Roofing Questions

If you own a home or business, you might have questions about roofing maintenance. If you’re concerned about your roof, don’t wait until it’s leaking to get it repaired. Dwight’s Roofing serves the greater Edmonton area and we are happy to answer all your roof-related questions.

Why is ventilation an important factor when installing my roof?

Ventilation is a crucial factor in the life of your roof. Built-up heat in your home during the summer and cold weather such as rain and snow in the winter will accelerate the aging process of your shingles. Proper air circulation, regardless of outside temperatures, will greatly reduce the chances of your roof leaking due to the roof deck curling, blistering, and rotting, or wet insulation.

What is ice damming and how does it occur?

Ice dams occur when melting snow continually thaws and refreezes. As snow on the roof melts, water runs under the existing snow and refreezes at the bottom edge of the roof. This process repeats, forming pools of water against the built-up ice dams and refreezing, growing into larger chunks of ice. The ice works its way up under the shingles on your roof deck, and eventually leaks into your house. The main cause of ice dams is heat escaping from your home. Insufficient attic insulation allows the heated air of the attic to escape and reach the underside of the roof deck creating condensation, and inadequate attic ventilation or not enough ventilation prevents moisture from escaping from your attic. Here are some ways prevent ice damming on your roof:

• Install an ice and water shield membrane on your eaves, in valleys, and on all side walls and chimneys
• Install a peel-and-stick membrane under your shingles, such as an ice and water shield, to protect the roof deck
• Top up your attic insulation to building code requirements – R50/18” of pink insulation is the standard and required minimum
• Improve your attic ventilation by adding more vents at soffits and required air vents
• Make sure your eavestroughs are cleaned regularly and sloped properly so that water doesn’t pool in them

If I am getting roof quotes, what are some of the questions I should ask my contractor?

• How long have you been in business?
• Do you have recent or past references?
• Do you have servicemen or service people should any issues occur?
• Do you have liability insurance?
• Are your workers covered by WCB insurance?
• What safety courses have your workers passed and do they have certificates to prove this?

We believe an educated customer is our best customer.

What are some of the warranties Dwight’s Roofing provides?

Because of how long Dwight’s name has been in the Edmonton roofing business, our warranties are truly valuable. We stand behind our workmanship warranties 100%.

• Our standard workmanship warranty is 5 years. If anything was incorrectly installed it would become obvious with the first rain or wind.
• Because of our expertise, we can offer a variety of additional shingle warranty programs from the manufacturers. We are approved, certified installers from IKO, Malarkey, and BP, and because of this we are able to offer extended warranties better coverage than would generally come with a normal shingle purchase. Please contact us for full details on these warranties.

Should I switch from a cedar roof to an asphalt roof ?

Due to the rising prices of cedar, many people have been told that switching to asphalt is no problem. There are some important factors that should be considered:

• What are the architectural requirements of your neighborhood? Many times, communities will want to maintain uniformity, or a look that will keep property values of the neighborhood elevated.
• Cedar has an R-value. If you remove this from your rooftop it will be very important to address the insulation and the ventilation in your attic. Removing the insulation barrier from the outer layer of your roof system will result in heat build-up in your attic. This will result in uncomfortableness in the summer and ice damming in the wintertime.
• There are many factors that contribute to whether or not switching to asphalt would be a good idea, such as the design of your home, whether you have vaulted ceilings, and which direction your home faces. We would be happy to meet with you to discuss what would work the best for your roof system.