Our work in Windsor
2 completed roofs in Windsor to date, counted from our own records. Windsor sits 51 miles from our Bethel base.
The town runs to 29.5 square miles, in Hartford County.
Windsor takes in Birchwood, Breakneck, Hayden, Poquonock, Rainbow, Thralltown and Wilson. Age and construction of the housing changes between them, which is why we look before quoting.
Design criteria for a Windsor roof
Roofs in Windsor are designed to an ultimate wind speed of 120 mph, which the code expresses as 93 mph nominal. The source is Appendix AY of the 2022 Connecticut State Building Code. Statewide, 147 municipalities carry an equal or higher rating. Connecticut's amendment to R905.1.1 applies statewide, so a full tear-off here brings the sealed roof deck requirement with it.
Ground snow load in Windsor is 30 psf. 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
The state changes the model code in two places worth knowing about. R905.1.2 requires ice barrier everywhere in Connecticut, extending at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line as measured up the slope. And R905.1.1, the sealed roof deck amendment, does not apply over narrow lumber sheathing — under 3 feet nominal — which is exactly what many pre-1950 houses in this state have.
It matters here because 68.7% of Windsor homes predate 1980 - the median was built around 1969 - so plank decking and older fastening turn up regularly on tear-offs in this town.
The six-nail question comes up constantly. Code minimum in Connecticut is four nails per shingle. Manufacturers require six to honor their wind warranty. We install six. Both facts are true at the same time, and anyone presenting six as a code requirement has it wrong.
What the weather does to roofs in Windsor
Thirty years of readings from the nearest long-record station, about 5 miles from the center of town at Hartford-Bradley Intl Ap, say more about what a Windsor roof faces than any brochure does. These are NOAA's 1991-2020 normals.
Snow: 52 inches in an average year, which is about average for Connecticut. It falls across roughly 12 days that leave an inch or more, and 6 that leave three inches or more. A sound roof carries the weight without complaint. The damage comes from melt-and-refreeze at the eaves, where backed-up water gets under the shingles. The eave detail is where a re-roof here is won or lost.
Freeze-thaw: about 126 nights a year drop below freezing, and 28 days never climb above it. Every one of those nights is a cycle for any water sitting in a lifted seam, an open flashing joint or a nail hole. Water expands as it freezes, the gap widens, and next time it holds more water. That cycle, not sunlight, is what finishes off flashing and old sealant in Connecticut.
Rain: 47 inches a year, including about 12 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.
At roughly 194 feet above sea level, Windsor sits on the milder end of Connecticut's snow map. The hill towns to the north average far more snow than this.
Source: NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals, station Hartford-Bradley Intl Ap (5 miles from Windsor).
Windsor's storm record, from the National Weather Service
What has Windsor actually been hit by? NOAA's Storm Events Database, 2015-2026, within ten miles of the center of town, says this.
83 damaging-wind reports, the strongest put at 81 mph. Wind damage is cumulative. Each gust that lifts a tab breaks a little more of the seal underneath, and the roof that survives five storms can fail in the sixth.
13 hail reports, the largest 2.5 inches across - about the size of a tennis ball. That is destructive hail. Stones that size break shingles outright - punctured mats, split tabs, dented vents and gutters - and a roof hit by them usually needs replacing rather than patching.
Also on the record: the National Weather Service logged 27 winter-storm, heavy-snow or ice-storm events for Hartford County over the same years.
None of that means a roof is damaged. It means it is worth looking. An inspection in Windsor costs nothing, you get the photographs whatever we find, and the storm damage report collects the evidence in one document if you need it.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, reports within 10 miles of the center of Windsor, 2015-2026.
Permits and inspections in Windsor
Roofing work in Windsor is permitted through the town's building department. That office is headed by David Langworthy. The office is staffed full-time, so inspections here are generally easy to schedule. The published number is 860-285-1960. Written questions go to langworthy@townofwindsorct.com. 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.
Windsor's owner-occupied houses and their age
Windsor's housing is mostly owner-occupied detached houses, more so than the Capitol Planning Region around it. The Census Bureau's 2019-2023 estimates count 9,299 owner-occupied homes out of 11,360 occupied, 81.9 percent, against 65.4 percent for the region and 66.2 percent statewide. Of the 11,904 housing units, 77 percent are single-family detached, against 56.5 percent regionally, and buildings of five or more units hold just 6 percent. Attached homes add 7.2 percent and two-to-four-unit buildings 9.8 percent.
In age, Windsor tracks Connecticut closely. Its median year built is 1969, next to the state's 1967, and 68.7 percent of units predate 1980, next to 67.7 percent statewide. The brackets run 17.3 percent before 1940, 24.2 percent from 1940 to 1959, 27.2 percent from 1960 to 1979, 20.5 percent from 1980 to 1999 and 10.8 percent since 2000.
At about 57 years, the typical Windsor home is well past the life InterNACHI assigns an asphalt roof, 20 years for 3-tab and 30 for architectural shingles. The roof on it is likely not the original. Where a house has been re-roofed, when that happened matters more than when the house was built, because a replacement put on between 1980 and 2000 has had time to run through much of its own expected life. InterNACHI adds that weather, design, material quality and maintenance all move those numbers, so condition, not the calendar, settles it. With owners living in most of these houses, the person paying for the next roof is usually the one living under it.
A full replacement under R908.3 removes the old covering down to the deck, though an ice barrier membrane already adhered to it may stay and be covered. That exposes the chimney flashing and the deck around it, which is when R1003.20 comes in: a chimney more than 30 inches wide parallel to the ridge that does not intersect the ridgeline needs a cricket, and tear-off is the practical time to build one if it is missing. For owners who want a read on where their roof stands first, Stallion Ridge offers a free, no-obligation inspection.
| Housing (ACS 2019–2023) | Windsor | Connecticut |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 11,904 | 1,536,049 |
| Owner-occupied homes | 9,299 | 939,912 |
| Share owner-occupied | 81.9% | 66.2% |
| Single-family detached | 77.0% | 58.7% |
| Median year built | 1969 | 1967 |
| Built before 1940 | 17.3% | 20.4% |
| Built 1940–1979 | 51.4% | 47.4% |
| Built 1980–1999 | 20.5% | 20.5% |
| Built 2000 or later | 10.8% | 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 Windsor compares with the towns around it
Windsor shares its design wind figure with all 6 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. Windsor | Ground snow | County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomfield | 120 mph | same | 30 psf | Hartford |
| East Granby | 120 mph | same | 35 psf | Hartford |
| East Windsor | 120 mph | same | 30 psf | Hartford |
| Hartford | 120 mph | same | 30 psf | Hartford |
| South Windsor | 120 mph | same | 30 psf | Hartford |
| Windsor Locks | 120 mph | same | 35 psf | Hartford |
Get a straight answer on your roof
Free inspection, a written scope, and a 25-year workmanship warranty.
Common questions about roofing in Windsor
How many nails per shingle should be used in Windsor?
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 Windsor?
David Langworthy is the building official on record for Windsor, 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 Windsor have to be designed for?
The 2022 Connecticut State Building Code assigns Windsor an ultimate design wind speed of 120 mph. That figure sets the fastener schedule and the manufacturer wind rating we specify.
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Windsor?
Yes. A roof replacement in Windsor requires a building permit, and we pull it as part of the job. The building department's published number is 860-285-1960 if you want to confirm anything independently.
Have you worked in Windsor before?
Yes. Our records show 2 completed roofs in Windsor. That count comes from our own job history.
Is ice barrier required on a Windsor 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 Windsor, that detail is doing real work.
Does Windsor get hail?
Yes, and it is worth taking seriously. NOAA has 13 confirmed hail reports within ten miles of Windsor 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 Windsor?
They are the winter problem worth planning for. The nearest long-record station averages 52 inches of snow a year across about 12 days that leave an inch or more, and roughly 126 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.