What type of roofing material is best suited for the snow country climate?
More damage is done by sliding snow than by any structural failure resulting from the weight of snow. Although there is no perfect material for this climate, low sloped roofs in combination with a high friction roofing material such as cedar shakes, or good quality asphalt shingles can help prevent snow from sliding and go a long way in lengthening the life of your roof and the structure under it. Do you have adequate ventilation? When roof designs get complicated, adequate ventilation is hard to achieve. Poor circulation allows pockets of warm air to get trapped which leads to the formation of ice dams. Ice dams cause damage to roof material which inevitably leads to leaking. A good way to mitigate ice damming and the formation of icicles on your roof is to keep the underside of the roof so cold that heat escaping from the building will not melt the snow. This is called cold roof assembly and is used widely by European alpine communities. Cold roof detailing incorporates a well-insula
