Roof replacement in Wasaga Beach

The wind exposure in Wasaga is the design constraint that matters, and it changes the specification in ways that cost very little at install time and a great deal to retrofit. An exposed Wasaga roof should get high-wind rated shingles with six-nail fastening as standard rather than as an upgrade line item, because four-nail fastening on an exposed Wasaga roof is a warranty claim waiting to happen.

Edges get particular attention. Starter strip along the eaves and the rakes, properly adhered, is what stops the wind getting a purchase in the first place. A remarkable number of roofs are built with cut shingles as starter, which leaves no sealant strip where it is needed most. Drip edge goes on under the underlayment at the eaves and over it at the rakes, which is not a detail anyone notices until it is wrong.

None of that is exotic. It is standard good practice, specified for this exposure, and it is the difference between a roof that lasts its rated life on the bay and one that starts shedding tabs in year eight.

If your Wasaga house started life as a three-season cottage, the re-roof is the moment to fix the attic, and it is the only time it will ever be cheap to do. Once the shingles are off we have access to install proper intake at the eaves, and the roof deck is open for exhaust venting.

The problem in a converted cottage is almost always the same: insulation was added at some point, intake ventilation was not, and the soffits are either absent or stuffed solid with insulation. Warm moist air from the house rises into the attic, cannot escape, condenses on the underside of the sheathing, and in winter melts the snow above it. That produces the ice dams and the mystery ceiling stains, and it also rots the deck and cooks the shingles from below.

Getting balanced intake and exhaust right during a replacement typically adds a modest amount to the job. Doing it later, as a separate exercise, costs far more and is disruptive. We quote it as part of the work and show you what we found in the attic so you can decide with the facts in front of you.

Full tear-off to the deck, every time. Going over top of existing shingles is faster and cheaper and it hides everything that matters: soft sheathing, failed flashings, and whatever the last roofer did wrong. On a wind-exposed roof it also adds a layer that the fasteners now have to reach through, which reduces holding power exactly where you need it.

With the deck exposed we replace any sheathing that has gone soft, at a per-sheet rate agreed in the quote so there are no surprise numbers at the end. Ice and water shield goes along the eaves well past the code minimum and up every valley. Synthetic underlayment over the rest. New flashings, not reused ones. Then the shingle field, ridge venting, and caps.

Most Wasaga re-roofs are one to three days. We protect landscaping, contain debris as we go, and magnet-sweep the drive and lawn before we leave, which matters more than it sounds when the property is a rental and the next guests arrive Friday.