Marshfield Building Roof Collapses
An historic April storm is in the process of bringing nearly 30” of heavy snow to Central Wisconsin. City crews and snow removal companies have been working through the storm to keep driving lanes and businesses open.
Travis Hill, owner of Solutionz said, “We had guys working 16-hour days. We service over 100 properties and many of our customers came out to personally thank us. We had to use a lot of big equipment to get through some of the drifts. One house had a 6-foot drift on their property.”
With so much snow over such a short period of time, one commercial property had its roof collapse. The former building of Wick Building systems collapsed due to the weight of the snow. The property is now owned by Carbo. (We were unable to reach them for comment.)
Large accumulations of snow can create additional concerns for property owners.
Nick Arnoldy of Marshfield said, “There are a lot of risks with this type of snow fall. The thawing will cause water issues, furnace exhaust vents can become plugged from drifts, and roofs can collapse. When it comes to roofs, the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety estimates a house should be able to support 20 pounds per sq. foot of roof space. That’s about 4” of pure ice, 1ft – 1.65ft of packed snow or 3.3ft – 4 ft of fresh snow. If you feel those levels are accumulating on your house you need to clear the buildup safety, either with a roof rake or hire a professional for assistance.”
In Marshfield, Solutionz provides assistance with snow removal not only in your parking lot, but on your roof as well.
“We work with commercial and residential customers in the area to help remove snow from their roofs. We find that many people with old roofs or those in mobile homes are at greater risk,” said Hill.
Most home insurance and commercial property insurance policies will cover collapse from snow and ice.
Arnoldy recommends call an agent to discuss your policy. “There are typically three types of home insurance policies: basic form, broad form, and special form. If you have a special form policy, also known as ‘form 3,’ this is the most comprehensive form and should provide you the protection you need in this event. Basic & Broad commonly exclude roof collapse,” said Arnoldy.
For additional questions, contact these two local experts:
Solutionz (www.solutionzllc.com, 715-502-4449)
Marshfield Insurance (www.marshfieldinsurance.net, 715-387-4443)
