Historic districts
Your roof, your commission, and who does the paperwork
A roof in a historic district is part of the street. The people who review it are neighbors with a job to do, and they usually want to see the same things: what is there, what will replace it and how the details are made. We put that in front of them in a form they can read.
We call the Planning Department before we draw anything
We attend the hearing when there is one
We price any change the commission asks for before we do it
Who reviews what
The three bodies we ask about
Check each against your own address. Rules change, and the staff at the city are the ones to confirm them.
Portsmouth Historic District Commission
Reviews exterior changes to buildings in the city's historic districts. A roof's material, color, pattern and visible details can all be part of its review.
The Planning Department
Takes the application and tells you whether it needs a hearing. Some smaller or like-for-like work may be handled by staff without one. Ask them first; we do.
New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources
The state's historic preservation office. It reviews projects that involve state or federal permits or money. Most private re-roofs do not, and we ask at the start.
The application
What goes into the package we prepare
A drawing of what is there
Slopes, ridges, hips, valleys, chimneys, gutters and the material on each, drawn from our measurements and photographs.
A drawing of what we will install
The same sheet, with each detail shown: slate size and exposure, flashing metal and form, gutter profile.
The sample
A slate, shingle or piece of copper from your roof beside the one we propose, labeled and photographed in daylight.
Photographs of every slope
Taken before we touch anything, so the commission and your file both see the starting point.
A line on the details that show
Ridge, hips, valleys, flashings, gutters and cupola caps, each written out in plain words.
A copy for your file
Whatever we send to the city, we send to you first.
Questions about the review
How long does the commission take?
The commission hears applications on the city's posted calendar, so build the wait into your plan and ask the Planning Department for the current dates. We start the application as soon as you sign the site-visit form.
What if the commission wants a different material?
We price the change in writing and revise the bid. Nothing starts until you have agreed to the new number and the approval is in hand.
Can you promise the commission will approve it?
No. The commission decides. We can prepare the clearest application we know how to and answer questions at the hearing.
What if my house is outside a district?
Then the review may not apply. The same drawings still help your insurer, your architect and the next owner, and we do them the same way.
Do you work with my architect?
Yes. We send marked-up drawings and samples on whatever sheet size the architect uses, and meet on site when asked.
Not sure if your roof needs a hearing?
Send the address. We call the Planning Department with you and tell you what they said.