Vermont and New Hampshire homes face a specific combination of challenges: heavy snow loads, repeated freeze-thaw cycles, and everything from 200-year-old farmhouses to brand-new builds. Not every roofing material handles all of that equally well, and the right choice depends as much on your home’s age and style as it does on budget. Here’s how the main options compare.
Asphalt Shingles: The Versatile, Cost-Effective Default
Asphalt shingles remain the most common choice for a reason. They’re available in a wide range of colors and styles, they install relatively quickly, and they offer reliable performance at a price point that fits most budgets. They’re a strong fit for most residential homes in the region, and a quality installation with a 25-year warranty gives most homeowners more than enough lifespan to make the investment worthwhile.
Standing-Seam Metal: Built for Snow Country
If your property deals with heavy snow load every winter, standing-seam metal roofing solves a problem asphalt simply can’t. Its smooth, interlocking panel design lets snow slide off rather than accumulate, which reduces structural stress and lowers the risk of ice dam formation along the eaves. It’s also exceptionally durable, often backed by a 30-year warranty, making it a strong long-term investment for homes that see serious winter weather year after year.
Slate: The Choice for Historic Homes
The Upper Valley has no shortage of homes well over a century old, and slate is often the material that matches both their architecture and their longevity expectations. With routine maintenance, a slate roof can last for generations, which is exactly why it’s such a common sight on the region’s older farmhouses and historic properties. It’s a premium option, both in upfront cost and in the specialized installation it requires, but for the right home it’s genuinely a once-in-a-lifetime roofing decision.
Rubber (EPDM): The Practical Choice for Flat and Low-Slope Roofs
Asphalt, metal, and slate are all built for sloped roofs, but flat or low-slope sections, common on additions, porches, and commercial buildings, need a different solution entirely. EPDM rubber roofing is highly resistant to weathering and UV exposure, and it’s specifically engineered to handle the standing water and ice that flat roofs are prone to in this climate, often backed by a 30-year warranty.
How to Actually Decide
The right material comes down to three questions: what does your home’s architecture call for, how much snow and weather does your specific roof slope and orientation deal with, and what’s your timeline for ownership. A historic home in Woodstock has a different answer than a new build in West Lebanon, and a flat-roofed addition has different needs than the main pitched roof above it. This is exactly the kind of decision worth talking through with someone who installs all four materials regularly rather than specializing in just one.
Whether You’re Replacing or Building New
If you’re replacing an existing roof, the material decision happens alongside a full tear-off and inspection of what’s underneath. If you’re working on new construction, you have a bit more flexibility to design the roof system around the material from the start, including framing and decking choices that some materials, like slate, depend on more heavily than others.
All Starr Roofing has installed all four of these materials across Vermont and New Hampshire’s Upper Valley for more than 31 years, and we’ll walk you through which one actually makes sense for your home rather than steering you toward whatever’s easiest to install. Contact us at (802) 377-0145 for a free estimate and material consultation.
