Our work in Windham
We have completed 3 roofs in Windham. That figure comes from our own job records rather than an estimate, and it moves as we work. The town is 68 miles from Bethel.
The town runs to 26.8 square miles, in Windham County.
Within Windham we work in Johnson Park, North Windham, South Windham and Willimantic. Housing stock varies enough inside one Connecticut town that the right roof in one neighborhood is not automatically right three miles away.
Design criteria for a Windham roof
For Windham, the governing figure is an ultimate design wind speed of 125 mph (97 mph nominal), straight out of Appendix AY of the 2022 state code. 52 of Connecticut's 169 municipalities are rated at or above that figure. Connecticut's amendment to R905.1.1 applies statewide, so a full tear-off here brings the sealed roof deck requirement with it.
Snow loading here is 30 psf at grade. The state's floor figure. Ice at the eaves does more damage in towns like this one than weight ever does.
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.
That decking exception is not a footnote in Windham: 78.1% of the housing here went up before 1980 and 34.9% before 1940, so plank decking under the shingles is the rule rather than the exception.
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 Windham
Roofs are worn out by weather, not by time. The measured picture for Windham comes from the long-record station about 6 miles from the center of town at Storrs, over the thirty years behind NOAA's 1991-2020 normals.
Snow: 39 inches in an average year, which is about average for Connecticut. It falls across roughly 11 days that leave an inch or more, and 5 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 123 nights a year drop below freezing, and 36 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: 49 inches a year, including about 13 days when an inch or more falls in a single day and 2 that top two inches. That much water finds every shortcut: valleys that were never properly lined, gutters too small for the roof above them, and the missing kick-out flashing where a roof edge meets a wall.
Source: NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals, station Storrs (6 miles from Windham).
Windham's storm record, from the National Weather Service
Rather than talk about storms in general, here is the count of confirmed severe-weather reports within ten miles of Windham across 2015-2026, straight from NOAA's Storm Events Database.
57 damaging-wind reports, the strongest put at 81 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.
7 hail reports, the largest 1 inch across - about the size of a quarter. Hail that size bruises asphalt shingles rather than shattering them: the granules come off, the mat underneath ages fast, and the roof fails years early. A bruise is easy to miss and easy to prove once you know where to look.
Also on the record: 3 confirmed tornadoes touched down inside the same circle and the National Weather Service logged 24 winter-storm, heavy-snow or ice-storm events for Windham County over the same years.
After a storm like those, the sensible move is a look at the roof before anything leaks - we do that for free in Windham, and you get the photographs either way. If there is damage, our storm damage report puts the photos, measurements and a written estimate in one place for your insurer.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, reports within 10 miles of the center of Windham, 2015-2026.
Permits and inspections in Windham
Permits for roof work in Windham go through the town building department. Glenn T. Setzler is listed as the building official. Full-time staffing means inspections here rarely become the bottleneck. The published number is 860-684-1775. Written questions go to gsetzler@windhamct.gov. We pull the permit ourselves. If a roofer asks you to pull it in your own name, that is a reason to stop and ask why.
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.
Windham's rented, older housing and the roofs over it
In Windham, renters outnumber owners. Census estimates put 54.8 percent of the town's occupied homes in renter hands and 45.2 percent owner-occupied, the reverse of the statewide split of 33.8 and 66.2 percent, and well off the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region's 65.4 percent owner share. The buildings fit that pattern: detached single-family houses are 42.7 percent of Windham's 9,891 housing units, buildings of two to four units 27.1 percent, and buildings of five or more 21.6 percent.
The housing is old, too. A median year built of 1958 puts the typical unit at about 68 years in 2026, against 1967 for the state and 1969 for the region. Of all units, 34.9 percent predate 1940, and 78.1 percent predate 1980. Another 15.7 percent date from 1980 to 1999, and new construction is scarce: 6.2 percent since 2000, about half the state's 11.8 percent.
For the owners of those rented units, the federal lead rule is worth settling before any exterior job. EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule, 40 CFR 745, covers paid renovation that disturbs painted surfaces in target housing, meaning housing built before 1978 with some exceptions, and the pre-1980 brackets that hold 78.1 percent of Windham's units contain it. Replacing a roof can mean pulling painted fascia and trim. Exterior work that disturbs 20 square feet of paint or less falls under a minor-repair exclusion, except where the job is a window replacement or demolishes painted surfaces.
The code questions come next. Connecticut's amended R105.2 lets an owner repair up to 25 percent of the roof covering in a calendar year without a permit, which can keep a rental weather-tight between full replacements. When replacement does come, IRC R908.3 requires the existing layers to come off to the deck, and on an older building R908.5 adds the replacement of any flashings, edgings or vents that are rusted, damaged or deteriorated. Where one of the pre-1940 buildings still has slate, R908.3.1.1 bars laying a new covering over it, and InterNACHI gives slate 60 to 150 years, so a repair may be worth pricing first. The table below compares Windham's housing ages with Connecticut's.
| Housing (ACS 2019–2023) | Windham | Connecticut |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 9,891 | 1,536,049 |
| Owner-occupied homes | 4,247 | 939,912 |
| Share owner-occupied | 45.2% | 66.2% |
| Single-family detached | 42.7% | 58.7% |
| Median year built | 1958 | 1967 |
| Built before 1940 | 34.9% | 20.4% |
| Built 1940–1979 | 43.2% | 47.4% |
| Built 1980–1999 | 15.7% | 20.5% |
| Built 2000 or later | 6.2% | 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 Windham compares with the towns around it
Windham carries a higher design wind figure than every town it borders. A roof spec that was correct one town over is not automatically correct here.
| Bordering town | Design wind | vs. Windham | Ground snow | County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chaplin | 125 mph | same | 35 psf | Windham |
| Columbia | 125 mph | same | 30 psf | Tolland |
| Coventry | 120 mph | -5 | 30 psf | Tolland |
| Franklin | 125 mph | same | 30 psf | New London |
| Lebanon | 125 mph | same | 30 psf | New London |
| Mansfield | 120 mph | -5 | 35 psf | Tolland |
| Scotland | 125 mph | same | 30 psf | Windham |
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Common questions about roofing in Windham
Who is the building official in Windham?
Glenn T. Setzler is the building official on record for Windham, per the State of Connecticut list of municipal building officials. Staffing changes — confirm with the town before relying on it.
Have you worked in Windham before?
Yes. Our records show 3 completed roofs in Windham. That count comes from our own job history.
How many nails per shingle should be used in Windham?
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.
Is ice barrier required on a Windham 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 30 psf ground snow load in Windham, that detail is doing real work.
What wind speed does a roof in Windham have to be designed for?
The 2022 Connecticut State Building Code assigns Windham an ultimate design wind speed of 125 mph. That figure sets the fastener schedule and the manufacturer wind rating we specify.
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Windham?
Yes. A roof replacement in Windham requires a building permit, and we pull it as part of the job. The building department's published number is 860-684-1775 if you want to confirm anything independently.
Does Windham get hail?
Yes, though it is not the main risk here. NOAA has 7 confirmed hail reports within ten miles of Windham since 2015, the largest 1 inch across. Hail that size bruises shingles and knocks granules loose rather than punching holes, so the damage is easy to miss from the ground and worth a proper look after a summer storm.
Are ice dams a problem in Windham?
They are the winter problem worth planning for. The nearest long-record station averages 39 inches of snow a year across about 11 days that leave an inch or more, and roughly 123 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.