Roof replacement, done in a day where the house allows

What goes into a new shingle roof?

A roof is a system of layers, and the shingles you can see from the street are only the last one. Each layer below does a job the shingles cannot do alone. This is what a full replacement puts back, from the wood up.

The layers of a shingle roof, from the deck up

Layer	What it does
Roof deck	The plywood or board sheathing everything is nailed to. Soft or rotten sections are cut out and replaced before anything goes on.
Drip edge	Metal along the eaves and rakes that steers water off the edge and into the eavestrough instead of behind the fascia.
Ice and water protection	A self-sealing membrane at the eaves, in valleys and around chimneys and skylights, where ice dams and wind-driven rain push water uphill.
Underlayment	A second line of defence over the rest of the deck if a shingle lifts or blows off.
Shingles	The weather surface. Starter strips along the edges lock the first course down against wind.
Flashing	Metal where the roof meets a wall, a chimney or a skylight. Most leaks start here, not in the open field of shingles.
Vents and ridge cap	Let warm, damp attic air out at the top so it does not rot the deck from below or feed ice dams in winter.

How long does a roof replacement take?

On a typical house the whole job, from tear-off to cleanup, can be done in as little as one day. Bigger or steeper roofs, a second layer of old shingles to remove, or a lot of rotten decking add time, and so does weather: we do not open a roof with rain coming. You will know the plan before the crew arrives.

What changes the price of a new roof?

We do not publish a flat price, because two houses on the same street can need very different roofs. These are the things that move the number, and every one of them is written into your estimate:

• Size, measured in squares (one square is 100 square feet of roof).
• Pitch: a steep roof is slower and needs more safety setup.
• Layers to remove: two layers of old shingles is twice the tear-off and twice the disposal.
• Decking: how much wood under the shingles has to be replaced, which nobody can know for sure until the old roof is off. Ask for the price per sheet in writing up front.
• Details: chimneys, skylights, valleys, walls and vents each need their own flashing.
• The shingle you choose, from standard architectural lines up to premium ones.

Do you need a permit to replace your roof?

Usually not, if the new shingles are the same kind as the old ones. Brantford, Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville and Cambridge all say in writing that re-shingling an existing roof needs no building permit.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} Changing to a different material, repairing the structure, or changing the slope can need one, and Milton and the County of Brant publish no exemption at all. Our roof permit guide has the exact wording from each city.

What should a roofing contract say?

The Province of Ontario's own advice is to get quotes from at least three contractors, to "limit the down payment to 10% and never pay the full amount of the contract until the work is done", and to remember that a contract signed at your home comes with "a cooling-off period of 10 calendar days".^[6] We require no upfront deposit at all. Our guide to hiring a roofer in Ontario lists what the Province says every contract should include.

Where do we do roof replacement?

Across our whole area: Brantford, Paris and the County of Brant, Hamilton, Ancaster, Dundas and Waterdown, Burlington, Oakville, Milton, Cambridge.

What else do we do?

• 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.