Wethersfield Full Roof Replacement After a Winter Storm

The call that came in at 5:47 a.m.

Late February this year we got a call from Sarah and Michael T. in Wethersfield. A heavy wet snow the night before, followed by wind that peaked around 55 mph in the small hours, had done a number on their master bedroom ceiling. They could see the stain growing. There was water in the light fixture. They didn’t know if the roof was still on. It’s exactly the kind of emergency our Hartford County roofing team is built to answer.

By 7:30 our emergency truck was in their driveway.

What we found on the roof

The roof was a 22-year-old three-tab asphalt shingle installed by the previous owner’s contractor. Two sections of shingles on the north face were gone — clean gone, subfloor deck showing. The ice dam that had built up along the eaves through January had backed water under the shingle field for weeks before this storm finished the job. The chimney flashing was rusted through in two places. The gutters were choked with a season of ice-dam runoff and shingle debris.

Once we understood the scope, we did three things in sequence:

1. Tarp the exposed decking. Heavy-duty tarps, battened down to sound roof around the openings. Water intrusion stopped inside 40 minutes.
2. Document the damage. Photos of every failure — the missing sections, the lifted tabs, the ice dam damage, the failed chimney flashing, the wet insulation visible through the ceiling opening inside. Measurements. GPS-tagged shots for the adjuster.
3. Have the honest conversation. This roof was done. Twenty-two years, wind damage, ice dam damage, and failed flashing at the same time. Repair wasn’t the play. We told them so, and told them we thought insurance would cover a full replacement.

The insurance process (and why documentation mattered)

Their carrier’s adjuster came out four days later. We met him on the roof and walked through every failure with him. The wind-lifted sections had actionable damage. The chimney flashing failures had a legitimate case as contributing to the interior damage. The ice-dam damage on the underside was a harder conversation — those get argued as maintenance in some cases — but the photos we had from January 27th, showing the ice dam mid-formation and the interior stains starting, moved that conversation in a homeowner-friendly direction.

The claim came back approved for a full replacement, code upgrades included. From first call to claim approval: 11 days.

The full replacement

We staged the job for early April as soon as the weather cooperated. Two days on site:

Day one — Full tear-off of three layers of shingles (the current 3-tab plus two older layers underneath — no wonder the ventilation was a mess). Decking inspection, three sheets of plywood replaced where water damage had reached the deck. Synthetic underlayment, ice-and-water shield along all eaves and valleys plus around the chimney.

Day two — Starter course, GAF Timberline HDZ architectural shingles in Charcoal, new ridge vent, new soffit vents at three low spots we identified, new step and counter flashing at the chimney, new pipe boots, and drip edge along all rakes and eaves.

Final: clean magnet sweep, gutter check, walkthrough with Sarah and Michael, and photos of every phase for their records.

What they told us afterwards

“After the big storm last winter, we had water coming through our master bedroom ceiling. Newington Roofing Pros was out the same day to tarp the roof and walked us through the entire insurance process. The new roof looks incredible and we finally feel safe again.” — Sarah & Michael T., Wethersfield

What we’d want other Hartford County homeowners to take away

Three things.

One: Document your roof’s condition before winter every year — a phone photo from the ground and one from the attic is enough for the base case. When something goes wrong, you have evidence the failure came from a specific event, not slow neglect.

Two: Insurance response depends heavily on the quality of the documentation the roofer brings to the adjuster meeting. Choose a roofer who does this well.

Three: A 20+ year old roof with multiple failure types (wind + ice dam + flashing) is a replacement, not a repair. Trying to patch it costs more over three years than replacing it once.

If you’re in Wethersfield or elsewhere in Hartford County and your roof took a hit this past winter, get a free estimate or read our storm damage service page for what’s involved.