How Much Does Roof Snow Removal Cost?
Last Updated: January 26, 2022
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It's been snowing for a while now. We're in the throes of winter and the white stuff is starting to pile up. It is beautiful to be walking in a wonderland. However, too much snow and your roof is not a good mix. When snow piles up it gets heavy. This can present a danger to your roof and your shelter.
Do you know the weight of snow if you wait all day to shovel? It gets heavy and the once light and fluffy snow becomes wet and dense. It can make you feel like you're shoveling bricks! Imagine that on your roof. Excess weight on your roof and can cause leaks and even cause parts of the roof to collapse.
You may remove the snow yourself or hire a service. The cost of hiring a company to handle your roof snow removal far outweighs the consequences of having a collapsed, leaky roof. Either way, it's important to address the problem right away before the stress of the weight causes structural damage.
How much snow is safe for a roof? #
According to this article by the National AG Safety Database there is a measureable safe amount of snow you may have on your roof. They did some testing and found that 2 feet of snow is safe or 1 foot of snow and 1 inch of ice. If you want to know how much snow your roof can handle in terms of weight they found the acceptable limit was roughly 20 pounds per square inch. Amounts over these levels may be unsafe and should be removed.
Roof Snow Removal Prices #
It will cost $100 to $300 to hire a company to remove snow from an average sized roof. This is based on the average size of a roof in an American home which happens to be 2,500 square feet. It may cost more if you have hard to reach places on your roof.
DIY Roof Snow Removal #
You can attempt to tackle roof snow removal on your own. There are special roof snow rakes available on the market made just for this job. If the snow is fresh you will have an easier time with this kind of product. If the snow is wet and heavy you may have trouble getting the proper leverage from the ground using a 16' to 24' extension pole.
Many people use a regular snow shovel that costs $15 to $35 and a ladder and actually climb up on their roof to do the job. This can be a dangerous job as the roof could be slick. Roofs are tough enough to walk on in the summertime when they're clean and dry. Many people hire a professional roof snow removal company to do the job.
