Roofing Contractor Serving Jim Falls, WI
Steel roofing, shingle roof replacement and repairs for homes, pole barns and machine sheds in Jim Falls and the Town of Anson, up the Chippewa River from Chippewa Falls.
Get a Jim Falls Roof Estimate
Call or text us and we will set up a time to look at your roof. Estimates and inspections are free.
Open 8am–6pm. Prefer email? info@chippewafallsroofingco.com
- Free roof estimates in Jim Falls
- Pole barns, machine sheds & farmhouses
- Standing seam and exposed-fastener steel
A River Community Where Most Roofs Are on Working Buildings
Jim Falls is a small unincorporated community on the Chippewa River, northeast of Chippewa Falls in the Town of Anson. The 2020 census counted 231 people in Jim Falls itself and 2,297 in the town as a whole. Most people know it for two things: the Xcel Energy hydroelectric dam, which forms Old Abe Lake, and the ten-and-a-half-foot statue of Old Abe, the Civil War eagle, that stands near it. The Old Abe State Trail runs through the community.
Away from the river, this is farm and woodlot country. A typical property has a house, a garage and one or more pole barns or machine sheds, and the outbuildings often have more roof on them than the house does. So this page starts with steel.
We are a roofing contractor based in Chippewa Falls, at the other end of Highway 178.
Pole Barn and Machine Shed Roofs Around Jim Falls
Most farm buildings in this part of the county are roofed in exposed-fastener steel: ribbed panels screwed through the face into wood purlins. It is an economical, long-lasting roof. It is also a roof with a few thousand small holes in it, each one sealed by a rubber washer under a screw head.
Those washers are the maintenance item. Steel grows and shrinks with every swing in temperature, and northern Wisconsin has wide ones. Over the years, the movement works screws loose and flattens or cracks the washers. The first sign is a drip line along a purlin after a hard rain.
What usually needs doing
- Re-screwing. Replacing worn fasteners with new, slightly larger ones. Often the whole repair.
- Trim and ridge. Ridge caps, rake trim and closures that have loosened let in driven snow and rain, and give wind an edge to lift.
- Panels. Replacing sheets that are rusted through, creased by a slide of ice or torn at the fasteners.
- A full re-roof. New panels, and new purlins where the old ones are soft, when the roof is past patching.
Our metal roofing for pole barns and machine sheds page goes into panel types, gauges and snow guards. For a single leak or a section of damage, see roof repair.
Farmhouses and Rural Homes in the Town of Anson
The houses are a mix: older farmhouses that have been added onto more than once, ranches from the later twentieth century, and newer homes on wooded lots near the river.
Old farmhouses
Additions are where they leak. Every place a newer roof meets an older wall is a flashing joint, and many were sealed with tar rather than flashed properly. Under the shingles there is often board decking and sometimes a second layer of roofing. A full roof replacement on a house like this is mostly about what is found once the old roof is off.
Shingles or steel on the house
Plenty of rural homeowners want the house to match the sheds. Standing seam is the better system for a heated home, with concealed fasteners and room for the metal to move. Exposed-fastener steel costs less and can work on a simple gable. Asphalt shingles are still the lowest up-front price and suit complicated roofs best.
Snow Load, Sliding Snow and Wind in the Upper Chippewa Valley
Chippewa County is in the 40 pounds per square foot zone on the roof snow load map in Wisconsin's Uniform Dwelling Code. Normal snowfall at the Eau Claire station is 55.4 inches a year, per the Wisconsin State Climatology Office.
On a wide, low-pitched shed roof, that snow is real weight, and it drifts unevenly. On steel it also lets go without warning. Snow guards over doors and walkways are cheap compared with what a slide can do to a person, a vehicle or a lean-to roof below.
Summer brings the other risk. The National Weather Service's Twin Cities office documented significant straight-line wind damage in Chippewa County from the storms of May 15, 2025. A tall building standing in the open is the first thing wind finds, and wind gets under steel at a loose edge. If a storm has opened a roof, read about emergency tarping and roof repair. For anything less urgent, we inspect for wind and hail damage at no charge.
Permits in Jim Falls Go Through Chippewa County
With no village government, the question of who to ask has a short answer. The Town of Anson states that it is zoned through Chippewa County and that all permit requests go through the county's office at the courthouse.
What the county does not publish is a specific rule for re-roofing an existing house or farm building. Its fee schedule covers new dwellings, additions and alterations. So before a job is scheduled, we call Chippewa County Planning and Zoning about your property and tell you what they said.
Properties near the water have one more layer. The county's shoreland zoning ordinance applies within 300 feet of a river or stream and within 1,000 feet of a lake, pond or flowage. If you are changing the shape of a roof or adding on near the river or Old Abe Lake, raise it with the county early.
Getting to Jim Falls from Chippewa Falls
Jim Falls is about ten miles northeast of Chippewa Falls in a straight line. Highway 178 follows the Chippewa River between the two. Farms along the county roads on either side of the river are within our service area. Give us the fire number or the nearest crossroad when you call, and we will find you.
Jim Falls Roofing Questions, Answered
Who issues building permits in Jim Falls?
Jim Falls is an unincorporated community in the Town of Anson, so there is no village hall. The Town of Anson says it is zoned through Chippewa County and that all permit requests go through the county office at the courthouse in Chippewa Falls. Neither the town nor the county publishes a specific rule for re-roofing, so we confirm with the county before a job is scheduled.
Can you put new steel over the old metal roof on my pole barn?
Sometimes. It depends on the condition of the old panels, the purlins underneath and how the building is used. If the framing is sound and the old roof is flat enough to work over, a new layer on furring strips can be an option. If purlins are rotted or the old panels are badly rusted, stripping it is the better job. We look from inside the building as well as from the roof before recommending either.
Why does my shed roof drip on the inside when it is not raining?
That is usually condensation, not a leak. Warm, moist air inside the building meets the cold underside of bare steel and turns to water, especially over livestock, a heated shop or a damp floor. The fixes are ventilation and a condensation-control layer or insulation under the panels. It is worth telling the two problems apart before paying for roof repairs that will not help.
Is exposed-fastener steel good enough for a house, or do I need standing seam?
Either can go on a house. Exposed-fastener steel costs less and is a sound roof when it is installed correctly, but its screws and washers are out in the weather and will need checking and replacing over the years. Standing seam hides its fasteners, handles expansion better and needs less attention, at a higher price. We can price both for the same roof.
Does a metal roof need snow guards in Jim Falls?
Over doors, walkways, decks, parked equipment and lower roofs, yes. Snow comes off steel all at once, and a slide from a tall shed roof is heavy enough to hurt someone or wreck what is underneath. Over open ground, letting the snow slide is fine and takes load off the building. We place guards where the slide would cause trouble.
My house is close to the Chippewa River. Does that change anything for a new roof?
It can. Chippewa County's shoreland zoning ordinance applies within 300 feet of a river or stream and 1,000 feet of a lake or flowage, and it requires permits for new construction, additions and alterations. The county's summary does not address re-roofing on its own. A like-for-like roof is generally a simpler matter than changing the structure, but we check with the county rather than assume.
Comparing panel types? See standing seam and exposed-fastener steel roofing.
House, Barn or Shed: Get It Looked At
Call, text a photo or send the form. Tell us which buildings are involved and we will price them in writing.