Low slope conversion & hybrid applications

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If you’ve owned a home in the capital region with a lower sloped roof and endured the severe winters that we sometimes have, you have probably

experienced an ice damn back-up.  This occurs when large accumulations

of snow meet with mild conditions, overnight freezing periods, snow melt

refreezing at the eaves ( non heated ) of a roof and heat transferring form the heated portion of the roof continue the melt cycle. The outcome here is that drainage is prevented, water finds the path of least resistance which is, unfortunately, behind shingles and into your home.

SOLUTION:  In most circumstances, the default remedy for this problem is

the installation of premium ice and water shield underlayment and re-roofing or heating cables.  Sometimes this is the only way, outside of professional snow  and ice damn removal, to deal with the prevention of leaks from ice an damn back-up.

An alternative, if the pitch of the roof will accommodate it, would be to install a solid, modified bitumen membrane.  Take the depictions ( here left ) . Here is a scenario where several issues created leaks and required careful planning to resolve the problems.  Although a combination of applications have been employed on this roof ( steel ice aprons, laminate shingles) as well, cold process modified bitumen.  In this instance, where a higher pitched roof meets a lower profile, steel valleys where impossible to install.  In order to solve the bottle necking of drainage, we used steel aprons above the skylight, a steel pan to the right of the skylight, asphalt shingles midway to the left and a two ply mod-bit system with a color granulated surface below to prevent further leaking from winter back ups.  The opposite side of the roof (bottom) was a cold porch area and so, mod-bit was not necessary.