Colorado Homeowner Resource
Years of experience in this market. We've watched hail claims get denied, companies take the money and disappear, and homeowners left holding the bill for work that didn't last. This site exists to fix that.
The Standard
Code tells a contractor the minimum. A Colorado Proof Roof starts there — and goes further. Because Colorado's climate doesn't care about minimum standards.
Most reroofs in Colorado follow the same formula: tear off the old shingles, nail down the new ones, collect the check. It passes inspection. It meets code. And in three to five years, it starts showing the cracks — lifted shingles after a wind event, a leak around a pipe boot, granule loss that should have taken twice as long. Not because the materials failed. Because the installation did.
A Colorado Proof Roof is built to a higher specification — one that accounts for our hail corridor, our altitude, our wind exposure, and our freeze-thaw cycles. Every item below is something a quality contractor does as a matter of course. Every item below is also something that gets skipped on ordinary reroof jobs every day.
Not a recommendation. A baseline. Colorado Springs sits in one of the country's most active hail corridors. Class 4 is the highest UL 2218 impact rating available. Anything less is a compromise before the first storm hits.
Code allows four nails. Manufacturer enhanced wind warranties require six. The Front Range sees sustained winds well above 60 mph and gusts that exceed 100. Six nails costs almost nothing more — the performance difference in a high-wind event is not nothing.
Code requires one row at eaves above 7,000 feet. A Colorado Proof Roof runs barrier a full 24 inches past the interior wall line — not just to the drip edge. And it covers every valley and every penetration. That's where roofs actually leak.
Old pipe boots crack. Step flashing rusts. Reusing existing flashings on a new roof is one of the most common sources of leaks within the first two years. A Colorado Proof Roof uses new flashing at every penetration, every time. No exceptions.
Felt tears, absorbs moisture, and degrades under Colorado's high-altitude UV before the shingles are even down. Synthetic underlayment is stronger, more water-resistant, and required by most manufacturers for enhanced warranty coverage.
Code requires starter strip at eaves. Manufacturers specify rakes too — and for good reason. Wind lifts shingles at the rake edge first. Starter strip at both edges is a small detail that matters in every Front Range wind event.
When the old roof comes off, the decking tells the story. Soft spots, rot, and delamination don't show from the outside. A Colorado Proof installer walks every sheet, replaces what won't hold a fastener, and doesn't cover problems up.
Most contractors replace whatever vents are already there. Most existing vent systems were never correct to begin with. A Colorado Proof Roof calculates the required net free ventilating area for the actual attic, verifies intake and exhaust are balanced 50/50, and installs accordingly.
Under PPRBD rules, stocking materials before a permit is issued results in a triple permit fee and a stop work order. A contractor who skips the permit entirely is leaving you exposed to code violations that become your problem at resale.
Before you sign anything, ask your contractor about the items on this list. Not as a test — as a conversation. A contractor who knows their craft will walk you through every one of them without hesitation. One who responds with "we just do what's standard" is telling you exactly that. Are they building you a roof — or are they replacing what was there? The answer matters more than the price.
Roofing 101
Colorado is one of the hardest places in the country to own a roof. The Front Range sits in what storm researchers call "Hail Alley" — a corridor stretching from Texas through Nebraska where hail frequency, size, and intensity are higher than almost anywhere in the U.S. Colorado Springs and the Palmer Divide average more than seven hail events per year, and golf-ball-sized hail is not unusual. The Denver metro ranks among the top markets in the country for roofing insurance claims in most years. When a major storm hits, it can generate tens of thousands of claims in a single afternoon.
Altitude makes everything harder. At 6,000 feet, UV radiation is roughly 25% more intense than at sea level — shingles oxidize and lose granules faster here than in lower-elevation states. Temperature swings of 50°F in a single day are common, and repeated freeze-thaw cycles stress every material on your roof. Snow loads, high-altitude wind events on the Palmer Divide, and a winter that can bring ice dams even in a mild year round out a climate that asks a lot of any roofing system.
The contractor market reflects all of this. After a major storm, the contractor population in Colorado can double or triple in days — out-of-state operators follow the hail events, collect deposits, and move on before the work is done or before problems surface. Colorado has no statewide roofing license. Licensing is handled locally, jurisdiction by jurisdiction, which means an out-of-town contractor can show up with no local accountability and no one here who knows their work. The companies worth hiring are the ones who were here before the storm and will be here long after it — the ones who shop at the same stores, whose kids go to the same schools, who have a reputation in this community worth protecting. That's a harder thing to fake than a license number.
Before you sign anything, ask these. The answers will tell you everything you need to know about who you're hiring.
Storm chasers show up fast. Not all of them should be on your roof. Know the warning signs before someone knocks on your door.
Your home just got hit and you don't know how bad. Door knockers every five minutes. Everyone has a card, a clipboard, and a sense of urgency they're trying to make yours.
Here's what most of them won't tell you: unless you have a skylight blown out, a tree through the roof, or water actively coming in, you have time. You do not need to sign anything today. You do not need to call your insurance company today. You need to slow down.
Door knockers are trained to convince you that your roof is on the verge of failure — that one more rainstorm and you'll be living under a waterfall. And while it's true that hail can have a serious impact on a roof's lifespan and integrity, in most cases the damage isn't the kind that causes an immediate leak. Hail bruises shingles. It knocks off granules. Over time, that accelerates wear. But your roof is not a ticking clock that expires at midnight.
What you should do: find a trusted local roofer — someone with roots in this community — and ask them to give you an honest evaluation before you talk to your insurance company. A good roofer will tell you what they actually see. They'll tell you if the damage is significant enough to file a claim, or if it's superficial, or somewhere in between. And even if there is real damage, they'll tell you the truth about what that means for your roof right now versus down the road.
That's the conversation worth having. Not the one on your doorstep with someone who drove in from out of state this morning.
Not all shingles survive a Colorado hailstorm. Class 4, SBS-modified, metal, synthetic — what the ratings mean and which products actually hold up at altitude.
Colorado has no statewide roofing license — code enforcement happens at the local level, jurisdiction by jurisdiction. Permits, inspections, approved materials, and installation standards all vary by where you live. Know what's required in your area before anyone gets on your roof.
What to inspect before and after a storm, how to document damage, how to file your own claim, and how to avoid storm chasers. Step-by-step for El Paso County.
3-tab vs. architectural vs. SBS Class 4 vs. metal — an honest breakdown of every major shingle category, including what to avoid and why, for Front Range conditions.
Due Diligence
A contractor who gets uncomfortable with any of these is telling you something.
Protect Yourself
Storm chasers show up fast after hail. Not all of them should be on your roof.
Out-of-state contractors flood Colorado after major hail events. They take deposits and disappear, or do poor work and move on before you find out.
You control your claim. A contractor who wants to handle everything including the insurance payment is inserting themselves between you and your own policy.
A P.O. box isn't a business address. Ask for a physical location you can verify. Out-of-town operators often borrow a local license number — confirm the name on the license matches who you're signing with.
Urgency is a sales tactic. A legitimate contractor will give you time to make a decision. "This price is only good today" is never true of a reputable company.
They're cutting corners somewhere — materials, labor, or both. A bid that's 30% below everyone else isn't a deal. It's a preview of the roof you're going to get.
This is insurance fraud in Colorado, full stop. A contractor willing to commit fraud on your behalf will also cut corners on your roof. These two things go together.
You file your own claim. You schedule your own adjuster. You're present for the inspection. A contractor who wants control of your claim is creating a situation where you have no visibility into your own money.
"We stand behind our work" is not a warranty. If they won't put a specific number of years and a scope of coverage in writing before you sign, assume there is no warranty.
Free Download
Most homeowners sign a roofing contract without asking the questions that actually matter. This checklist fixes that.
We included two columns: what to ask, and what the answer should sound like. A roofer who gets uncomfortable with any of these is telling you something.
Print it. Have it in hand when they show up. Watch how they react.
Get Connected
Connect with a local roofing professional — licensed, insured, family-owned, and working El Paso County for years. Not a call center. Not a franchise. People who live here, work here, and will still be here if something needs to be made right.
About This Site
We've seen it too many times. A hailstorm hits, the door knockers arrive, and a homeowner — stressed, confused, and pressured — signs something they shouldn't have. Weeks later they have a roof that doesn't perform, a claim they didn't fully understand, or a contractor who's long gone and unreachable.
This site is that resource. No contractor trying to close a deal, no lead form disguised as advice, no agenda beyond giving you the information you need to make a good decision. Read it, use it, share it with a neighbor who just got hit. That's the whole point. And yes — if you want, we can connect you with a local roofer who holds themselves to everything on this page. But honestly, you don't need to click it.
Colorado's climate is harsh and its contractor market moves fast after a storm. Our goal is simple: make sure you walk into that conversation prepared. The best roof for your home starts with knowing enough to ask the right questions.