Roofing in Hamilton, Ancaster, Dundas and Waterdown
Straight Arrow Roofing & Siding replaces and repairs roofs across Hamilton, including Ancaster, Dundas and Waterdown, about 34 km from our Brantford base. All three are part of the City of Hamilton, so one rule applies: re-shingling with the same material needs no building permit, while switching to a different material or repairing the roof sheathing does.
Updated by Straight Arrow Roofing & Siding
Do you need a permit to re-roof in Hamilton?
Not to re-shingle with the same kind of shingle. The City of Hamilton lists "Re-shingling a roof with the same roofing material" among work that needs no building permit, along with "Repairing eavestroughs where drainage is contained within the property".[1] Two common roofing jobs do need a permit:
- "replacing roofing or exterior cladding with a different material", for example going from shingles to metal, and
- "repairs to structural members (i.e. subfloor, roof sheathing, beams, lintels, etc.)".[1]
That second one matters on an older house, because rotten roof sheathing is something nobody can fully see until the shingles come off. If your house is a designated heritage property, call the City before changing what the roof is made of: heritage permits are a separate process from building permits.
City of Hamilton Building Division: City Hall, 3rd floor, 71 Main St W. Phone 905-546-2720, email building@hamilton.ca.
How old are Hamilton's houses?
Hamilton has the oldest housing of anywhere we work. Of 222,805 homes in the 2021 Census, 73,110 (33%) were built in 1960 or earlier, and 61% before 1981.[2] The census counts the whole amalgamated city, so these figures include Ancaster, Dundas and Waterdown.
| Built | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 or earlier | 73,110 | 33% |
| 1961 to 1980 | 62,560 | 28% |
| 1981 to 1990 | 24,990 | 11% |
| 1991 to 2000 | 21,365 | 10% |
| 2001 to 2005 | 10,395 | 5% |
| 2006 to 2010 | 9,470 | 4% |
| 2011 to 2015 | 10,035 | 5% |
| 2016 to 2021 | 10,880 | 5% |
| All occupied homes | 222,805 | 100% |
What is different about roofs in Ancaster, Dundas and Waterdown?
The permit rules are the same everywhere in the city, but the houses are not. Older streets in Dundas and lower Hamilton have steep roofs, brick chimneys and board decking, where flashing and deck repairs are the bulk of the job. Ancaster and Waterdown have more large newer houses with complex rooflines, valleys and dormers, where the detailing around each one decides whether the roof stays dry. We price each to what is actually on it.
What do we do in Hamilton?
- Roof replacement Full tear-off to the deck and a complete new roof system, often in a single day.
- Roof repair Leaks, lifted or missing shingles, flashing, vents and storm damage.
- Roof inspections and maintenance A proper look at the roof and the attic before anyone quotes a price.
- Flat roofing Membrane roofs for garages, additions, porches and commercial buildings.
- Metal roofing Long-life metal roofs and cosmetic metal capping.
- Skylights New skylights, replacements in the same opening, and leak repairs.
- Eavestroughs, soffit and fascia Eavestroughs and downpipes, cleaning and repairs, soffit and fascia.
- Siding Vinyl, aluminum, fibre cement and engineered wood siding.
How far is Hamilton from Brantford?
Which nearby towns do we also cover?
Sources
- Building permit for residential renovations, City of Hamilton, read 16 October 2026.
- Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population: Hamilton, City (C), Statistics Canada (table 98-316-X2021001), read 16 October 2026.