How long does a roof replacement take?

Most Richmond Hill houses take one to three days, depending on the size, the pitch and the deck repair found during the tear-off.

Do I have to be home?

No. We need access to an outdoor power outlet and the driveway for the bin. We send photos of the deck before the new roof goes on.

Can you put new shingles over the old ones?

We do not. A second layer hides the deck, adds weight, and shortens the life of the new shingles. We tear off to the deck on every replacement.

What warranty comes with a new roof?

The shingle manufacturer gives a product warranty, and the installer gives a workmanship warranty. You get both in writing with the quote, so you can compare them before you sign.

Richmond Hill · roof replacement

Roof replacement in Richmond Hill

Most roof replacements in Richmond Hill are the first one the house has had. Taking off the builder's roof is the chance to fix what the builder did quickly: ventilation, flashing, and the protection at the eaves. We price all of it before we start.

Full tear-off to the deck
Deck repair priced per sheet, before work starts
Ventilation checked on every job

Old shingles being removed from a roof deck

Signs your roof needs replacing

Shingles curl at the edges or cup in the middle
Bare patches where the granules have washed off, and granules in the eavestrough
Shingles crack when they bend, or tear off in each storm
More than one leak in different places in the same year
A deck that feels soft underfoot, or sags between rafters
The roof is the original builder roof and the house is 20 years old or more

What a replacement includes

Tear-off of all old layers down to the deck, with the yard and gardens protected
Inspection of the deck. Damaged sheathing is replaced, priced per sheet in the quote
Ice and water protection membrane at the eaves, valleys and around skylights
Synthetic underlayment over the rest of the deck
New drip edge, new step and counter flashing, and new vent boots
Ventilation checked: intake at the soffits, exhaust at the ridge or roof vents
New architectural shingles, installed to the manufacturer's instructions so the warranty holds
Magnetic sweep of the yard and driveway for nails, and all debris removed

Builder roofs: what we find under the shingles

Houses from the 1980s to the early 2000s usually have a deck of plywood or oriented strand board (OSB). OSB swells and goes soft where a slow leak or attic condensation has wet it for years, most often near the eaves and under a bathroom fan that vents into the attic. We find it during the tear-off and show you the photos.

A skylight as old as the roof should be replaced or re-flashed with the roof. Doing it later means cutting into new shingles.

Roof replacement cost

Published Ontario price guides put a full asphalt shingle replacement on a house at about $8,250 to $19,000. The size and pitch of the roof, the number of valleys and skylights, the deck repair and the access set where a house falls in that range. Large two-storey roofs with many valleys cost more.

Our quote is line by line, so you can see what each part costs.

Permits

The City of Richmond Hill does not require a building permit for roof shingling, unless it is a clay tile roof, or for eavestroughing. Work that changes the roof structure is a different matter, and every project still has to follow Richmond Hill's zoning by-laws. We tell you which side of that line your job is on before the quote.

Questions

How long does a roof replacement take?: Most Richmond Hill houses take one to three days, depending on the size, the pitch and the deck repair found during the tear-off.
Do I have to be home?: No. We need access to an outdoor power outlet and the driveway for the bin. We send photos of the deck before the new roof goes on.
Can you put new shingles over the old ones?: We do not. A second layer hides the deck, adds weight, and shortens the life of the new shingles. We tear off to the deck on every replacement.
What warranty comes with a new roof?: The shingle manufacturer gives a product warranty, and the installer gives a workmanship warranty. You get both in writing with the quote, so you can compare them before you sign.