Asphalt Shingle Roofing in Burlington, ON

The Ontario Building Code, Ontario Regulation 332/12, requires eave protection on most shingle roofs over heated space. It must run from the roof edge at least 900 mm up the slope and reach at least 300 mm past the inside face of the exterior wall.

We go beyond that minimum with self-adhered membranes such as Grace Ice & Water Shield, IKO StormShield or GAF WeatherWatch. Valleys carry concentrated runoff, and the sides of chimneys, skylights and walls are where ice dams push water sideways, so those areas get the same membrane.

Synthetic underlayment is a woven polypropylene sheet that replaced the old asphalt-saturated felt. Felt tears under foot, wrinkles when it gets wet and can show through new shingles as ridges.

Synthetics such as IKO Stormtite, GAF Deck-Armor and CertainTeed RoofRunner resist tearing, lie flat, and give crews a textured surface that is safer to walk on a steep pitch. They also stay sound if a summer storm interrupts the job overnight.

Wind uplift starts at the eaves and rakes, where gusts get under the first course. A factory starter strip places a sealant line right at the edge, while a cut-down shingle often leaves that line too high to hold.

Metal drip edge sends water into the eavestrough and keeps it off the fascia. At the top, we use the maker's hip and ridge cap shingles because cut 3-tab pieces crack when they are bent over a ridge in cold weather.

Homes near the lake and on open ground north of the QEW take strong gusts, so we follow each manufacturer's high-wind pattern, usually six nails per shingle instead of four. Every nail must land inside the marked nailing zone and pass through both laminated layers.

Nails set too high miss the lower layer, and overdriven nails cut through the mat, which weakens the hold. Shingle makers tie wind coverage to correct fastening, so a roof nailed carelessly can lose its wind warranty even though it looks fine from the street.