If you love historic towns, you will love Old Town in Park City. Many original Park City homes were built during the mining boom between 1872 and 1929. As a result, many homes are listed in the Historic Sites Inventory and the National Register. Invoking this heritage comes with some restrictions. Experienced Park City roofing contractors know you can’t just slap a new roof on any historic home. Law dictates that any adjustment to the home will be made through the lens of preservation first.
Understanding the Rules for Roofing in Old Town Park City
Historic District Design Guidelines dictate that if your home exists in the Historic Sites Inventory, you can most likely expect the following when applying for consideration to adjust your roof:
- Historic District Design Review (HDDR). Changing the roof profile or roofing material requires an adjustment application review by either Planning or the Preservation Board.
- Roof form is protected. A roof’s original form cannot be altered to a new design, pitch, or profile. It cannot be flattened or shaped to a new design.
- Original roofing materials must be preserved. If you’re thinking about roof restoration and replacement, consider that modern materials that are substitutes are permitted only if the roof isn’t historically significant.
- Rooftop features that face the street are limited. If you’re thinking about adding features to the roof, consider that skylights, solar tubes, and original chimneys can’t be altered.
Skilled Park City roofing contractors will prepare the HDDR packet, document existing conditions, and liaise with preservation staff prior to applying for a permit.
The Physical Challenges of Every Job
Preservation compliance is not the end of the difficulties. Old Town is almost 7,000 ft high and receives an average of over 300 inches of snow each year. There are several other challenges to consider. Historic roofs are required to carry engineered snow loads, be ice-dam resistant, and withstand intense freeze-thaw cycles. Most of these challenges were not even anticipated by the original builders. A few examples are:
- The original redundant framing will likely need to be structurally reinforced to support the assembly of much heavier, modern building materials.
- The entire roof deck will need to contain ice and water shields to mitigate the adverse effects of the high elevation.
- There is a lack of physical space due to the confined and sloping lots for staging materials and the roofing tear-off.
- There is a need to balance roof aesthetics with roof performance, especially with snow-shedding roof panels, which may require a specific color and profile to be approved prior to installation.
Choosing the Right Team
Not every roofing contractor in Park City has the experience to work in a historic district, and hiring a contractor that lacks this experience will most likely result in significant delays to your project. Make sure to ask whether they have completed any work reviewed by the HDDR, how they plan to document the existing roof, and what their strategy is for addressing snow load engineering on historic framing. The top Park City roofing contractors understand the importance of preservation and consider the preservation review process part of their craft, ensuring that both residents in Old Town and the historic homes receive the protection they deserve.
An investment with the right team should preserve not only the historic integrity of the neighborhood, but also the value of your home.