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New roof, re-roof or roof repair?

BRENCAM has got you covered!


Serving Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph and all surrounding areas.

Providing Quality Residential & Commercial Roofing Services

in your neighbourhood for over 30 years.

Specializing in all aspects of roofing, we have a proven track record of satisfied customers
and over 10,000 re-roofs completed.


With over 30 years of experience in the Southwestern Ontario region, BRENCAM offers services that are professional and based on industry standards and use only top-quality products. We also realize that each customer is unique and important, and will work with them to achieve their goal.

Believing that the best way to market our company is to educate the customer about their roof, we have two sections of the site dedicated to helping customers understand the basics. We also understand our finished roofs are our best advertisement – BRENCAM provides photos on  website to help you learn about your roof, roof construction and of course, the finer details of roof repair/replacement.

Thank you for your interest in BRENCAM ROOFING and we look forward to servicing all your needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

about your roof

Please click on any question below for more details


 
Do I need a new roof?
Sooner or later, every roof needs to be replaced. If it is old and worn, limited repairs won’t help. A roof tends to wear uniformly, and even the best roofing materials will eventually succumb to weathering.

The biggest enemies of roofing are the sun, wind, rain, hail (freeze thaw cycles) and seasonal temperature changes. Signs of a weathered roof are excessive loss of protective mineral granules and cracked, curled or missing shingles. Inspect the attic with a flashlight for signs of leaks. Check downspouts for signs of excessive granule loss. If a roof of standard shingles is more than 20 years old, it is a prime candidate for re-roofing.

Use binoculars to inspect the roof from the ground. Walking on the roof is not only dangerous, it may also damage the shingles.

How long should my roof last?
Most of today’s asphalt shingles are designed to provide satisfactory service for a period ranging from 20 to 30 years or longer. Asphalt shingles are typically referred to as a 20 year, 30 year, 40 year, etc. shingle. The number of years serves as more a general grade rating than a definite shingle lifetime.

Particularly in Canada and similar areas with high heat/humidity and cold/ice weather patterns, shingle life will most definitely be lower than the given rating. On the whole, though, a 30 year shingle will outlast a 20 year, as a 40 year would a 30 year, despite the region.

Poor ventilation also adversely affects shingle life, even to the point of some shingle manufacturers voiding the shingle warranty. Proper ventilation, both intake and exhaust, can help your roof more closely approach the rated life. Types of intake ventilation used in a roof include soffits and gable vents. Exhaust ventilation would include ridge vent, turbines, air hocks, and electric turtle vents. We can provide you with more information as well personalized recommendations concerning your home’s ventilation systems.

What maintenance does my roof require?
If you have chosen your new roof carefully, it should require only minimal maintenance. Nevertheless, here are a few suggestions:

  • Keep gutters, downspouts, and roof surfaces clear of fallen leaves, twigs and other litter so that water will drain freely and not back up.
  • Never allow water from a downspout to pour directly onto the roof below; keep trees trimmed to prevent scuffing of the roof by branches or damage by falling limbs. Keep climbing roses and vines trimmed back.
  • Don’t walk on roofing. It’s dangerous and can damage the shingles. When it is necessary for workmen to go on the roof, they should use ladders, scaffolding or other suitable protection.
  • When removing debris from the valley or roof area, be careful not to damage the roof with whatever tools are used.
  • The roof should be inspected once a year and any damage should be repaired as soon as possible.
What type of roof coverings are available for my roof?
A basic list of roof coverings available today includes asphalt shingles, roll roofing, concrete and ceramic tiles, slate, terne, wood shingles and shakes, aluminum shingles, built-up roofing, and single-ply systems.

Asphalt shingles are the most widely used roof covering for new home construction and remodelling. Used on four out of five U.S. homes, they are economical, durable and attractive.

The “standard” asphalt shingle is the square butt strip shingle, elongated in shape and available with one or three tabs. This product is made of a base mat of organic material (cellulose fibers) or inorganic material (glass fibers). Organic mat is saturated and coated with asphalt and then surfaced with ceramic-coated opaque mineral granules. The saturating process is not necessary for fiber glass-based asphalt shingles, which require only a coating asphalt. The coating asphalt provides for weatherproofing qualities. The mineral granules protect the shingles from the sun’s ultra-violet rays, and give the shingles colour and added protection against fire.

A new generation of premier products three-dimensional, multi-layered asphalt shingles is particularly desirable for creating long-lasting roofs with dramatic bold textures and a distinctive appearance.

What colour shingle do I need?
The roof is the part of your home that most visitors see first. It can be the key to successful exterior design and appearance.

Asphalt shingles are available in a range of traditional and modern colours and styles, including the popular earth-tone hues and the top-of-the-line three-dimensional designs.

In addition to making a home more attractive, a roof’s colour can be used to create various visual effects. A white roof, for example, may be used on a contemporary house to create a sense of airiness or on a low-slung ranch home for a taller appearance. Dark colours help make an unusually tall or steep-roofed building seem less towering.

You also want to ensure that whatever colour of shingle you choose matches your exterior colour scheme. Contrasting colours can be used to accentuate your roof or complementary colours can be chosen to blend your roof into your home’s siding or brick.

To see a sampling of available shingle colours and styles, you can head over to our Shingle Guide.

How can I protect my roof?
Ice dams and strong winds can sometimes force water behind or underneath shingles. An ice dam can form quite easily on almost any roof which is subjected to snowfall.

As heat from a home’s attic causes snow on the roof to melt, it runs down onto the eaves, which are much cooler since they are not affected by the attic’s heat. Water on the eaves re-freezes and builds up, forming an ice dam. Melted snow then pulls behind the ice dam, where it can seep beneath the shingles, through the roof deck and into the internal structure of the home, causing potentially serious damage.

Of importance to residents are also strong winds that can lift sloped roof coverings such as shingles, allowing wind-driven rain to move in and penetrate an unprotected roof deck.

All-climate underlayment (also known as ice and water shield) creates a watertight seal that keeps water out of the most vulnerable, leak-prone areas of the roof at the eaves, in valleys, around chimneys and skylights, etc. and also seals around roofing nails to ensure a watertight surface. Think of it as a second roof. In fact, it could be the roof, though by itself it’s not very attractive.

Types of Roof Styles

explained

One of the most difficult things about a new roof is getting lost in the terminology. The following is a short list of conventional roof types to help you understand your roof and the work being done to your home.


FLAT
Simply put; a flat roof

SHED
A single sloped roof

GABEL
A simple triangular shaped roof from the side with two rectangle sections opposing each other creating an up side down V

SALTBOX
Similar to a gable roof, but the two sides of it are not symmetrical

HIPPED
A pyramid shaped roof where 4 triangle sections are sloped to meet in a single point

PAVILION HIPPED
A simple triangular shape from the side with two opposing trapezoids that meet at the hip thus creating 2 angled sloped triangles sections

GAMBREL
This roof looks more traditionally barn or bell shaped than triangular when viewed from the side. It is like a flattened gable roof

MANSARD
The mansard has a flat area at the top with 4 heavily sloped sides slanting out to meet and/or exceed the walls of the building

CROSS GABEL
Similar to the gable roof, but has two gable parts that cross in a T like

CROSS HIPPED
Similar to a hipped roof, but this roof has two parts that cross

Roof Terms

explained

Every industry has its own jargon, and the roofing industry is no exception. Understanding “roof speak” can be somewhat daunting but the following brief list of roof terms should give you a leg-up in understanding the work being done to your home.


Beam
A long piece of wood or steel that supports your roof that, when grouped, can form a truss.

Cornice
The overhanging part of the roof that sticks out past your walls.

Coverage
The degree of weather protection offered by a roofing material: single, double or triple coverage.

Deck
The wood roof surface to which roofing materials are applied.

Dormer
A gabled extension protruding from a sloping roof to allow for a framed window.

Drip Edge
Weather-resistant metal or vinyl edge installed along eaves and rakes to facilitate shedding of water at the edges.

Eaves
Parts of a roof that project beyond or overhang the face of the wall at the lower edge of the roof.

Eaves Trough
They are also known as gutters. They provide a method by which water that drips off the roof is caught and carried down the down spouts to an appropriate area for it to wash away.

Exposure
Specifically, exposure to weather: the distance from the butt edge of one shingle to another.

Fascia
The vertical edge of the cornice.

Felt
A breather-type building paper of strong, tough base saturated with asphalt.

Flashing
Strips of metal or roofing material used in making watertight joints on a roof, especially in valleys or where inclined and vertical surfaces intersect. These must be laid at all points where the roof meets a wall, chimney, skylight, vents, dormer, valley or stack.

Gable
The end wall of a building which comes to a triangular point under a sloping roof; also, a type of roof.

Hip
An external angle formed by the meeting of two sloping ends of the roof, from the ridge to the eaves; also, a type of roof.

Rake
The inclined edge of a pitched roof over an end wall.

Ridge
The apex of the angle formed by a roof, or the peak, where the common rafters meet.

Sofit
The horizontal bottom of the cornice.

Square
The amount of roofing material required to cover 100 square feet (10’x10′) of roof surface.

Truss
A framework of beams, usually grouped in a triangular nature, that support the roof.

Valley
An internal angle or water runway formed by the intersection of two slopes in a roof.

Contact Us for a Free Estimate

or any concerns regarding your roof or leaks

New roof, re-roof, or roof repair, BRENCAM has you covered!
We specialize in all aspects of roofing.