Roof Repair in Longueuil: Bungalow and Plex Roofs, Ice Dams and the RBQ

Two kinds of roof, two kinds of failure

Low-slope shingle roofs on bungalows hold snow rather than shedding it, and attic heat loss through pot lights, unsealed hatches and thin insulation melts the underside into ice dams at the eaves; water backs up under the shingles and appears inside at the top of an exterior wall or around a window. Shingle failures themselves show up at valleys, plumbing vents and chimney flashing, and in curling and bald patches across the slope after twenty years.

Flat membrane roofs on plexes fail at seams, at the parapets and at the drains, and they pond where the deck has sagged. Snow load is the winter risk: a rain-on-snow event turns light powder into a heavy, wet load, and a blocked drain at the thaw floods the roof. Sticking doors, new cracks at ceiling corners and sag are reasons to call a snow-removal company the same day.

Ice dam or roof leak?

An ice dam leak appears during a cold spell, days into it, at the top of an exterior wall or around a window head, with thick icicles and a band of ice along the eaves outside and the roof above bare. A roof leak appears during rain or a thaw, below a valley, a chimney, a vent or a damaged area, and in the same place each time. The first is fixed in the attic by air sealing, insulation and ventilation; the second by a roofer.

If a dam is actively leaking, a professional steam removal clears channels through it without damaging the shingles. Chipping with an axe, salt and pressure washing all shorten the roof’s life. A roof rake from the ground to clear the first metre above the eaves is the safe limit for a homeowner.

• Photos of icicles, the ice band and any interior stain
• Attic insulation depth and any gaps
• Bathroom and kitchen fans confirmed vented outside
• Soffit and roof ventilation present and clear
• Roof age and the number of layers

What Quebec requires of a roofer

Roofing is construction work in Quebec, and a roofing contractor must hold a Régie du bâtiment du Québec licence in the right subclass; the RBQ lookup shows the licence and any restrictions. Ask for the CNESST registration and a certificate of liability insurance as well; companies that clear roofs professionally work with fall protection to CNESST standards, and nobody should be on a snowy roof with a shovel. Quebec’s Consumer Protection Act gives you a cancellation period on contracts signed with an itinerant merchant, which covers a roofer who came to your door. The Ville de Longueuil requires permits for some roofing work; ask the roofer what applies.

A written contract should name the product, the underlayment, the ice-and-water membrane at the eaves and valleys, the number of layers being removed, ventilation changes, disposal and the payment schedule, in the language you read.

Replacing well on the South Shore

On a low-slope bungalow roof, ask whether the pitch is really suitable for shingles; below a certain slope a membrane roof is the correct product. On a plex, ask what membrane, how many layers are coming off, and how drainage will be improved, because a new membrane over a ponding deck fails the same way the old one did. Either way, a replacement is the moment to air seal and insulate the attic, and programs from the province and Hydro-Québec have offered assistance for insulation upgrades.