By Rocky Mountain Snow Guards.

DuraShield Roofing & Contracting installs No-Flash II Snow Fence System on custom roof

Anthony Walsh, president of DuraShield Roofing & Contracting, is accustomed to incorporating snow guards into his Wisconsin roofing projects. Especially those replacements jobs using slick surface products, like synthetic slate or shake from DaVinci® Roofscapes.

“DaVinci products bring realistic-looking beauty to a roof, but composites are slippery materials when wet, and they release snow quickly,” says Anthony whose company is headquartered in Neenah, Wisconsin. “For the safety of our customers, we use Rocky Mountain Snow Guards with these synthetic roof projects.”

First-time snow fence installation

However, for a recent re-roof project in Madison, Walsh’s customer had a different idea. She requested more snow retention protection than just strategically spaced snow guards… she wanted snow fences placed around the perimeter of her entire home. And she specifically requested two levels of snow fences above her three-car garage.

“This was our first time working with snow fences,” says Anthony. “We immediately turned to the experts at Rocky Mountain Snow Guards for support. They reviewed the roof measurements and diagrams. Then their team provided a free layout, along with installation instructions for their No-Flash II snow retention system.”

The aluminum 2-pipe No-Flash II snow retention system involves a bolt-down bracket and galvanneal steel baseplate. For this home, recommended positioning called for placement starting on the third course of DaVinci Multi-Width Slate shingles with baseplates spaced 18-inches on center.

To complement the Castle Gray color of the DaVinci tiles, a custom color of powder coated Liberty Gray was ordered for the No-Flash II system.

Win-win job

The DuraShield Roofing & Contracting team found installation of the snow fence to be fairly straightforward. As Anthony put it:

The product is very sturdy and we were impressed by it. In the end, the homeowner loves her new DaVinci roof and has great confidence in the snow retention system, so it’s a win-win all the way around.For us, we’ve always been a dedicated Rocky Mountain Snow Guard customer for our snow guard needs with synthetic roofing projects. Now we’ll add snow fences to that list!

By Rocky Mountain Snow Guards.

1,398 RG16 Snow Guards on stunning DaVinci® Province Slate roof.

White Castle Roofing has swept the “Outstanding Residential Projects” categories in the 2026 “Show Us Our Snow Guards Contest” with wins for projects using both Rocky Mountain Snow Guards and S-5! ColorGard® 2.0 products.

The Nebraska-based roofer installed 1,398 Rocky Guard RG16 snow guards from Rocky Mountain Snow Guards on the roof of a custom home in Lincoln, Nebraska to become the Outstanding Residential Snow Guards Project Winner. The 6,000-square-foot new construction property belongs to homeowners Dane and Brook Hansen and features a DaVinci® Province Slate roof in Slate Gray.

“We wanted a slate-looking roof for our home without the maintenance hassles and weight of natural slate,” says Dane. “White Castle Roofing helped us decide on the DaVinci® Roofscapes composite tiles and the snow guards. We really like the look and functionality of both products. We’ve had some good snows since we moved in, and we have not noticed any avalanching.”

Snow guards are typically recommended for synthetic roofing due to its slick surface and inability to absorb moisture. As heat from the home’s interior combined with the sun warms the roof surface, snows can “release” collectively from the roof. Snow guards hold back the snow, allowing it to melt slowly, which helps prevent it from falling on people and property below.

Relying on RG16

Chosen for their functionality and aesthetics, the RG16 snow guards beautifully accent the Hansen home, making the project an award-winner. Each metal snow guard is 16-inches in overall length and is designed for installation on new natural and synthetic slate and shake roofs. A minimum of three ring-shank nails per snow guard are used to secure each RG16 to the roof.

White Castle Roofing relied on the free services of the Rocky Mountain Snow Guards experts to provide a layout and design for the placement of the snow guards on the Hansen’s roof. The RG16s were installed 12-inches on center starting on the third course of DaVinci Province Slate roofing. The steeper pitch roof sections called for an additional soldier row (12-inches on center) spaced 96-inches vertically, while the lower pitch roof sections had supplemental rows in a staggered pattern spaced 48-inches on center horizontally and 24-inches vertically.

Andy Hagberg, vice president of sales with White Castle Roofing, reflected on the project: 

We’ve purchased snow guards from Rocky Mountain Snow Guards for about 15 years. Each year we’re likely to do up to 15 projects with metal roofs or synthetic shingles requiring snow retention through our locations in Nebraska, Iowa and Colorado. We knew from the start that the Hansen project was going to be something special. It’s a steep and tall roof, which made it a bit challenging. But at the same time this makes it visually appealing.

The roofing company installed Drift Solar Snow Fence products below solar panels on the roofs of three buildings at the affordable housing complex in their hometown of Longmont, Colorado.

Bulldog Roofing has won the “Outstanding Commercial Rocky Mountain Snow Guards Project” category in the 2026 “Show Us Our Snow Guards Contest” for their work on The Ascent at Hover Crossing apartment complex. The roofing company installed Drift Solar Snow Fence products below solar panels on the roofs of three buildings at the affordable housing complex in their hometown of Longmont, Colorado.

The Ascent at Hover Crossing comprises of 75 apartment units plus an Early Childhood Education Center that serves local families in need. The 2.4-acre site also includes a standalone building with a community room, fitness space, mail room, leasing office, maintenance and storage area and an adjacent outdoor area with a playground and gathering space with barbecue equipment.

The structure is designed to meet National Green Building Standard (NGBS) Bronze standards for sustainability and is 100 percent electric. And, the City of Longmont-owned onsite 211kW rooftop solar project provides residents with reduced electric costs.

Solar panels demand snow retention

Bulldog Roofing installed the TPO roofing, IKO Nordic™ Performance Shingles, metal roofing, coping, gutters and downspouts on the project. Once the solar panels were installed, the need for snow retention was identified and coordinated between project ownership, architect Van Meter Williams Pollack LLP and Bulldog Roofing.

“We were looking at solar panels on three-story high structures potentially shedding snow and ice from their slick surfaces,” says Adam Gazdik, director of operations for Bulldog Roofing. “Our company recommended Drift Solar Snow Fences from Rocky Mountain Snow Guards as a solution. We use their snow retention products on about a dozen projects a year and the Drift Solar seemed like the perfect resolution to a potential wintertime problem.”

The 12-inch tall Drift Solar system is designed specifically for placement below solar panel installations. Aluminum four-pipe fence-style brackets are bolted directly to roof support structures flush at the eave with the tubing side facing down slope. Ice screen must be added to impede the movement of the snow.

When it came to choosing the color for the snow fence, the architectural firm designated a black color to complement the solar panels.

“For our team, the biggest challenge of this project was that both the roofing system and solar panels had already been installed by the time it was decided to add the snow retention system,” says Gazdik. “We installed the Drift Solar Snow Fence product based on placement direction from the project architect. From our standpoint, locating the structural trusses for proper attachment was the most difficult part, especially because there was limited space to work around the existing solar panels.

“While this is was our first time installing the Drift Solar Snow Fence, we certainly hope it won’t be our last. It’s a smart product that fills the need for snow retention when solar panels are used, and for this particular project, it’s helping keep residents and guests at Ascent at Hover Crossing safer during the winter months.”

New two-pipe aluminum snow fence offers big savings.

Rocky Mountain Snow Guards has launched the Rocky Fence, a cost-effective two-pipe snow fence for standing seam metal roofs. Developed for new construction and retrofit projects, Rocky Fence gives contractors, architects and building owners another option when desiring the look and function of a fence-style snow retention system while delivering material cost savings.

Rocky Fence uses one aluminum bracket and two nominal one-inch aluminum tubes. The bracket bolts to a compatible S-5!® clamp selected for a specific roof panel and seam geometry. The snow fence system is available in mill finish aluminum or with a powder-coated finish, including dark bronze and custom colors.

Lower product cost

The most comparable system to Rocky Fence available from Rocky Mountain Snow Guards is Blizzard II. Based on the company’s current average pricing comparisons, Rocky Fence provides the following savings over the Blizzard II system:

• Mill finish aluminum - $5 per linear foot under Blizzard II
• Custom powder-coated finish - $7 per linear foot under Blizzard II
• Dark bronze finish - $18 per linear foot under Blizzard II

“We developed Rocky Fence for customers who want a practical, cost-effective two-pipe system,” says Brian Cross, sales and operations partner with Rocky Mountain Snow Guards. “This product gives the marketplace a competitively priced option in a variety of finishes for residential and commercial projects while preserving the project specific approach that proper snow retention demands.”

Cross goes on to say that Rocky Fence is not simply a lower-cost alternative snow retention product. “This two-pipe bracket design is stronger than the comparable Blizzard II system, providing greater strength while reducing product cost across the finish categories.”

Every roof starts with a layout

Snow retention performance on all kinds of roofing materials depends on the roof panel, seam geometry, clamp selection, connections, fasteners, bracket spacing and installation. Just as with all snow retention projects, Rocky Fence should be specified with a project-specific layout based on the actual standing seam metal roof and project conditions.

Rocky Mountain Snow Guards provides free project-specific layouts and quotes to help contractors and design professionals select and install the appropriate system, clamp and spacing for a project. To request a Rocky Fence layout, quote, or product information, visit www.rockymountainsnowguards.com or call 877-414-7606.

About Rocky Mountain Snow Guards

Rocky Mountain Snow Guards, Inc. manufactures snow guards and fence-style snow retention systems designed to protect people and property. The company offers free layouts and quotes for product placement, plus free training for roofing contractors and architects. Metal products are warrantied for 50 years. Proud sponsor of Roofers® Coffee Shop and founder of National Snow Guards Safety Month.

Roofing contractors were awarded a combined $6,000 in prizes for their winning projects!

Rocky Mountain Snow Guards, Inc., a leader in the snow retention industry, and S-5!, the inventor of engineered, manufactured, metal roof attachments, have announced the four outstanding project winners in the 2026 Show Us Our Snow Guards Contest.

Roofing contractors across the nation have won $6,000 in prizes for their skillful installation of snow retention systems on commercial and residential projects using products from Rocky Mountain Snow Guards and S-5! during the past five years. Each roofing company winner will receive a cash prize of $1,500 plus local and national publicity.

Outstanding Residential Rocky Mountain Snow Guards’ Project - White Castle Roofing

The Nebraska roofing company used RG16 snow guards on a custom designed DaVinci® Roofscapes Province Slate roof for a home in Lincoln, Nebraska. Chosen for their functionality and aesthetics, the snow guards beautifully accent the synthetic slate roof.

Outstanding Residential S-5! ColorGard® 2.0 Project - White Castle Roofing

Making a clean sweep of the Residential Project category, White Castle Roofing’s project in Mountain Village, Colorado has won the award for its use of S-5! ColorGard 2.0 snow retention on a standing seam metal roof of a log cabin.

Outstanding Commercial Rocky Mountain Snow Guards’ Project - Bulldog Roofing

The Colorado roofing company installed Drift Solar Snow Fence on The Ascent at Hover Crossing apartment complex below solar panels. Headquartered in Longmont, Colorado, Bulldog Roofing installed IKO Nordic™ Performance Shingles on the roof of the 75 units of the affordable housing complex in their hometown.

Outstanding Commercial S-5! ColorGard® 2.0 Project - On Point Contracting

Another hometown project winner was completed by On Point Contracting. The Littleton, Colorado based company installed an expansive, multi-tiered S-5! ColorGard 2.0 snow retention system on the new steel standing seam roof of a historic brick warehouse building in the city’s downtown area.

Winners abound

“We’re especially excited that White Castle moved up from a ‘runner up’ finish in our 2025 contest to sweep the residential categories in this year’s competition,” says Brian Cross, sales and operations partner with Rocky Mountain Snow Guards, Inc. “Their beautiful work speaks for itself.”

According to Cross, first-time contest entrant Bulldog Roofing took the gold in their commercial category with the massive snow retention project they completed on the apartment complex in Colorado. “This showpiece application of Drift Solar Snow Fences shows how important it is to install snow retention systems wherever solar panels are located,” says Cross. “In this situation, the snow fences help keep hundreds of residents safe from avalanching snow.”

Importance of snow retention

“This contest showcases the strength, versatility and visual appeal of the S-5! next-generation ColorGard 2.0 snow retention system,” says Jessica Haddock, director of marketing at S-5! “The winning projects demonstrate how thoughtfully designed and engineered snow retention systems can deliver reliable performance across a wide range of metal roofing applications.

“The White Castle Roofing project showcases ColorGard 2.0’s versatility on a complex, steep-slope residential roof, where multiple roof planes and heavy snow conditions demanded a precisely configured solution that complemented the home’s rustic aesthetic. By contrast, the On Point Contracting project demonstrates the system’s strength on a large commercial roof, where long, uninterrupted runs called for a durable, streamlined snow retention solution. These projects are very different in scale and design, but both show the versatility and performance that make ColorGard 2.0 such an effective solution.”

About Rocky Mountain Snow Guards

Rocky Mountain Snow Guards, Inc. manufactures snow guards and fence-style snow retention systems designed to protect people and property. The company offers free layouts and quotes for product placement. Metal products are warrantied for 50 years. Proud founder of National Snow Guards Safety Month. For details visit www.rockymountainsnowguards.com or call 1-877-414-7606.

About S-5!

In 1992, S-5! introduced the disruptive innovation of engineered, manufactured solutions for the attachment of roof-mounted equipment to metal roofs. Its zero-penetration clamps, along with engineered brackets, support a variety of roof-mounted applications on metal roofs while maintaining roof integrity and warranties—backed by a lifetime warranty that is unmatched in the industry. Building on that legacy, S-5! has now extended its expertise with single-ply roof solutions. Learn more at www.S-5.com.

By Rocky Mountain Snow Guards.

See why this Colorado roofer relies on Yeti 18 for snow retention projects.

It starts in October and can continue into May. In the town of Aspen, Colorado snowfall reaching up to 180 inches can blanket the earth for almost eight months each year. That’s a key reason why smart Colorado roofers replacing old cedar shakes on homes with new composite shake tiles always recommend snow retention systems.

Roofer Andy Dutlinger knows this situation firsthand. For the past decade his company has relied on the free layout and design services at Rocky Mountain Snow Guards to assure his customers have quality snow retention systems.

“For one of our most recent re-roofing projects in Aspen we installed composite shake from DaVinci® Roofscapes,” says Andy, account manager with Roper Roofing & Solar out of Wheat Ridge, Colorado. “This is a very slick product, so I knew we’d want to have snow retention. My first choice was the Yeti 18 snow guards in copper. They’re a high-quality product that adds a strong designer element to the roof.”

Made of durable aluminum (and available also in copper), Yeti Series Snow Guards feature classic half-round styling with 4.1 square inches of pad area and a quarter inch of cupped edge. The Yeti 18 is 18 inches in overall length and designed for new installation of natural and synthetic slate and shake, plus cedar shingle roofs located in more demanding snow conditions.

Growing the business

As his company has done for the past 10 years, Andy relied on the sturdy products from Rocky Mountain Snow Guards for the very large Aspen residential project. He attached each Yeti 18 with 4-ring shank nails. He reflected on the project: 

This roof was about 126 squares. The Rocky Mountain Snow Guards products are the products we repeatedly use. The Yeti 18 is our ‘go to’ product because they’re more elegant and high-end. With this particular roof, the copper snow guards accent the Aged Cedar color of the DaVinci shake tiles. The project overall looks beautiful and the homeowners got the protection they asked for above key walkway areas of the home where they specifically wanted it.

Looking ahead, Andy plans to keep using Rocky Mountain Snow Guards' products and services. As he put it, "Right now our business is in the Denver metro area, Colorado Springs, the entire Front Range and various communities across the state. As we grow our business into more alpine work we’re looking forward to expanding our use of snow retention products and partnering more with Rocky Mountain Snow Guards."

By Emma Peterson. 

Rocky Mountain Snow Guards helps contractors protect people and property with free, customized snow retention layouts.  

In a new Roofing Road Trips® episode, Karen Edwards sat down with Brian Cross and Dylan Quirk of Rocky Mountain Snow Guards to learn about how they support roofers with free, customized snow retention layout and design plans. What makes this support so significant? Layout and design are key to ensuring that snow retention systems perform effectively. Dylan explained:  

When you’re working with snow retention, there are a lot of factors at play. Some of the major ones are going to be roofing material, roof pitch and geographical area (which helps us determine the snow loads). If you don’t account for all these different variables and just throw something up on the roof with no design, you can’t be sure that it will actually retain snow safely. 

What Rocky Mountain Snow Guards’ free service does is help contractors and designers navigate all that. As Brian put it, “Our team looks at all those factors and figures out what system will work best on the specific roof, how we’re going to attach it and how many rows of retention we’re putting up.”  

So, what exactly do contractors receive when they get their free layout and design plans? Dylan shared some insight:  

We'll get some sort of architectural drawing or satellite imagery of the part of the roof that they want retention on. And what we send back to the client is instructions as well as a drawing showing where and how to place snow retention on that area. They also get a packet that includes the actual estimate with the product descriptions and installation instructions, cut sheets and more. Really, we give them everything they need to get it installed correctly. 

And the best part? You can get this all in three days for free and if you need changes made, it stays free! We are passionate not just about snow retention, but snow retention done right. That’s why our quotes are completely free, even if it's a project that encompasses 15 buildings and the client wants three different iterations resulting in 45 estimates made,” Brian explained. “We don’t charge anything because our priority is education. Snow retention is a liability product and if something goes up that doesn’t work, it’s not just bad for the contractor, it’s bad for us, the larger industry and can even be dangerous.” 

You can start your free quote today at www.rockymountainsnowguards.com/snow-guard-layout-and-design. And if you want to learn more about why snow retention is so important, you can Listen or Watch the whole Roofing Road Trips® with Brian and Dylan.

The two-bar system surrounding the school provides a clean, continuous appearance that complements the synthetic shake roofing while offering effective snow retention. 

What started as a two-room schoolhouse in 1897 for 50 students has evolved into a large campus educating 260 kindergarten through fifth-grade students. Ravinia Elementary School, one of the oldest and most architecturally significant civic buildings in Highland Park, Ill., recently received a renovation and addition project recently that positions it for the future. Chief among the accomplishments was replacing old, worn cedar shakes with new synthetic shakes and a snow retention system.

“The building needed significant improvements to better support increased enrollment, expanded programming, and evolving educational practices along with accessibility, safety and security in a modern school setting,” says Vince Procaccio, RA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, senior project architect at Wight & Company out of Darien, Ill. “This project addressed those issues with care, while preserving the architectural features and overall feel that have made Ravinia such a recognizable part of the neighborhood.”

Addressing roofing needs

When it came to the roof, the high maintenance obligations on the district for handling the natural wood shakes had to be addressed. The architectural firm worked with INSPEC, Inc. to select both an easy-care roofing product and snow retention system for Ravinia Elementary School.

To replace the rotting wood shakes, CEDUR synthetic shakes were chosen. The composite shakes will maintain the appearance and character of a cedar shake roof while providing the durability, reduced maintenance and fire performance needed for the institutional building. To ensure that ice and snow move safely off the new roof in winter weather, a NoFlash II two-bar snow fence system in dark bronze from Rocky Mountain Snow Guards was specified.

“Whenever steep-slope synthetic roofing is installed, there’s an important design consideration need for snow retention systems to help manage snow and ice movement,” says Tony Loden, associate, senior building envelope consultant with INSPEC, Inc. “These are especially needed above entrances, sidewalks and other occupied areas."

Tony went on, "Properly designed snow retention systems help control the release of accumulated snow and ice, reducing the potential for sudden sliding events while protecting pedestrians, landscaping, equipment and adjacent property. These systems are especially a prudent investment for educational facilities because they enhance occupant safety while minimizing maintenance concerns and operational disruptions during the winter seasons.”

Tony relates that his firm specifically chose the NoFlash II system for Ravinia Elementary School based on the double rod style and the overall look it presents against the composite wood shake roof. Being familiar with Rocky Mountain Snow Guard products, he and his team were confident that the product will help keep the aesthetics compatible with the neighborhood.

“The appearance and performance characteristics of the NoFlash II system align well with the project’s historic preservation objectives,” added Vince. “The two-bar system surrounding the school provides a clean, continuous appearance that complements the synthetic shake roofing while offering effective snow retention. It also avoids the visual clutter often associated with individual snow guards and provides a more uniform distribution of snow loads across the roof surface.”

Specifying synthetics in the future

Installed by Bennett & Brosseau Roofing, Inc. out of Romeoville, Ill., use of the expansive synthetic roof on the school follows a consistent trend that Procaccio and Loden have seen over the past several years. While initially a higher cost item, synthetic roofing has a strong return on investment due to its longevity and lower maintenance fees.

“As manufacturers continue to improve the appearance, durability and long-term performance of synthetic roofing products, we anticipate gradual growth in their use,” says Vince. “This should especially occur in renovation projects involving historic schools and municipal buildings. As these synthetic roof systems become more prevalent, we also expect snow retention systems to be incorporated more frequently as a standard life-safety feature in our northern climates.”

From his perspective, Tony offers that, “Overall, snow retention systems are an important life-safety component for steep slope roof systems in northern Illinois, particularly above school entrances, sidewalks, loading areas and other high-traffic pedestrian locations. Winter weather in the Chicago metropolitan area routinely creates icy walking conditions and uncontrolled roof avalanches can significantly increase the risk of injury to students, staff and visitors. Properly specified and installed snow retention systems, like the NoFlash II, can help eliminate those problems.”

By Rocky Mountain Snow Guards.

Retrofit roofing projects are not just opportunities to repair or replace a roof. They are opportunities to provide a more complete roofing solution. One practical way to do that is by recommending snow retention products where they are needed.

For contractors, recommending snow retention can increase the overall value of a roofing project while helping homeowners address a real seasonal concern. Snow guards, snow fences and snow bars add a practical, safety-focused solution to the project scope and can become a meaningful upgrade that differentiates one roofer’s proposal from another.

That does not mean every roof requires the same solution. It means every applicable retrofit project deserves a snow retention conversation. The contractor who brings it up first demonstrates professionalism, protects the homeowner’s investment and creates an opportunity to grow the project with products that serve a clear purpose.

Helping roofers get it right

Specifying snow retention can feel complicated because every roof is different. Roof pitch, roof material, snow load, valleys, eaves, entry locations and overall roof layout all matter. That is why Rocky Mountain Snow Guards can be such a valuable resource for roofers.

“Our company offers free layout assistance and product lists for roofers across a wide range of roof types and snow retention applications,” according to Brian Cross, sales and operations/partner with Rocky Mountain Snow Guards out of Colorado. “Whether the project calls for snow guards, snow fences, snow bars or a combination of products, our experts can help contractors identify options that fit the roof material and project conditions.”

For roofers, that support can simplify the sales conversation and improve confidence in the recommendation. Instead of guessing at quantities or placement, contractors can lean on a snow retention specialist for layouts, product guidance and the information needed to present homeowners with a clearer, more complete solution.

The sales advantage for roofers

When roofers explain the purpose of snow retention, they help homeowners see the value behind the recommendation. This can make the project feel more thoughtful and complete, especially when snow retention is positioned as a way to help protect entrances, garage doors, walkways, landscaping and other vulnerable areas below the roofline.

With the right snow retention products and the support of Rocky Mountain Snow Guards, contractors can strengthen their proposals, increase project value and help customers feel more secure every time winter weather arrives.

By Rocky Mountain Snow Guards.

Instead of positioning snow retention as an optional accessory, roofers can present it as a thoughtful enhancement to the retrofit project. 

For many homeowners, a new or upgraded roof is about protection, curb appeal and long-term peace of mind. But in snow country, one important part of that conversation can easily get overlooked: what happens when accumulated snow and ice suddenly releases from the roof?

That’s where roofers have a powerful opportunity to bring homeowners true “freedom from worry.” By recommending snow retention products during retrofit roofing projects, contractors can help homeowners better manage rooftop snow, reduce the risk of sudden roof avalanches and protect the people, property and landscaping below.

Snow retention is more than an add-on

Snow guards, snow fences and snow bars, like those available from Rocky Mountain Snow Guards, are designed to help hold snow on the roof so it can melt and release more gradually instead of sliding off in one sudden, dangerous sheet. On the right roof, in the right layout, these products can help reduce hazards around entryways, garage doors, patios, walkways and other openings where people, pets and vehicles may pass below.

They can also help prevent costly damage to gutters, shrubs, hardscapes, outdoor lighting, railings and carefully maintained landscaping. For a homeowner who has invested in a retrofit roofing project with you, that extra layer of protection can feel like a practical, confidence-building upgrade rather than just another product on a proposal.

Why retrofit projects are the right time to talk about snow retention

When a contractor is already evaluating, repairing or replacing a roof, that person is in the best position to identify snow-slide risk areas. A retrofit project gives the contractor a natural opening to ask smart questions:

• Where does snow typically release?
• Are there entrances or garage doors below long roof runs?
• Has landscaping been damaged in past winters?
• Are there slick roof surfaces that may allow snow to move quickly?

This conversation is especially important with slick roofing products such as slate, synthetic slate, composite roofing, metal and other smooth surfaces. These materials can shed snow more readily than rougher roof coverings, making proper snow retention planning an important part of the overall roof system discussion.

Education is part of the roofer’s responsibility

Most homeowners are not snow retention experts. Many do not know the difference between snow guards, snow fences and bar-style systems. Some may not even realize that snow sliding off a roof can create a hazard until it happens outside a front door, over a garage entrance or across a walkway.

That gives roofers an important responsibility: educate before there is a problem. Explaining snow retention is not about creating fear. It is about helping homeowners understand how their roof performs in winter and offering practical options that can help protect people and property.

A roofer who takes time to point out risk zones, explain how snow retention works and recommend the right product type becomes more than an installer. That contractor becomes a trusted advisor who helps homeowners make informed decisions about the complete roofing system.

“Freedom from worry” is a homeowner benefit roofers can sell

Homeowners want confidence that their investment will perform when conditions get tough. Snow retention products give roofers a clear way to connect technical roofing knowledge with everyday homeowner concerns: safe access to the home, protected landscaping, reduced winter surprises and fewer worries about snow releasing over high-traffic areas.

Instead of positioning snow retention as an optional accessory, roofers can present it as a thoughtful enhancement to the retrofit project. When a homeowner is choosing a beautiful slate or composite roof, for example, it makes sense to also discuss how that roof will handle snow. The same conversation applies to any roof surface where snow and ice may release suddenly.