# Roofing solution



## bretjo (Sep 6, 2012)

Hi, i just moved to Ontario and I'm looking for a good roofing solution for remodeling the roof of my old home. Can anyone provide me with a source that i can deal with. If the source is within Ontario it would be a great help.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

bretjo said:


> Hi, i just moved to Ontario and I'm looking for a good roofing solution for remodeling the roof of my old home. Can anyone provide me with a source that i can deal with. If the source is within Ontario it would be a great help.


Ontario is a big province.:biggrin:
What do you mean by "remodel"? Do you mean you want to change the type of roof or roof style?
or ..you want to do just the normal shingle replacement? 

You would need to contact some local roofers in your area ....(what is your area?),

to come and examine the condition of your roof and give you a quote depending on the AGE AND TYPE of the roof....repair or replacement.

Call 2 or 3 established roofing companies for free WRITTEN ESTIMATES and try to deal with roofing companies that have been in business for a few years, and will stick around, AND offer you a WRITTEN guarantee on the roof and labour and have the necessary insurance. 
Roofing is serious business and the job has to be done right with experienced roofers and a proper receipt and guarantee so that you
have something to fall back on. Yes you will have to pay the HST, but at least with a bonafide roofing company they will honor
their warranty and workmanship. 
*
Do not deal with any roofers that ask for cash up front or willing to do the work for cash and
no bill to save on the tax.* You can either win with these or get burned badly and end up with a roof that isn't done properly
or not completed. Most roofs have to last 20 or 25 years before replacement and a written guarantee from an established
company who has been in business is your assurance that they may be around to do any repairs, if necessary.

Pay for the roof replacement only when the work is done and you are satisfied and you should withold 10% of their final bill
for at least 30 days to ensure there are no leaks when the rains come. 

There are many "fly by night" roofing contractors out there, some of them just look for a fast buck and don't come back to repair any problems from their roofing work. Look for the big ads where they state their experience, or ask how long they have been in business. They should have been in business for at least 20 years, and are fully bonded and insured and offer quality work with a written warranty.

In the Yellow pages, there should be listings of local roofing contractors..

I got a estimate from RoofMaster, but ended up using a local roofing company that has been in business for over a 100 years,
for my flat roof replacement because flat roofs are more critical for leakage. They did a good job in 2003 and no problems since then.


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## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

If you lived in wpg,manitoba i would of private msg(ed) you and would of meet with you(i own a roofing company)Pm if you want and i can take a look at your quotes ect and @least give you my professional opinion on what details ect they have on it(if your comfortable and can download it-i'm not a tech guy)

What caverman says is very good advice.I don't know the pricing in ontario but i likely could findout(if it is a ''standard" project and a striaght foward residental home,i'll ask my sales reps*they do business with roofing materials canada wide*ie:roofmat,convey,spar marathon ect,and know indusrty/province wide pricing in different regions-ontario is higher)
I would'nt be able to give you the whole price,but could break it down per sq(if you supply me with roof measurements-which should be on the quotes your getting,and if i can't do that for some reason(because of it being in ontario) i @least can provide you with what/why and question you have,if you don't understand anything on the quote,or if something is omitted)
Word of mouth and referals are the way to go in the roofing business-ask around,friends/family/your business network ect...like any other service,restaurants ect ect businesses-what past customers say about a business is the most accurate way in measuring imo.(and it's not always about price-you get what you pay for-you want your roof to last you the 25 yrs)


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## DanFo (Apr 9, 2011)

min was 4200 all in this spring roughly 1000 sqf house backsplit nothing too steep..


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## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

Ok.....1000sq(that is roughly going to be about 21sq)fair price in wpg would be about $200(this is our market avg for a striaght foward home) a sq(this would include-fiberglass shingles,removal of old shingles,underlayment,new vents,plumbing stacks ect-company doing work would be covered by wcb ect ect)

21x200=4200-you paid a fair price!I have heard low 300's in toronto(could be the capital region)I'll even share with you rough costs just on material by supplier is about 60 a sq,costs of doing business gas,insurance,Time spent on quote ect about 90 sq-labour paid out about 48 a sq(on average a roofing companies profit should be about/around 50 a sq-Im giving you the inside deal lol(not sure why lol-my brotherhood would kill me)You contractor made about 1k doing your roof....sending his crew out.


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## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

Here is a ''tip" for everyone(anyone deciding to get a roof done)Get your quotes and sechudle your job in early spring!!Never get your roof done after august with a roofing company.(the op should hold off till spring if he canas long as it aint leaking ect)

Reasons for this-each yr every company has to ''feel'' out the ''market'' price(which can easily slide by 10/15/20 a sq)MOST companies in the first few mths of the season(april-oct)are aggressively trying to book and secure work to get the ''wheels'' moving and keeping crews going.(even if/though they still have work from the previous yr in the que)

Mid summer(without fail-all roofing material compaines companies annually raise there material cost-inflation ect-owens corning,certianteed ect ect)

At the tail end of the year(the good compaines)are booked soild and ''everyone" raises there prices(atleast by 10-15%sometimes 20% because they don't need the work and if they ''get'' it they will take it on(this is a inside tip for you)some companies take a gamble and try for the late flood of calls-i do this abit-i hold off keeping more room for pricing.

Never plan a roof at the end of the year(you will always pay higher,in most cases)


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## DanFo (Apr 9, 2011)

I had two quotes both came in around 3.5K before taxes...Roofing companies in the area are fairly busy with new construction..I could of found a cheaper price but I wantd to be able to rely on the place to be there still if I have any problems down the road


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## Sampson (Apr 3, 2009)

donald said:


> Here is a ''tip" for everyone(anyone deciding to get a roof done)Get your quotes and sechudle your job in early spring!!Never get your roof done after august with a roofing company.(the op should hold off till spring if he canas long as it aint leaking ect)


Great advice. Thank you.


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## crazyjackcsa (Aug 8, 2010)

donald said:


> Here is a ''tip" for everyone(anyone deciding to get a roof done)Get your quotes and sechudle your job in early spring!!Never get your roof done after august with a roofing company.(the op should hold off till spring if he canas long as it aint leaking ect)


Asphalt shingles adhere two ways. One is through the physical act of nailing. The other is the tar on the overlaps. Asphalt shingles are more likely to fail in the first few months if they are applied too early in the season. It's a risk you run.


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## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

Does'nt matter.A professional roofing company ''handles" this by adjusting pressure on compressors to get the nails ''set".(that is the only concern anybody should have in very early spring weather or winter roofing,Inproper nailing.(i run through the winter in wpg(ie:-35)for several builders.You will notice(if you care to observe)the home building business goes year round!It takes very little to activate the tar strips(it has more to do with sun rays than dry heat-the uv index can be very strong in winter mths) that are on shingles-The technology(yes shingles lol)have come along way.I would not worry @ all about this as long as you have a professional installing it.

Ya don't have to follow my advice trevor-Though im giving you the goods.


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## crazyjackcsa (Aug 8, 2010)

Hey Don, I hear you, I'm just saying that not every roofer is a stand up guy, and it is something to be aware of.


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## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

Crazyjacksa-nice reno(i checked out your website)how did you or how are you tackling the "hot tub"?You get rid of the concrete and build a wood frame for housing it?


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

donald said:


> (that is the only concern anybody should have in very early spring weather or winter roofing,Inproper nailing.
> 
> *(i run through the winter in wpg(ie:-35)*for several builders.


Although it doesn't take much to activate the tar sealing strips, I just can't imagine anyone working on a roof at -35C,
even if you can bear working at those temps, how long will that roof last? 

Asphalt shingles would be frozen solid at those temps,subject to breaking, unless they are prewarmed somehow before
nailing them down, like in an heated enclosure. 
Spring time is the best time for home re-roofing, before the roofers get busy in the summer, when everyone wants their roofs done.


Y


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## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

We usually call it off @ -30,but sometimes I'm "forced" to push ahead(my clients,home builders)are "trying" to deliver there clients what was promised on sechudle(and funny enough the roof on is when a house becomes "dryed" in and usually is when a builder can collect his draw.
We have the bundles inside a tarp or we shift through them as need(and bring back the frozen ones to the supply house for credit)what is worse than the cold is a steep 2 story filled with ice lol....to be a roofing contractor you have to have a certain toughness...it's not easy


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

I had a roof done in December because I had no choice (renovating a badly deteriorated house I got cheap). The shingles did not lay down and look right until spring, once we got some hot weather they seemed to lay down and kind of blend together. This caused no problems, the roof did not leak and it stood up to the storms ok.


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## Square Root (Jan 30, 2010)

@Donald. I have had ice dam leakage problems at my cottage over the years and can think of a couple of solutions 1). Better insulation to slow snow melting. 2) extending the water-proof under layer over virtually the whole roof 3) getting a metal roof. I need a new roof in any event. What do you think Donald? Thanks in advance.


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## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

@square root-Insulation might be the problem(over insulated,without proper venting)Is your cabin a ''A" frame?(ie:vaulted ceilings inside?instead of standard 8' walls and a ''attic"?)Sounds like you should check 1st:the venting-should be a ridge vent that runs the entire course of the roof and the ridge-cap covers it(different from the regular vents that are put in)That would be where i would start to look(it can be overlooked and this causes problems)......you understand what im saying?google-ridge vents and see if your roof falls under this.Let me know and if it aint that,then ill get you to look @ more of the roof-make sure you talk to a reputable roofing contractor-otherwise you might have the exact problem again in ten yrs(if it is not installed correctly)

Ive seen this problem alot in cabin country with a-frames.(to air tight-and the roof becomes a skating rink up there,esp with wood burining fireplaces ect)


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## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

I would highly recommend these guys:

http://www.ontarioshakentile.com/


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## Square Root (Jan 30, 2010)

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my q, Donald. Appreciate it. What about extending the rubber membrane higher (even over the whole roof?). Wouldn't this stop ice dam leakage? cheers


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## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

That will help in some cases(ice & water shield)but if you don't have the right venting(intake & out-take)it could be all for naught(and ice and water sheild is expensive)-the main reason for ice damning is the 2 surfaces meet @ extreames(just under the plywood and of course from the outside elements)there needs to be a healthy balance of air flow moving.(problems occur with the attic either being way to insulated or way to under insulated)It is likely a venting/insulatimg problem-ice and water only really protects the roof deck.


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## Square Root (Jan 30, 2010)

Thanks again, Donald.


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## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

Im sure the pro's are onto this already(prob,last week,in anticipation)roofing material co's-mainly o.c-owens corning-big glut coming from the wreakage-millions/millions of shingles are going to be sold-long on roofing co's?via sandy....or to late already and will get hurt(to obvious?)----trying to think of stocks besides the home depots ect(priced in)

anybody?right thinking?swing trade....hold for a few quaters


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