Roof Repair, Restoration and Replacement in Provo and Orem, Utah

Two neighboring cities, two different housing mixes

Census data for 2020–2024 put the median Provo home at 1983 and the median Orem home at 1989. By our arithmetic from the same Census table, about 46% of Provo homes were built before 1980 (about 19% before 1960 and about 7% before 1940), compared with about 36% in Orem (about 9% before 1960). Tenure differs even more: about 61% of Provo’s occupied homes are renter-occupied, against about 42% in Orem. Provo is also larger by land, at 41.9 square miles to Orem’s 18.6.

For roofs, that means Provo has more older homes and more roofs owned by landlords, while Orem has more owner-occupied homes from the late 1980s and 1990s. A free inspection from The NuRoof Guys starts with the same questions in both cities: what is on the roof now, how many layers, and whether the problem is a repair, a restoration candidate, or a replacement. See how to tell if your roof is a rejuvenation candidate.

What each city publishes for design

Provo’s Design Criteria page (taken from the 2021 International Building Code) lists a 43 psf ground snow load, a 30 psf roof snow load (40 psf on the benches), a 115 mph three-second-gust wind speed, seismic design category D2, a 30-inch frost line and a “severe” weathering rating. Orem’s adopted-codes page lists a 105 mph wind speed, seismic category D1–E, severe weathering, a 30-inch frost line, an air freezing index of 1000, and ice-shield underlayment as required; for residential snow load it points to Utah State University’s map instead of listing a number.

Those are design values for new construction, not statements about any particular roof. The practical point is that ice-barrier underlayment is explicitly required in Orem, and that “bench” and valley-floor addresses in Provo are treated differently for roof snow load. Ask any roofing bidder which applies to your address.

Wind and heat in Utah Valley

NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for Provo BYU (about 4,570 feet) record about 17.2 inches of precipitation and 44.9 inches of snow a year, about 111 days at or below 32°F, about 74 days at 90°F or more, and about 9 days at 100°F or more. The Orem treatment-plant station (about 4,510 feet) records about 108 freezing days and about 56 days at 90°F or more. Hot summer afternoons on dark asphalt shingles are part of the aging story in why Northern Utah asphalt roofs age faster.

Wind is not only a northern-Utah story. The Deseret News reported that thunderstorm gusts of up to 85 mph were recorded in Provo on July 16, 1996, and that the storm knocked down trees and power lines across Orem, leaving part of the city without power for nearly five hours. In June 2003 county officials reported gusts of 70–90 mph from Springville to Santaquin. Storm wind can lift shingle tabs without an obvious leak; the Utah roof maintenance checklist covers what you can check from the ground.

Repair, restore, or replace

• Repair fixes specific failures such as flashing, boots and storm-lifted tabs.
• GoNano restoration may suit an aging asphalt roof that is still structurally sound. It is not a leak repair and not right for every roof.
• Replacement is for roofs past repair. If you are comparing bids, see questions to ask a Utah roofing contractor and why Utah roof bids can feel higher than shingle list prices.

Our roof services

• Roof repair
• GoNano roof restoration (for qualifying roofs only)
• Roof replacement
• Storm damage help

Nearby service areas

• Lehi

See also our Utah County page and the full Utah service area list.

Related reading

• how to tell if your roof is a rejuvenation candidate
• why Northern Utah asphalt roofs age faster
• questions to ask a Utah roofing contractor
• Utah roof maintenance checklist

Provo and Orem is a service area for The NuRoof Guys, not a local office or branch. Call 385-383-8479 and we will tell you whether we can help. Utah Contractor License #14225732-5501. Authorized GoNano installer. Local figures on this page come from the sources below; percentages marked “by our arithmetic” are our calculation from Census tables and are not NuRoof results.

Sources

1. American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates, tables B25003 (tenure), B25034 and B25035, via Census Reporter
2. U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer Files (land area)
3. Provo City, Design Criteria
4. Orem City, Adopted Codes & Design Info
5. NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal station files)
6. Deseret News, “Mother Nature gives Utah taste of her thunderous fury” (July 17, 1996)
7. Deseret News, “Violent weather slams Utah County” (June 10, 2003)