Roofing Contractor in Girdwood, Alaska
Girdwood gets close to three times Anchorage’s snow. We build, repair, and clear roofs for it, from the townsite to Crow Creek and the Alyeska area. Free inspection, with photos and a written price within 24 hours.
Girdwood is snow country. NOAA’s station near the Alyeska base averages about 214 inches of snow a year, close to three times the Anchorage airport’s, and about 71 inches of precipitation, more than four times Anchorage’s. The winter of 2023-24 brought about 262 inches. Girdwood gets more snow than anywhere else we work.
How much snow a Girdwood roof is built for
The Municipality of Anchorage’s posted design data puts Girdwood’s ground snow load at 140 pounds per square foot (psf) for sites up to 300 feet, nearly three times the 50 psf used in Anchorage, and calls for a site-specific study higher up. Older roofs, additions, and anything built without a permit may have been built for less.
Weight is what matters, and rain on snow adds it fast. If doors start sticking, new cracks show up in the drywall, or a ceiling sags, get everyone out of the building, then call (907) 701-2233. Roof snow removal →
Snow shedding is a hazard, not a feature
A roof that dumps its snow all at once can bury an entry, crush a deck, or hurt someone walking under it. Girdwood’s own planning reflects that. The Girdwood Board of Supervisors backed a shallower roof pitch for one development because it would hold the snow load and reduce the hazard of snow shedding from the roof, and Girdwood’s commercial zoning keeps room in front setbacks for snow dumped from roofs.
The Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center has even documented shingled roofs in Girdwood avalanching their snow and ice. So we plan where the snow goes before the roof goes on:
- Standing seam lets go of snow all at once, so it gets rows of snow guards over entries, decks, walkways, and gutters.
- Stone-coated steel holds snow much like a shingle roof, which helps. In Girdwood even shingle roofs can let go, so it still gets guards over the places people walk.
- Where it lands. Doors, decks, meters, vents, and parking belong where a slide won’t reach them, or under guards.
- The neighbors. Anchorage’s building code, which covers Girdwood, says snow from a roof can’t shed across the property line.
Roof getting heavy?
Text a photo and the address, and we’ll tell you if it needs to come off.
Permits in Girdwood
Girdwood is part of the Municipality of Anchorage but outside its Building Safety Service Area, so building permits and inspections are optional here. The municipal code still applies, including Anchorage’s ice barrier, valley, and attic venting rules. A land use permit is needed for new buildings, additions, and changes of use.
Clearing a Girdwood roof
Fall protection, plastic tools, and a thin layer left to protect the roofing. A steep or tall roof means more rigging and more time, and that shows up in the price. Roof snow removal →
Deep snow, warm attic
Deep snow over a warm attic is how ice dams start. Air sealing and ventilation fix the cause, and we don’t steam the ice off. Ice dam prevention →
Second homes and winters away
In the 2020 Census, more than a third of the homes in the Girdwood ZIP code were seasonal or second homes. If you’re not in Girdwood all winter, nobody is watching the snow build up or the eaves ice over. We can check the roof, clear it, and send you photos, so you see what we see.
Where we work in Girdwood
The whole valley: the old and new townsites, the Alyeska area, Crow Creek, and along Glacier, California, and Virgin creeks. Girdwood is about 40 miles down the Seward Highway from Anchorage. Elsewhere in the Municipality, see Anchorage and Eagle River.
Roofing services in Girdwood
- Metal roofing. Stone-coated steel and standing seam, with snow guards planned in. Metal roofing →
- Snow guards. Laid out for the load, over everything a slide would hit. Snow guards →
- Roof replacement. Tear-off or re-roof, decking included. Roof replacement →
- Roof repair. Leaks, flashing, and ice dam damage. Roof repair →
- Roof snow removal. Homes, chalets, and flat roofs. Roof snow removal →
- Ice dam prevention. Finding the heat leak behind the ice. Ice dam prevention →
Plan for the snow first.
Free inspection, then photos and a written price within 24 hours.
Girdwood roofing questions
The questions we get most from Girdwood homeowners. Don’t see yours? Text us and a roofer answers.
Text my rooferIt depends on how it was built. The Municipality’s posted design data puts Girdwood’s ground snow load at 140 psf up to 300 feet, nearly three times Anchorage’s, with a site-specific study higher up. Older roofs and additions may have been built for less, and drifts and rain on snow add weight unevenly.
Not a mandatory building permit. Girdwood is outside Anchorage’s Building Safety Service Area, so permits and inspections are optional. The municipal code still applies, and new buildings, additions, and changes of use need a land use permit.
Standing seam will, all at once, unless guards hold it. We plan rows of snow guards over entries, decks, walkways, and gutters. Stone-coated steel holds snow much like a shingle roof, but in Girdwood even shingle roofs can let go, so guards still belong over the places people walk.
Yes. Text us the address and a photo if you have one. We clear with fall protection and plastic tools, leave a thin layer to protect the roofing, and send you photos of the roof while we’re up there.
We don’t steam ice off roofs. We clear the snow that feeds an ice dam, and an inspection shows where heat and air are leaking into the attic. Air sealing and ventilation fix the cause.
Yes. It’s about 40 miles past Anchorage on the Seward Highway, and we work the whole valley, from the townsite to Crow Creek and the Alyeska area.
Let’s take a look at your roof
Text a photo or book online. You get a photo report and a written price within 24 hours of the inspection, and no pressure after it.