TH1 290802ON H 001Q - Dominion Roofing
TH1 290802ON H 001Q - Dominion Roofing
TH1 290802ON H 001Q - Dominion Roofing
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
YOUR HOME<br />
A GUIDE TO BETTER LIVING SPACES<br />
Thursday, August 29, 2002 Section H<br />
HOW TO DEAL WITH PEELING EXTERIOR PAINT/H5 BUILD A BUDGET BACK-TO-SCHOOL DESK/H7<br />
Day With<br />
The Experts:<br />
You can see<br />
it on the<br />
Web/H2<br />
Shingles,<br />
slate, shakes<br />
or metal?<br />
Is your roof starting<br />
to look like it needs<br />
some work? Read on<br />
to learn about your<br />
options and how<br />
to choose the right<br />
contractor for the job<br />
CLASSIC LOOK: Martin Neufeld works on a Galvalume metal roof being installed on an 1878 farmhouse on Mayfield Rd. in Caledon.<br />
BY BRIAN DEXTER<br />
STAFF REPORTER<br />
These days almost any kind of<br />
roofing job is a big and costly deal<br />
for the homeowner.<br />
But when it comes time to build a<br />
home or repair an old roof, do you<br />
use shingles, shakes, steel, tiles,<br />
slate, plastic or rubber?<br />
Making the right choice of roof<br />
materials isn’t easy and there are<br />
more of them around than ever.<br />
In fact, it’s a jungle when it comes<br />
to finding out what’s best for you,<br />
hiring a contractor or deciding<br />
whether you can handle a re-roofing<br />
job, or at least some kind of repair,<br />
by yourself.<br />
You can pay as little as $3,000 for<br />
an asphalt shingle re-roofing job on<br />
a small three-bedroom house in Toronto.<br />
On the other hand, you find<br />
$200,000 custom jobs, possibly with<br />
metal or tile, at some large upscale<br />
homes.<br />
Peter Kalinger, technical director<br />
of the Canadian <strong>Roofing</strong> Contractors’<br />
Association, estimates at least<br />
$400 million a year is spent in Canada<br />
on residential-sector roofing.<br />
For homeowners looking for<br />
“tried and true,” economical roofing<br />
solutions, asphalt shingles have<br />
been used throughout Canada since<br />
the late 1800s.<br />
In fact, asphalt shingles account<br />
for more than 80 per cent of the roofing<br />
market, but many other options<br />
are now available, including products<br />
made of recycled plastic and<br />
rubber, Kalinger points out.<br />
“Some of these replicate slate, tile<br />
or wood shingles but are lightweight<br />
and durable,” he says. “We see the<br />
use of metal roofing increasing too.<br />
There have been dramatic changes<br />
in respect to surface finishes, products<br />
have become less susceptible to<br />
corrosion and there’s better colour<br />
retention.”<br />
But some products don’t yet have<br />
a proven track record, Kalinger<br />
warns, and it’s wise to check out<br />
specific products and manufacturers<br />
at www.nrc.ca/ccmc, the Internet<br />
Web site of the Canadian Construction<br />
Materials Centre, an arm of the<br />
National Research Council.<br />
For example, when some types of<br />
fibre cement tiles from the U.S. ar-<br />
.com<br />
Kathy<br />
Renwald<br />
finds an<br />
unusual<br />
sunflower/H3<br />
HIGH TECH H7<br />
BRIAN DEXTER/TORONTO STAR<br />
rived in Canada, they failed miserably<br />
in our climate, and in Alberta a<br />
bad experience with untreated white<br />
pine shake roofs sparked a multimillion-dollar<br />
class-action lawsuit,<br />
Kalinger says.<br />
“Often it takes 15 to 20 years to develop<br />
a Canadian national standard<br />
for a product,” he says. “You should<br />
at least try to ensure that any new<br />
materials that are offered have been<br />
evaluated by an independent third<br />
party.”<br />
F Please see Choose, H4
H4 THE TORONTO STAR Thursday, August 29, 2002<br />
Choose<br />
your roofer<br />
carefully<br />
F Continued from H1<br />
Important factors for any<br />
new roof components are<br />
weight, fire and wind resistance<br />
ratings. Problems with<br />
newer materials can include<br />
such things as cracking, surface<br />
crazing (fine surface<br />
cracking), fading, warping and<br />
poor adhesion.<br />
A U.S. research paper has<br />
pointed out that in the roofing<br />
business, guarantees are only<br />
as strong as the company that<br />
issues them and are no substitute<br />
for quality products with a<br />
successful history.<br />
The study notes that metal<br />
roofs are known for noise during<br />
rain and some fibre-cement<br />
products are not recommended<br />
for locations with freeze-thaw<br />
cycles and snow conditions.<br />
Don Marks, executive director<br />
of the Toronto-based Ontario<br />
Industrial <strong>Roofing</strong> Contractors’<br />
Association, also advises<br />
people do their homework<br />
well. That includes researching<br />
the contractor if you’re going to<br />
hire someone to do the job.<br />
“It’s very tough for someone<br />
to select a contractor and decide<br />
what type of roof to have.<br />
The Toronto Yellow Pages<br />
probably has more than 500<br />
listings on roofing,” he says.<br />
“There are just too many<br />
nightmares out there.”<br />
Just because your sister got a<br />
great shingle job last year from<br />
a company, it doesn’t mean the<br />
firm will do the same for you a<br />
year later, Marks warns.<br />
“The reason is that with<br />
many companies, their shingler<br />
labour changes every<br />
year.”<br />
Homeowners should ensure<br />
that whomever they deal with<br />
has a permanent place of business,<br />
has liability insurance<br />
and Workplace Safety and Insurance<br />
Board coverage, gives<br />
a detailed written estimate, is licensed<br />
by the materials manufacturer<br />
to install a particular<br />
product, gives references that<br />
can be checked and has the<br />
proper municipal licences,<br />
where applicable.<br />
As an example of what can<br />
go wrong, homeowners with<br />
flat roofs should be cautious if<br />
contractors want to apply a<br />
two-ply modified bitumen<br />
membrane system that is secured<br />
partly with a propanefired<br />
torch, Marks says. The<br />
system is associated with a<br />
number of property fires, usually<br />
caused by shinglers who<br />
aren’t flat-roof experts, he<br />
adds.<br />
<strong>Dominion</strong> <strong>Roofing</strong>, a Toronto-based<br />
family business that’s<br />
been around since 1922, has<br />
roof installers with families<br />
that have been doing the job<br />
with the company for two or<br />
three generations, says Norman<br />
Shore, <strong>Dominion</strong>’s residential<br />
manager.<br />
A re-roofing job on a threebedroom,<br />
two-storey house in<br />
Toronto should cost between<br />
$3,000 and $10,000, he says.<br />
Disposal costs for materials<br />
such as asphalt are rising,<br />
Shore says, and in a $5,500 job,<br />
$2,500 might be the cost of ripping<br />
off old shingles and getting<br />
rid of them.<br />
Look at paying $2 to $4 a<br />
square foot installed for asphalt<br />
shingles, he says. Metal costs<br />
$4 to $8 a square foot, cedar<br />
wood shakes cost $5 to $7 and<br />
tile or slate is $10 to $18. Copper<br />
is about $18 a square foot;<br />
<strong>Dominion</strong> makes it by hand in<br />
its own fabricating shop.<br />
Shore also warns that the<br />
cheapest contractor may not be<br />
the most economical. The unscrupulous<br />
roofer can find a<br />
zillion ways to cut costs, such<br />
as not using galvanized nails or<br />
premium caulking.<br />
Then there are contractor issues<br />
of what plywood or fascia<br />
might need replacing, the type<br />
of flashing used as well as roof<br />
vents providing the right<br />
amount of ventilation to maintain<br />
a healthy roof.<br />
“A roof should be checked<br />
out once a year and we do this<br />
with roof tune-ups,” Shore<br />
says. “We clean out the eavestroughs,<br />
check the flashings,<br />
caulking and replace any missing<br />
shingles that might have<br />
been dislodged in a storm.<br />
“A lot of time people don’t<br />
know they have a problem until<br />
water gets inside the house. By<br />
the time that happens, it’s probably<br />
been there for a while.<br />
And you might have infestation<br />
by carpenter ants due to dampness<br />
retention.”<br />
When it comes to materials,<br />
IKO, EMCO, CertainTeed and<br />
GAF are the four major shingle<br />
makers, Shore says.<br />
“They each have about 20<br />
different styles in different<br />
grades and they offer warranties<br />
that can range from 20<br />
years to 50 years.”<br />
A lot of metal panel products<br />
now look like shingles, and in<br />
general, synthetic products are<br />
getting better, Shore says. Every<br />
year <strong>Dominion</strong> gets at least<br />
a dozen sales pitches on new<br />
products; in the past year they<br />
accepted one, the Enviroshake,<br />
a Canadian-made simulated cedar<br />
shake that can be installed<br />
with a power nailer.<br />
Last year the Enviroshake<br />
won the first Canadian Agri-<br />
Food Award of Excellence for<br />
Innovation from the federal<br />
government. Wellington Polymer<br />
Technology incorporates<br />
such materials as rubber from<br />
used tires, reclaimed plastics,<br />
hemp and flax fibres into the<br />
shake, produced at a Chatham<br />
plant that opened in May. The<br />
shakes were used to roof the<br />
Guelph Golf and Country Club.<br />
“We have spent over six<br />
years in developing the Enviroshake<br />
and once installed, it is<br />
maintenance-free and has a 50year<br />
warranty,” says Brian<br />
Eberle, a company vice-president.<br />
“The cost is equivalent to<br />
premium red cedar on an installed<br />
basis and the product<br />
looks like cedar that’s been<br />
weathered for three or four<br />
years.”<br />
At Avenue Road <strong>Roofing</strong>’s<br />
head office on Wingold Ave. in<br />
Toronto, there’s a showroom<br />
with examples of roofing, but<br />
there’s no way to display everything,<br />
says Tim Mulroy, residential<br />
sales manager for the<br />
company, which roofs 1,500 to<br />
2,000 homes a year.<br />
A particularly good source of<br />
information for those considering<br />
roofing with shingles is the<br />
head office and showroom of<br />
Roofmart (Ontario) Ltd., on<br />
Hansen Rd. in Brampton.<br />
Roofmart is a distributor and<br />
supplier of IKO products, and<br />
storage sheds in its yard are<br />
roofed with about 25 different<br />
types of shingles. A showroom<br />
has shingle-related materials<br />
and staff are helpful.<br />
For those looking at metal,<br />
Galvalume is an option.<br />
The metal sheets can be cut<br />
to any length and secured on<br />
strapping over existing shingles.<br />
Rudy Vandenberg Classic<br />
Renovations of Mississauga is<br />
using green ribbed sheets of<br />
Galvalume, supplied by Agway<br />
Metals Inc. of Brampton, on an<br />
1878 farmhouse on Mayfield<br />
Rd., in a southwest corner of<br />
the Town of Caledon.<br />
“This stuff lasts forever, and<br />
when I do my roof on my own<br />
home at Inglewood, I intend to<br />
use it,” says installer Martin<br />
Neufeld.<br />
“It’s more expensive than asphalt<br />
shingles for re-roofing,<br />
but for new construction is getting<br />
to be competitive with<br />
shingles.”<br />
Unicrete Products Ltd., a<br />
Calgary company, claims its<br />
lightweight concrete roof tiles<br />
deliver the lowest life-cycle<br />
cost, although they initially cost<br />
more than high-end wood.<br />
Roof Lines East Inc. of Oakville<br />
is a local company specializing<br />
in concrete tile roofs.<br />
Royal Building Group Tech-<br />
Internet offers information sources<br />
Web sites on roofing:<br />
n Avenue Road <strong>Roofing</strong>: www.avenueroadroofing.com<br />
n Canada Mortgage and Housing<br />
Corp.: www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca<br />
n Canadian <strong>Roofing</strong> Contractors<br />
Association: www.roofingcanada.com<br />
n Canadian Sheet Steel Building<br />
Institute: www.cssbi.ca<br />
n CertainTeed Corp: www.certainteed.com<br />
n DLD <strong>Roofing</strong>: www.dldroofing.com<br />
n <strong>Dominion</strong> <strong>Roofing</strong>: www.do-<br />
minionroofing.com<br />
n Enviroshake: www.enviroshake.com<br />
n GAF Materials Corp:<br />
www.gaf.com<br />
n Hy-Grade Steel <strong>Roofing</strong>:<br />
www.hygraderoofing.com<br />
n IKO: www.iko.com<br />
n Metal <strong>Roofing</strong> Alliance:<br />
www.metalroofing.com<br />
n Ontario Industrial <strong>Roofing</strong><br />
Contractors Association:<br />
www.ontarioroofing.com<br />
n Perma Tile Roof Group:<br />
www.permatileroof.com<br />
n Roof Lines East Inc: www.rooflines.com<br />
n Smart Roof Systems:<br />
www.smartroof.com<br />
n Roof Help, a U.S. site:<br />
www.roofhelp.com<br />
n Royal Building Products:<br />
www.royalbuildingproducts.com<br />
n Steel Tile Co: www.steeltile-<br />
.com<br />
n Tile Master <strong>Roofing</strong> Group:<br />
www.tilemasterroofing.com<br />
n Unicrete Products Ltd:<br />
www.unicrete.com<br />
n Vic West: www.vicwest.com<br />
BRIAN DEXTER/TORONTO STAR<br />
OPTIONS : Jason Price,<br />
sales manager for custom<br />
homes division of <strong>Dominion</strong><br />
<strong>Roofing</strong>, displays<br />
samples of new roofing<br />
products. He’s holding a<br />
cedar shake and roofcap,<br />
while lying in front of<br />
him are, from left, Enviroshake,<br />
Royal Plastics<br />
product and slate. At left,<br />
a tile roof on a home in<br />
the Toronto area.<br />
nologies of Vaughan makes<br />
Dura Slate, a roofing-tile system<br />
with a 50-year warranty.<br />
It’s lighter than clay or slate<br />
tiles and can be cut with a knife<br />
or saw and nailed.<br />
Royal Building Systems, a division<br />
of the company, has a<br />
model home on a site at Highways<br />
7 and 27 in Vaughan.<br />
For metal roofing, Steel Tile<br />
Co. of Innisfil, south of Barrie,<br />
has a wide range of products<br />
made by Stelco and Dofasco.<br />
Hy-Grade Steel <strong>Roofing</strong> Systems<br />
of Guelph has been making<br />
an all-Canadian product<br />
since 1979.<br />
Many metal roofs now have<br />
granular coated finishes that<br />
replicate asphalt roofs.<br />
Tile Master Group of Mississauga<br />
makes and installs steel<br />
roofs that look like Europeanstyle<br />
tile.<br />
The company stresses the<br />
environmental benefits of steel<br />
roofing over asphalt.<br />
Fibreglass shingles may require<br />
an asphalt felt underlay<br />
to meet fire resistance ratings.<br />
Some studies show that they<br />
offer greater wind and tear<br />
strength values than traditional<br />
asphalt shingles.<br />
A maximum of three layers<br />
of shingles are allowed under<br />
Ontario’s building code. Yet<br />
many companies insist two<br />
should be the acceptable limit<br />
and won’t shingle a roof with a<br />
third, citing the strain on roofs.<br />
Of course, all roofs require<br />
periodic maintenance and it’s<br />
easy to damage shingle roofs<br />
by walking on them.<br />
Follow<br />
tips to<br />
rooftop<br />
health<br />
Here’s a list of tips, gleaned<br />
from various sources, on how<br />
to tell when your roof needs repairs,<br />
along with advice on how<br />
to hire a contractor.<br />
Your roof may need work<br />
when:<br />
n It leaks. In this case, don’t<br />
wait another day before taking<br />
action. Your home could suffer<br />
serious damage.<br />
n Shingles look worn and<br />
cracked and start to curl, or<br />
other types of roof materials<br />
appear shabby.<br />
n You see cracked seals in<br />
flashing — that metal or plastic<br />
sheeting that keeps rain away<br />
from such spots as v-shaped<br />
channels on the roof.<br />
n In the case of a shingle roof,<br />
it feels spongy when you walk<br />
on it. It may have warped or<br />
rotten plywood underneath.<br />
Maintaining your roof:<br />
n Annual maintenance should<br />
include replacing missing shingles,<br />
securing and resealing<br />
loose flashings, repairing ridge<br />
caps and sealing around pipes,<br />
air vents, chimneys and in roof<br />
valleys.<br />
n Secure loose nails and eavestroughs<br />
and ensure downspouts<br />
aren’t blocked.<br />
n Use binoculars to inspect<br />
your roof, although nothing<br />
beats an actual roof walk once<br />
a year and unknown factors exist<br />
until you uncover a roof.<br />
n Check the roof for soft spots<br />
and fascia for signs of rotting<br />
wood.<br />
n Check for any drip leaks between<br />
the eavestrough and fascia,<br />
the wood trim around the<br />
outside edge of the roof. If left<br />
unattended, the problem can<br />
rot wood and even dislodge<br />
eavestroughs.<br />
n Watch for ice dams in winter<br />
— snow that melts and then refreezes<br />
at the roof edge can<br />
back up under shingles and<br />
cause leaks. If this happens,<br />
improve insulation and air sealing<br />
to reduce heat loss through<br />
the roof.<br />
n Seals are only as good as the<br />
caulking and this is especially<br />
true with metal roofing.<br />
When you hire a contractor<br />
for a roofing job, look at:<br />
n Word-of-mouth recommendation<br />
from colleagues, neighbours<br />
or friends who have had<br />
similar work done.<br />
n Drive around your community<br />
and see whose signs are up<br />
for roofing work and check the<br />
local Yellow Pages.<br />
n Always seek three estimates,<br />
and if the companies you call<br />
don’t send someone to see you<br />
fairly promptly, eliminate them<br />
and call others.<br />
n Seek references that you can<br />
check and ask to view recent<br />
roofing work that the contractors<br />
have done.<br />
n Get details of guarantee conditions<br />
and specific listings of<br />
what materials (including their<br />
grades) are to be used.<br />
n Once a contractor does a<br />
thorough inspection, ensure<br />
details of work to be done are<br />
specified as well as the cost and<br />
the period of time when work<br />
will be performed. Be sure to<br />
get the final bid in writing.<br />
n Make sure the contract includes<br />
removal and disposal of<br />
old roofing and proper site<br />
clean-up.<br />
n Check that the contractor<br />
you hire has liability insurance<br />
and Workplace Safety and Insurance<br />
Board coverage and is<br />
licensed by the materials manufacturer<br />
to install a certain<br />
product.<br />
— Brian Dexter