Standing Seam in Durango, Colorado: Higher Ground Roofing’s Tamarron Resort Project
Durango, located in the southwestern region of Colorado, sits in a lush valley surrounded by the San Juan Mountains. The Animas River divides the historic railroad town that served as the filming location for Westerns like City Slickers and Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. It’s also home to many accomplished cyclists and writers, as well as a two-time World Series pitcher. And it’s where Ross McDermott, owner of Higher Ground Roofing, runs panels and installs standing seam metal roofs.
Ross’s latest project is re-roofing a series of condo complexes at the Lodge at Tamarron, a mountain resort situated amidst rugged cliffs and rocky crevices. Luxury homes and condos surround the bending fairways of the resort’s two golf courses. On an October day, a mix of pines and aspens sporting golden fall leaves pepper the club’s landscape and surrounding three million acres of protected wilderness.
Beginnings of Higher Ground Metal Roofing
While growing up in Durango, Ross’s father owned the largest roofing company in the area. He used three New Tech Machinery (NTM) SSP rollformers, the model that preceded the SSQ. With those machines he built a business in primarily commercial work.
However, prior to starting in the roofing business, Ross pursued his dream of playing professional golf and spent four months on the PGA New England tour. Following that, he worked in finance in Boston until the economic downturn of 2008, when the banking industry collapsed. Ross then returned to Durango with the desire to start his own business.
“Higher Ground Roofing was founded here in Durango,” said Ross. “I’m the owner-operator of the business. Durango’s a really neat niche market. We have a lot of high-end homes. Standing seam is very valuable here for our winter conditions.”

The Lodge at Tamarron Project
Ross landed the Lodge at Tamarron job after picking up his first SSQ II MultiPro Roof and Wall Panel Machine from the International Roofing Association (IRE) conference in Las Vegas in January 2024, where NTM had it on display. “I had an open bid for the project, so I was bidding against six other companies. The total roofing is 200,000 ft² or 2,000 squares, so they gave us three years to complete this project. Being a local and having my new machine, in one year, I’m 75% complete, and I could not have done that without the SSQ II on-site.”
Ross’s team is replacing aged, sun-warped cedar shingles with standing seam metal in a fire-prone region. As recently as 2022, a wildfire consumed over one hundred acres of woods in the area, ending on a hillside just across the street from the club. Previously, in 2020, another fire had claimed nearly 3,000 acres just west of Durango.

As a result of the wildfires over recent years, home insurance has skyrocketed, with some homeowners even being denied coverage. Consequently, metal roofing is fast becoming a popular solution. “Standing seam also has insurance benefits for fire ratings,” Ross explained. “Even by itself, it can get a class-A fire rating and help homeowners with their insurance.”
Standing seam also offers homeowners worry-free benefits in resort areas like Tamarron. “A lot of these homeowners live somewhere else in our country, so these are second homes. And having a standing seam roof is low maintenance for them. They don’t have to worry about having the roofs cleared, and the snow will just shed right off.”

Tamarron Project Roof Panels
For this project, Ross is using NTM’s SS450SL, a 1 1/2″ snap-lock profile he’s running with rib rollers. “Instead of just having a flat panel, we did the striations down the middle to lessen oil canning, along with the clip relief on the side as well,” Ross explained. “The SSQ can run a panel from 24 inches all the way down to 12. I like that 19-inch, so I don’t have any waste, and labor-wise, I’m installing a little bit more on each panel that I lay down.”
“Underneath these panels is a full layer of ice and water shield,” Ross added, pointing to the new roofing. “The decking varies a little bit. Some of the roofs have insulation, whereas others are just tongue-and-groove decking. So again, with the clip relief and the striations, I try to minimize oil canning the best as possible.”

The metal roofing not only helps with insurance due to their class A fire rating, but Durango, nestled near the Purgatory ski resort, gets its share of deep snow. “Another advantage of standing seam is it pairs well with snow retention, or snow bars, which can match the color of the roof,” Ross said. “We also have neat ways to heat these roofs. Aluminum extrusion panels can adhere to our valleys. You know, the key to standing seam is snow retention and snow melt. So as opposed to pro panel, standing seams can be a great overall system. They work a lot better than shingles in our area because of snow damming and the damage ice can do in valleys. So a well-thought-out standing seam roof can really battle the four seasons that Durango has to offer, as well as the state of Colorado.”
Ross also considers the runoff aspects of snow melt around the structures. “You could have snow two feet off the rib and run an aluminum extrusion panel to the snow bar, and now you have a way to get the water off the roof and away from the building, protecting the foundation and keeping the weight off the roof. So, a neat roof assembly can be made out of standing seam.”

Ross’s Relationship With NTM
NTM’s SSQ II MultiPro has provided Higher Ground Roofing the versatility it needs to do a variety of jobs requiring different profiles, including standing seam and board and batten siding.
Within two hours, Ross can have his machine running profiles for another job with a different set of tooling. “I advertise standing seam quite a bit. And the way I look at it is it is an investment upfront, but it’s less maintenance for the homeowners here in Durango,” he explained. “If you have a simple roof, it’s nice to let the snow slide off the roof where shingles, you experience a lot more ice damming. Plus, you have a lot of maintenance with screws.”
Ross’ relationship with NTM goes back many years, to when he worked with his father’s old SSP machines. “Some NTM tech representatives would fly out to Durango to work on one of our older machines. The chains would go bad, the rollers would go. And this is after 15 years and a lot of squares.”
“They were so very knowledgeable,” Ross continued. “They replaced chains for us and got us the parts we needed. And again, that machine’s 20-plus years old and still makes a beautiful panel.”
“When I started my business, I went to the Las Vegas METALCON, and I introduced myself at the New Tech table,” Ross recalled. “I look at them all as friends. Anytime I’ve called New Tech, I’ve had a great support.”
“To this day, I’m grateful for Gabby (Gabriela Blanco, an NTM account manager), who sold me the SSQ II. I saw New Tech Machinery at two trade shows back-to-back in Vegas—IRE and METALCON. And it was great. Great to have a family there and a team.”
For information on New Tech Machinery’s portable rollformers and accessories, contact us. A knowledgeable NTM account manager will be happy to assist you.
