Roof Replacement in Manchester, NH

Manchester is New Hampshire's largest city. It was chartered in 1751 as Derryfield, took the name Manchester in 1810 and became a city in 1846, growing up around the Amoskeag mills on the Merrimack River. Its neighborhoods, from Amoskeag and Rimmon Heights on the West Side to the North End, Hallsville and Bakersville on the East Side, each have their own mix of houses.

The houses we roof in Manchester

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2020 to 2024 estimates), Manchester has about 52,100 homes. The median home in the city was built in 1966. About 28 percent were built before 1940, 65 percent before 1980 and 12 percent in 2000 or later. About 41 percent are single-family houses, 26 percent are in buildings with two to four units, and 49 percent are lived in by their owners.

What the housing means for Manchester roofs

• 28 percent of Manchester homes were built before 1940. On roofs that old we expect more than one layer to strip and, under them, plank decks left from wood shingles. Gaps and rotted boards get new sheathing before the shingles go on, priced once the old roof is off.
• 59 percent of homes are in buildings with two or more units. Three-story roofs, and low-slope sections flatter than 4-in-12, need a staging or underlayment plan we set on site, so they are priced after a visit.
• The median Manchester home was built in 1966, before modern attic insulation levels. Ice dams on those houses come from heat leaking into the attic, so we check the ceiling and the attic before we blame the roof.
• 26 percent of Manchester households heat mainly with oil and 5 percent with propane; 50 percent use utility gas. Heat lost through the ceiling is what melts snow on the roof, so attic leaks cost fuel and feed ice dams.
• 51 percent of Manchester households rent. For landlords, a roof is often paired with rental property maintenance on the same building.

Ice barrier, ice dams and the code in Manchester

Manchester is in Hillsborough County, climate zone 5. Where the code's climate table marks ice-dam history, state code section R905.1.2 sets how far up the roof the ice barrier must reach (details). Our Manchester ballparks include it at the eaves and valleys either way.

Permits in Manchester

Whether a roof replacement needs a building permit is set by the town, and it can depend on the scope. Before work starts we confirm it with Manchester's Building Regulations division (Planning and Community Development). Town permit fees, where they apply, are listed separately on the estimate.

An example roofing ballpark for Manchester

Our pricing engine returns $5,600 to $5,900 for one-story ranch, simple gable roof about 40 by 26 feet at a 6-in-12 pitch, one layer off, in architectural asphalt shingles, with travel to Manchester included. That is an example, not a quote. For your own roof, the Instant Ballpark gives an asphalt shingle ballpark from the same engine, or call or text (603) 688-6096.

What the example includes and leaves out is listed on the roofing cost guide.

We do not have a finished roofing project on the site yet, and we will not show a different kind of job as one.

More for Manchester homeowners

• Atlas in ManchesterEverything we do in Manchester.
• RoofingHow we replace and repair roofs.
• Roofing cost guideExample ranges for different roofs.
• Roofing in BedfordNearby: Bedford, Hillsborough County.
• Roofing in HooksettNearby: Hooksett, Merrimack County.
• Roofing in GoffstownNearby: Goffstown, Hillsborough County.
• Roofing in LondonderryNearby: Londonderry, Rockingham County.

Common questions