Ice dams aren't a roofing problem — they're a heat-loss problem. If your attic leaks warm air onto the underside of the deck, snow melts, refreezes at the eave, and backs water up under the shingles. I find the heat bypasses, measure your ventilation, and give you a ranked fix list. Free winter storm check after any 4+ inch NM mountain snowfall.
Attic-bypass audit: can lights, plumbing chases, top-plate gaps, whole-house fans, hatches
Insulation depth measurement + R-value verification against IRC Zone 5B / 6B minimums
Ventilation ratio calculation — soffit intake + ridge exhaust NFA per IRC 1:150 or 1:300
Infrared heat-loss scan of ceiling and roof deck (winter conditions)
Baffle presence check at every rafter bay (soffit intake short-circuit is the #1 install miss)
Ranked fix list: dollar-per-degree of attic temp reduction, so you fix the cheapest bypass first
Attic walk-inspection with IR camera and moisture meter during any winter month. Bypass audit at every ceiling penetration — can lights, plumbing stacks, chimney chases, whole-house fans, attic hatches, and top plates. Insulation depth measurement across the ceiling and at eave/rafter bays; R-value verified against IRC Zone 5B (foothills) or Zone 6B (Ruidoso, Taos, Angel Fire, Chama). Ventilation ratio calculation — measured soffit intake NFA + ridge/gable exhaust NFA, expressed as 1:X per IRC. Baffle check at every rafter bay for soffit-intake short-circuiting (insulation stuffed against the deck). Roof-side inspection: eave ice-dam evidence, gutter overload, granule loss from freeze-thaw. Written report ranking every fix by dollar-per-degree-Fahrenheit of attic temperature reduction.
Homeowners in NM mountain zones — Sandia foothills, East Mountains, Los Alamos, Santa Fe foothills, Taos, Ruidoso, Angel Fire, Chama, Red River. Any NM homeowner seeing icicles longer than 6 inches at the eaves or interior stains after winter storms. Buyers under contract on mountain-zone properties. Owners with high winter utility bills and warm rooms below poorly insulated attics. Owners in the flatlands with attic frost or condensation stains (same heat-loss physics, different symptom).
Free Winter Storm Walk-Around — $0 (mountain-zone snowfall 4+ inches, verbal + phone photos) Standard Heat-Loss + Ventilation Report — $399 Full IR Scan + Bypass Fix List — $549 With attic-air-sealing scope + insulation top-up estimate — $699 Most mountain-zone diagnostic inspections are $399–$549. Sealing $600 worth of attic bypasses typically eliminates ice damming for a decade.
Yes — anywhere above ~6,500 ft or on north-facing slopes at elevation. Sandia foothills, Los Alamos, Ruidoso, Taos, Angel Fire, Chama, Red River, and the East Mountains all get repeat ice damming. I've documented backed-up water 4+ feet up the roof in Cedar Crest and Los Alamos, and the leaks don't show up until spring thaw.
You look for the heat that made it: warm attic bypasses at can lights, plumbing chases, whole-house fans, poorly sealed attic hatches, and gaps at the top plate. I run an infrared scan of the attic-side ceiling and the roof deck, measure insulation depth, calculate net free ventilation area (NFA) against IRC 1:150 or 1:300, and give you the fix list ranked by dollar-per-degree.
Yes — after any 4+ inch snowfall in a mountain zone, I do a free walk-around: verify the ice dam location, check for gutter overload, spot obvious heat-loss patterns from the yard, and give you a verbal 'act now vs wait for thaw' answer. Written report if you want the fix scope after the storm passes.
IRC / IBC / NMCID cited per finding.
Per-door pricing + rolled-up capex plan.
Get ahead of the buyer's inspector.
Class A + ember-zone audit for WUI.
I've watched too many neighbors sign contracts they didn't understand for roofs they didn't need. That stops with a written report they own.