Roofing on the Connecticut Shoreline

Wind: the shore gets the highest numbers

Connecticut’s building code assigns every town its own ultimate design wind speed, and those speeds climb toward the coast, reaching 129 mph in the shoreline towns against 115 mph in parts of the northwest. The code ties the wind classification a shingle has to carry to that speed (IRC R905.2.4.1), so a shingle that is fine in Litchfield County may not be the right shingle in Westbrook. Our Connecticut roofing code guide has the speed for every town, including the places where two code tables disagree.

Wind off open water also hits harder than wind that has crossed miles of trees and houses. That is why so much storm damage on the shore starts at the edges, corners and ridge of the roof. See wind and hail damage.

Nailing: four is code, six is the shoreline standard

The code’s minimum is four nails per strip shingle (R905.2.6). Shingle manufacturers publish high-wind installation instructions that call for six, and their wind warranties generally depend on them. On a shoreline house, six nails in the right place, on every shingle, is the standard we work to. Where the nails go matters as much as how many: placed too high, a nail misses the shingle underneath and the roof can peel in a gust.

Salt: the metal on the roof

Salt air does not hurt the shingles much. It hurts everything metal: the nails, the drip edge, the flashing at the chimney and walls, the valley metal, the gutters and their hangers. Corroded flashing is one of the most common reasons shoreline roofs leak long before the shingles are worn out.

• Fasteners — the code requires corrosion-resistant roofing nails (R905.2.5); near salt water, the better-protected options are worth their cost.
• Flashing and drip edge — aluminum, copper or stainless last far longer by the water than plain galvanized steel. On a reroof, any flashing that is rusted or deteriorated must be replaced, not reused (R908.5).
• Mixed metals — two different metals touching in a salt environment corrode each other faster. Flashing, fasteners and gutters should be chosen to work together.

Metal roofs on the shore

Metal roofing is a strong choice in high wind, but on the coast the metal itself has to be chosen for salt. Aluminum and some coated products hold up far better near salt water than standard steel, and many metal roofing warranties limit their coverage close to the coast, so the product has to be matched to the house’s distance from the water. See metal roofing.

Storms that come in off the Sound

Connecticut’s shoreline takes the brunt of nor’easters and of tropical storms, as Irene and Sandy showed. Insurance on the coast often carries a separate hurricane or windstorm deductible set as a percentage of the home’s insured value rather than a flat amount, which changes the arithmetic on a roof claim. See roof insurance claims and emergency roof repair.

Sun, salt spray and shingles

Shoreline roofs get more sun and less shade than wooded inland roofs, so moss is rarer but the shingles take more ultraviolet and more drying wind. Good attic ventilation matters just as much here: a hot, damp attic shortens a roof anywhere. See attic ventilation.

Older shoreline houses

The Connecticut coast is full of old houses and historic village centres, many in local historic districts where a commission can have a say over visible roofing materials. Check before choosing a material. See slate and cedar roofing and roofing permits in Connecticut.

Common questions about roofing on the Connecticut shoreline