Roofing it

Snow shovelers scramble as another storm moves in

Take this job and...shovel it?That would seem to be the cry these snowy days around the valley, as homeowners plead with roof shoveling contractors to clear the heavy white stuff off their burdened roofs on the eve of another storm, this one expected to bring ice and rain to add to the 52-inch snowbanks along narrower-than-usual roadways and deep snow pilings on rooftops.It's been an apocalyptic winter in terms of snowfall and snow removal, said Erik Chandler of E.G. Chandler Property Management Services of Glen Tuesday morning as Tuesday night's storm approached.Anyone who has had to shovel off their roofs or hired any of the many contractors in the valley advertising their services in the pages of this newspaper would no doubt share Chandler's tongue-in-cheek but bleak assessment of the trials of this season's 130-plus inch snowfall.Rates vary, but the word on the street (or, in this case, the roofs) is that property owners are paying anywhere from a low of $22 an hour per shoveler to $60 per hour.Chandler noted that those contractors who have insurance and pay workers' compensation generally charge more.But then, said Chandler, if you hire some kid without insurance, who's going to charge $22 who's he going to sue when he falls off somebody's roof? So, you need to hire someone with insurance, said Chandler.The hazard danger and the size and pitch of a roof are other determining factors when it comes to rates.Calls placed to some contractors Tuesday confirmed that there's no business like snow business. Many of them were unavailable, as most were out there doing what they have been doing for months straight now: shoveling and plowing.One who did answer a call from a reporter was Thomas Cossette, of Plytech Roofing of North Conway and the only reason he was home was that he was too tired to put in another day on the rooftops after a steady stretch of roof-clearing days.I would be out there, but I needed a break. I actually would be taking a nap, said Cossette. 52, Tuesday morning, adding, "but then you called.He said this winter has been steady, but he's not complaining. It's just an old-fashioned winter people just aren't used to it, but I remember winters like this when I was a kid.Like Cossette, many contractors who have been busy clearing driveways and rooftops note that while they are tired after all the snow, they know they can sleep come spring. Or even go spring skiing at places like Wildcat, which last year got 6 feet of snow in April alone long after it had stopped falling in the lower elevations in the valley, giving spring skiing diehards the white gravy they long for.I am looking forward to getting in a lot of spring skiing at Wildcat. But right now, I'm too tired your legs just don't have it after your shoulders and arms have been at it, shoveling for days, said Patrick Sheehan of Acorn Roofing. Sheehan, 45, grew up in Berlin, so he remembers the record snowfall winter of 1968-69 and the blizzard of February 1978. The difference is that it's just been steadier all season long this year, said Sheehan. Chandler and others say the demand for shovelers has been steady, especially of late.It used to be that when people called, we asked if they had leaks, and we put them at the top of our list, but now, we put those who call at the top who say their roofs are in imminent danger of collapsing to the top of the list, said Chandler, who was keeping a wary eye as the storm approached. I would need to be a mathematician, which I'm not, but I have no idea of what happens when you take 5 feet of snow and you add heavy rain to that. It's going to be heavy and a mess. It's just been too much all at once all winter.He said the local contractors are working together to help one another out to handle the heavy loads of snow and heavy demand.Everyone Glen Builders, Coleman's we're all helping each other out. It's been toughest on the families of the guys working, because many of these contractors and subcontractors have been out straight for 30 days or more and their wives and kids are missing them, said Chandler, who said he has had upwards of 30 contractors and subs working for his property management company to meet the demand from existing customers.Sheehan, ironically, said his own 30-year-old garage collapsed under the weight of snow while he was out clearing snow off others' buildings.Everyone has been giving me a hard time about that, believe me, laughed Sheehan, noting the garage was stick-built and that he plans to rebuild it to much stronger specifications this spring whenever spring actually does come, not by the calendar but by the arrival of warmer weather.One contractor guesstimated that each shovelful of snow weighs 50 pounds. Given that rooftops have depths of 3 feet, that's a heavy load for a rooftop to bear and for workers to have to move.North Conway Fire Chief Pat Preece said buildings built before 1989 are especially in danger of snow issues.Anything that was built before 1999 are required under the National Building Code to withstand loads of only 50 pounds per square foot versus from 1999 to 2003, the requirements were increased to have them built to handle 70 pounds per square feet. And now, the requirement is 90 pounds per square feet, so with these conditions, we are worried about the older buildings, said Preece Tuesday afternoon.He said the concern with newer buildings, however, is the buildup of snow and ice on rooftop propane pipes. He had just returned from a visit to Wal-Mart in North Conway for that very concern.The newer ones have issues about rooftop heating units being covered with snow and putting carbon monoxide into buildings. Also, the propane lines sit on blocks, and the weight of snow can bend the pipes, giving people propane leaks, said Preece.The propane leak at Wal-Mart led to crews shoveling off the pipes, Preece said.We worry not just about the weight of the snow, but keeping the lines and vents cleared, too. The leak today at Wal-Mart was caused by the snow load on the pipes. They are working on shoveling the roof right now, said Preece.Meanwhile, a hangar portion of an unoccupied house located at 6 Cherokee Lane in Windsock Village in West Ossipee owned by Vinnie and Rita Muese collapsed under the weight of this season's snow Tuesday morning.Merle Wagner, who supplied a photograph of the collapsed structure to The Conway Daily Sun, said the owners live in Merrimac, Mass., and the house had been closed up for the winter. A call placed to the West Ossipee Fire Department was not returned as of press time. Not all have decried the onslaught of snow. As Sheehan said, I'm a skier. This has been great. I hope we get another winter like this next year.