Condo and townhouse roofing, New England

Start with the trustees

In a Massachusetts condominium, the roof is usually a common area, so the condominium trust or association decides on it, not one unit owner. Chapter 183A of the Massachusetts General Laws, together with your master deed, declaration of trust and by-laws, sets out who is responsible for the roof and when owners have to vote. Section 10 requires the association to name who oversees maintenance and repair of the common areas and to keep a replacement reserve fund; Section 18 deals with improvements, where the share of owners who agree decides who pays. Check your documents with your property manager or the association's attorney before you choose a roof.

Condominiums in New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine and Vermont are governed by their own state statutes and documents, so the same first step applies: read the declaration and by-laws with your manager or attorney.

Bring us in early. We provide the product documents, color samples and warranty terms the trustees will ask for, so they can decide and give owners whatever notice the documents require.

Triple-deckers and small condos

Many triple-deckers and two-families in Massachusetts and Rhode Island have been converted to two- or three-unit condominiums, with one roof over every unit. A small association still makes the roof decision together under its master deed and by-laws, and one written price for the whole roof makes that decision easier.

Townhouse associations and attached homes

In a townhouse association, the declaration says whether the association or each owner is responsible for the roofs. Where each owner owns their own roof, the roofs still meet at the party walls. Neighbors who replace together can share one visit, one profile and one color, and the joints between units are flashed once, properly, instead of patched where an old roof meets a new one.

One roof across every unit

One profile and one color can run across every building in the complex, and the manufacturer's Guardian Lifetime Limited Material Warranty terms are the same for each unit. Read the full terms before the trustees vote: the warranty covers material and finish for the original purchaser while they own the home and transfers once, and the transfer rules matter when units change hands.

Built for New England winters

Interlock® panels lock to each other on all four sides with the fasteners concealed, and wind resistance is warranted to 120 mph installed to manufacturer specification. Aluminum absorbs no water, so freeze–thaw cycles have nothing to split, and it does not rust in coastal salt air. Ice dams come from heat loss and ventilation, not the roof covering, so we look at attic ventilation and insulation across the buildings with the trustees.