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Home | News | Maryland roofing companies gain business from snowstorms

The struggling economy has caused new construction to stall and renovations to slow; as a result, Maryland roofing contractors have had a difficult time finding new customers and revenue. However, the state's recent back-to-back snowstorms have brought in business as homeowners call about leaking roofs and collapsing gutters, according to The Baltimore Sun.

The demand for roofing work has spiked, in part because when repairs were needed for roofs or gutters during the past three years, homeowners have preferred patchwork jobs or doing nothing at all because they were waiting for the economy to recover, says Patrick Fick, general manager of Fick Bros., Baltimore.

"Now, they're getting slammed," Fick says.

Because severe snowstorms are not common in Maryland, some roofing contractors previously had been doing as little as possible to waterproof a roof system or ensure proper ventilation, says Randy Piccoli, sales director of Brothers Services, Hampstead, Md.

Now, unless those roof systems are properly treated, they will be susceptible to leaks; leaks caused by massive amounts of melting snow and ice quickly could infiltrate walls, and gutters could collapse. Low-slope roof systems have collapsed when snow starts to melt—becoming heavier—and then turns to ice during the night.

Roofing contractors are telling potential clients they may have to wait for a thaw before repairs can be made. Even if they are receiving a high volume of calls, companies do not want to put their employees at risk.

Bob Frances, director of inspections, licenses and permits for Howard County, says fire and rescue response units have answered hundreds of calls about structures possibly compromised by snow and ice; none have resulted yet in a building being deemed uninhabitable.

The extent of damage caused by the snowstorms will not be known for weeks.

2/18/2010

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