sw, just over the line in Massachusetts, are the closest measured picture there is.
Snow: 52 inches in an average year, which is about average for Connecticut. It falls across roughly 14 days that leave an inch or more, and 6 that leave three inches or more. Weight is seldom the issue on a roof that is sound. Meltwater is: it runs to the cold overhang, freezes there, and the next thaw has nowhere to go but sideways, under the shingles.
Freeze-thaw: about 147 nights a year drop below freezing, and 37 days never climb above it. Freezing water expands with enough force to widen any gap it is sitting in. Do that on most nights of the winter and the sealant around a chimney or a vent pipe gives up years before the shingles do.
Rain: 52 inches a year, including about 14 days when an inch or more falls in a single day and 2 that top two inches. Rain in that volume is a better roof inspector than most people are. It finds the badly closed valley and the overwhelmed gutter long before anyone on the ground notices.
Union sits around 894 feet above sea level. That is hill country by Connecticut standards, and both snow totals and freezing nights climb with elevation here.
Source: NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals, station Southbridge 3 Sw (6 miles from Union).
Union's storm record, from the National Weather Service
What has Union actually been hit by? NOAA's Storm Events Database, 2015-2026, within ten miles of the center of town, says this.
29 damaging-wind reports, the strongest put at 63 mph. That is the number that matters most here. Wind damage starts at the edges and the ridge, and it rarely shows itself from the driveway.
6 hail reports, the largest 1.25 inches across - about the size of a half dollar. That is past the bruising range. Hail of that size splits the mat under the granules, and a split mat lets water into the shingle itself.
Also on the record: 2 confirmed tornadoes touched down inside the same circle and the National Weather Service logged 31 winter-storm, heavy-snow or ice-storm events for Tolland County over the same years.
If any of that went over your house, the roof deserves a look before the next one arrives. Inspections in Union are free, you get the photographs either way, and our storm damage report collects what an insurer will ask for.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, reports within 10 miles of the center of Union, 2015-2026.
Permits and inspections in Union
Roofing work in Union is permitted through the town's building department. The building official on record is Joseph Pajak. Staffing is part-time, so inspection slots are limited. We book around them rather than hoping. The published number is 860-684-3812. Written questions go to building@unionconnecticut.org. Permitting is on us, not on you. A contractor asking a homeowner to pull the roofing permit is shifting liability, and you should treat it that way.
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.
A Union house, in Census terms
Union is small enough that its Census numbers should be read loosely. The Census counts 429 housing units in town, 414 of them occupied, and the 2019-2023 American Community Survey estimates for a town that size carry wide margins. With that said, the broad picture is clear enough: 99.1 percent of units are detached single-family houses, and 92.5 percent of occupied homes belong to the people living in them. The estimates show no buildings of five or more units, and renters account for 7.5 percent of households.
The ages are spread across the last several decades rather than bunched in one. The estimates give 29.1 percent of units to 1960 to 1979, 25.9 percent to 1980 to 1999 and 20.7 percent to 2000 or later, with 14.9 percent from 1940 to 1959 and 9.3 percent from before 1940. Union's median year built is 1978, so the typical house is about 48 years old, a bit younger than the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region's median of 1973 and the state's 1967. The share built since 2000 is higher than Connecticut's 11.8 percent.
What that spread means on the roof depends on which house it is. InterNACHI's life-expectancy figures give 3-tab asphalt about 20 years and architectural shingles about 30, and say the real number depends on weather, design, materials and maintenance. A house from before 1980 is likely well past any original asphalt roof and probably on its second or third. A house from 1980 to 1999 has likely been re-roofed once or is due. Many of the houses from 2000 on are probably still on their first roof, with the oldest of them in the 20-to-30-year window now. In each case, when the time comes for a full replacement, R908.3 of the IRC, in force in Connecticut, requires the existing layers to come off down to the roof deck.
Not every problem is a replacement. Connecticut's amended R105.2 exempts from permits repairs that are limited to 25 percent of the roof covering within one calendar year, which can take in wind or limb damage confined to one section of shingles. Anything beyond that, a full roof included, needs a permit. The table below shows how Union's brackets compare with Connecticut's.
| Housing (ACS 2019–2023) | Union | Connecticut |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 429 | 1,536,049 |
| Owner-occupied homes | 383 | 939,912 |
| Share owner-occupied | 92.5% | 66.2% |
| Single-family detached | 99.1% | 58.7% |
| Median year built | 1978 | 1967 |
| Built before 1940 | 9.3% | 20.4% |
| Built 1940–1979 | 44.0% | 47.4% |
| Built 1980–1999 | 25.9% | 20.5% |
| Built 2000 or later | 20.7% | 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 Union compares with the towns around it
Union 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. Union | Ground snow | County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashford | 120 mph | same | 35 psf | Windham |
| Eastford | 120 mph | same | 40 psf | Windham |
| Stafford | 120 mph | same | 35 psf | Tolland |
| Willington | 120 mph | same | 35 psf | Tolland |
| Woodstock | 120 mph | same | 40 psf | Windham |
Get a straight answer on your roof
Free inspection, a written scope, and a 25-year workmanship warranty.
Common questions about roofing in Union
Is ice barrier required on a Union 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 40 psf ground snow load in Union, that detail is doing real work.
How many nails per shingle should be used in Union?
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.
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Union?
Yes. A roof replacement in Union requires a building permit, and we pull it as part of the job. The building department's published number is 860-684-3812 if you want to confirm anything independently.
Who is the building official in Union?
Joseph Pajak is the building official on record for Union, per the State of Connecticut list of municipal building officials. Staffing changes — confirm with the town before relying on it.
What wind speed does a roof in Union have to be designed for?
The 2022 Connecticut State Building Code assigns Union an ultimate design wind speed of 120 mph. That figure sets the fastener schedule and the manufacturer wind rating we specify.
Does Union get hail?
Yes, though it is not the main risk here. NOAA has 6 confirmed hail reports within ten miles of Union since 2015, the largest 1.25 inches across. Stones that size crack the mat under the granules rather than just bruising it, so the damage is real even when the roof looks sound from the driveway.
Are ice dams a problem in Union?
They are the winter problem worth planning for. The nearest long-record station averages 52 inches of snow a year across about 14 days that leave an inch or more, and roughly 147 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.