Roofing Contractor in Palmer, Alaska
We’re based in Palmer. Roof replacement, repair, metal roofing, and wind and snow damage, in town and out to the Butte, Lazy Mountain, and Farm Loop.
Palmer is home, so we know what the Matanuska wind and a heavy winter do to a roof here. We replace and repair roofs in town and out to the Butte, Lazy Mountain, Farm Loop, and Fishhook, put on metal roofs, and clear snow when it piles up. Every job starts with a free inspection, with photos and a written price within 24 hours.
The Matanuska wind
Palmer’s worst roof weather comes down the valley. The Matanuska wind is a cold northeast wind out of the Matanuska Valley, strongest from fall through spring, and Palmer sits right where it comes out. The Palmer airport’s record gust is 112 mph, set in 1996.
- January 2022. Gusts to 88 mph at the Palmer airport. Part of the roof came off a Palmer grocery store, and the state declared a disaster.
- Early December 2025. A 100 mph gust at the airport on December 7, roof damage across the Valley, and another state disaster declaration.
- Late December 2025. The month’s fourth windstorm brought 90 mph gusts at the airport, and Palmer’s mayor lost his roof.
Wind damage starts at the edges: the eaves, the rakes, and the ridge. A tab that lifts in one storm can tear off in the next, so after a big blow it pays to get the roof looked at. Storm damage repair →
Palmer’s building code and permits
Inside city limits, Palmer enforces the 2015 International Residential Code with local amendments. A new roof needs a city building permit when all of the old roofing comes off or new sheathing goes on. The city’s code sets a 50 psf (pounds per square foot) roof snow load, and its design guidance calls for an ice and water membrane.
Outside city limits, on the Butte, Lazy Mountain, Farm Loop, and the rest of the borough outside the cities, there’s no residential building code or building permit. The roof gets built to whatever the roofer puts in the scope, so get it in writing. If you’re planning a re-roof in town and aren’t sure about the permit, the City of Palmer’s building office can tell you.
Matanuska blow last night?
Text a photo of the roof from the yard and we’ll tell you what we see.
Snow in Palmer depends on where you live
On the valley floor, the Matanuska Experiment Farm averages about 50 inches of snow a year. At NOAA’s Lazy Mountain station, northeast of town, it’s about 83. The wind piles it up unevenly too, stripping one side of a roof and drifting the other.
Drifting snow is the likely reason part of the Palmer Public Library’s roof came down in February 2023. No one was hurt. The engineers pointed to drifts loading one side of the lower roof, and the building had been designed in 1984 for 40 psf with no allowance for drifts, below the city’s 50 psf minimum today.
Drifts, ice, and older framing are the combination to watch on any roof. If doors start sticking or new cracks show up in the drywall, get everyone out of the building, then call (907) 701-2233. Roof snow removal →
Sliding snow does its damage on the way down. Standing seam lets go all at once and can take a gutter with it, which is why it gets snow guards. Stone-coated steel holds snow in place much like a shingle roof and still gets guards over doors, decks, and walkways.
Asphalt and metal
Architectural asphalt, stone-coated steel, and standing seam, tear-off or re-roof, with decking included in the price. Roof replacement →
Metal panels
Standing seam and metal panels for outbuildings, plus repairs to the panels, fasteners, and trim already up there. Commercial metal roofing →
Colony barns and farm country
Much of Palmer’s farm country dates to the Matanuska Colony of 1935, when about 200 families settled the valley. Their barns, 32 feet square with gambrel roofs, are still a Palmer landmark, though only about a quarter of them were still standing as of 2017. Barns and outbuildings take the same wind and snow as the house, and snow guards over the doors keep slides off people and equipment.
Where we work around Palmer
All of Palmer, plus the Butte, Lazy Mountain, Farm Loop, Fishhook, Gateway, Buffalo Soapstone, and Knik River. Down the road, see Wasilla and Eagle River.
Roofing services in Palmer
- Roof replacement. Tear-off or re-roof, asphalt or metal, decking included. Roof replacement →
- Roof repair. Leaks, flashing, and wind damage. Roof repair →
- Storm damage. After a Matanuska blow, with photos for your insurer. Storm damage repair →
- Metal roofing. Stone-coated steel and standing seam. Metal roofing →
- Roof snow removal. Homes, shops, and flat commercial roofs. Roof snow removal →
- Gutters. Seamless gutters, free with a full roof replacement. Gutters →
Your roofer is in town.
Free inspection, then photos and a written price within 24 hours.
Palmer roofing questions
The questions we get most from Palmer homeowners. Don’t see yours? Text us and a roofer answers.
Text my rooferInside city limits, yes, when all of the old roofing comes off or new sheathing goes on. That’s the City of Palmer’s rule. For a re-roof, check with the city’s building office. Outside city limits there’s no borough residential code or permit.
Palmer’s code sets a 50 psf roof snow load for houses, and the city’s design guidance calls for an ice and water membrane. Older buildings may have been designed for less. The Palmer Public Library, designed in 1984 for 40 psf, partly collapsed in 2023, most likely from drifting snow.
The Palmer airport’s record gust is 112 mph, from 1996. It hit 88 mph in January 2022 and 100 mph in December 2025, and both storms led to state disaster declarations.
Most wind damage starts at the edges, so the details there matter: starter courses and sealed shingles at the eaves and rakes, nails in the right place, and a solid ridge cap. On metal, it’s the fastening and the trim. After a big blow, an inspection catches lifted pieces before the next storm.
Yes, and in Farm Loop, Fishhook, Gateway, Buffalo Soapstone, and Knik River. Lazy Mountain gets a lot more snow than the valley floor, about 83 inches a year at the NOAA station there, so roofs up the hill can carry more.
Yes. We put metal on shops, hangars, and barns, and repair the panels, fasteners, and trim on the ones already up. Snow guards over the doors keep slides off the people and equipment underneath.
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.