A mountain winter attacks a roof three ways: the weight of the snowpack, the ice dams that back meltwater up under the roofing, and the slabs that slide off and take gutters, vents, and railings with them. Cooper Construction’s Mountain Division deals with all three — and unlike a guy with a steamer and a ladder, we fix the reasons it keeps happening. We serve Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone, Frisco, Silverthorne, and the rest of Summit and Eagle County from within the Mountain Division.

When to call — don’t wait for the ceiling stain to spread

Call us when you see any of these:

  • Water stains or damp drywall at the top of exterior walls or along ceiling edges — the classic sign a dam is already pushing water under the roofing.
  • An ice ridge building at the eave — roughly six inches or more — or icicles thick as your arm at the same spot every year. Big eave ice means real meltwater volume and a cold edge; it rarely fixes itself.
  • Gutters sagging, pulling away, or bent under ice load, or downspouts frozen solid.
  • A snow slab overhanging the eave above a doorway, deck, or walkway — that is a release waiting for an afternoon of sun.
  • Interior signs after a storm cycle: a musty attic, frost on the underside of the roof deck, or paint peeling high on exterior walls.

One winter of “watch it” often turns a flashing repair into a drywall, insulation, and flooring claim. An inspection is free; a February interior leak is not.

What we do

Ice dam assessment and remediation. We diagnose why your roof is damming — attic heat loss, blocked ventilation, thin eave insulation, gutter ice — and fix the assembly: ventilation corrections, ice-and-water shield extended well past the exterior wall line at re-roof (the code minimum is 24 inches inside the wall line; at altitude we treat that as a floor), and repairs to whatever the last dam damaged. For active dams and emergency ice removal we coordinate safe, roof-friendly removal — never chisels or axes into the ice against your shingles.

Heat cable (heat tape) systems. Where cable genuinely earns its place — gutters, downspouts, and roof sections that cannot be fully insulated — we spec self-regulating, certified cable only (UL Listed, FM Approved, or CSA Certified, per IBHS), on a controller, placed where the water actually needs help. And we will tell you when cable is the wrong answer, because it does not remove or prevent dams — it only keeps drain channels open.

Snow retention for metal roofs. Metal sheds its snowpack suddenly, and a rooftop avalanche can injure people and rip off gutters, vents, and siding on the way down. We install engineered snow retention — rail systems or patterned guards — sized to your roof’s pitch, panel type, and snow load, prioritized over entries, walkways, decks, and gutter runs.

Gutter protection and repair. Winter is hardest on the drainage system: ice load bends hangers, dams pry gutters off the fascia, and spring reveals the damage. We repair, replace, and re-slope gutters and downspouts built for snow country, and pair them with cable where they ice over every year.

Roof snow-load checks. Worried about the weight after a big cycle — long spans, older framing, a flat-roof addition? We assess from the ground and the attic, tell you honestly whether the roof needs relief, and if removal is warranted we make sure it happens without gouging the roofing.

The part most snow-removal outfits skip: fixing the cause

Ice dams are a symptom. The disease is heat escaping into your attic and warming the roof deck — which is why the same houses dam every single winter. The durable cure is air sealing, insulation to current climate-zone levels (R-49 to R-60 in zones 6 and 7), and balanced soffit-to-ridge ventilation. When we assess your roof, we look below it too, so you spend money on the fix instead of on a subscription to the symptom.

A word about safety — please stay off the roof

Every winter, people are hurt doing roof work that should never be DIY, and at 9,000 feet the ladder, the ice, and the thin air stack the odds worse. University of Minnesota Extension’s ice-dam guidance warns homeowners off roof work outright because of the injury and roof-damage risk. If you do one thing yourself, make it this: IBHS recommends a snow rake — ideally with wheels — used from the ground to pull snow off the lower few feet of roof, or hiring a professional. No climbing onto a snow-loaded roof, no chipping ice off the eaves from a ladder, no propane torches. The repair bill from amateur ice removal is often bigger than the one from the ice.

Why Cooper for winter roof problems

We are a roofing contractor first. The crew that assesses your ice dam is the crew that understands flashing, underlayment, and ventilation — so the recommendation is about your roof assembly, not about selling this week’s gadget. We work these towns all winter, we build mountain roofs for snow load, ice, and altitude UV, and we put every finding and recommendation in writing.

Seeing stains, big eave ice, or a sagging gutter? Request a free inspection and we’ll tell you exactly what your roof needs — and what it doesn’t.

Snow and Ice Dams: Your Questions

How do I know if I have an ice dam problem or just normal icicles?

Small icicles off a gutter after a sunny day are normal. A thick ridge of ice on the roof edge itself, icicles forming at the same spot every year, or any water staining at the top of interior walls means meltwater is refreezing and backing up. That combination is worth an inspection before it reaches your drywall.

Should I remove snow from my roof myself?

Only with a roof rake, from the ground, on the lower few feet of the roof – and never by climbing up. Institutions like IBHS and University of Minnesota Extension recommend a snow rake or a professional because falls and roof damage from DIY removal are common. Never chip ice off the eaves or use a torch; both destroy roofing.

How much ice at the eave is too much?

Our rule of thumb: if the ice on the eave is building past a few inches – certainly by six inches – or gutters are visibly sagging under it, have it looked at. Ice that thick means significant meltwater is refreezing at a cold edge, and the water ponding behind it is what ends up under the shingles.

Do heat cables damage a roof?

Quality self-regulating cable, properly installed and certified (UL Listed, FM Approved, or CSA Certified), does not harm a roof in normal service. Problems come from cheap constant-wattage cable that overheats, cables stapled through shingles, or systems left running unmonitored. That is why we treat cable as an engineered installation, not a plug-in accessory.

Will insurance cover ice dam damage?

Interior water damage from an ice dam is covered under many homeowners policies, but coverage varies and gradual or maintenance-related damage is often excluded. Check your policy and document any damage with photos and dates. Either way, prevention is cheaper than a claim – and repeated claims for the same preventable problem can affect your coverage.

Can you stop my roof from getting ice dams every year?

In most homes, yes – because recurring dams come from attic heat loss, which is fixable. The durable sequence is air sealing the ceiling, insulation to current climate-zone levels, and balanced soffit-to-ridge ventilation, backed up by ice-and-water membrane at the eaves and targeted heat cable only where needed. We assess the whole assembly and give you the fix list in priority order.