Q&A
Why do I need a new roof?
Depends on the type of shingles that you have on your roof, shingles on your roof normally reach their lifespan in around 13-18 years. Shingles on your roof is constantly exposed to the natural element including the sun, strong wind, rain, snow, and freezing rain. These natural elements damage your roof over time.
Shingles are missing on my roof but I don’t care the appearance of my roof, can I leave my roof the way it is?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! There will be major damage to your house if you do not replace the old shingles that have been damaged by water, snow and serious weather conditions. Water will begin to leak into your attic. The wooden roof deck may deteriorate and become weak and start to warp.
Even when there’s a tiny hole on your roof, water can run through the damaged shingle and the old underlayment. It then drops down to the attic and damage your ceiling, drywall, plaster, etc. If the damage is not fixed, you may have to replace the insulation, woods, ceiling, drywalls and re-paint your house. Eventually these are the root cause of insect infestation and black moulds, which can cause long-term health and house problems.
Why the shingles at the back of my house are missing but the shingles above my garage are still there?
Shingles on South facing roof slopes have shorter lifespans than shingles on North facing roof slopes because South facing slopes receive more solar radiation by its exposure to the sun when compared to the North facing roof slopes.
Water and snow on flatter roofs takes longer to drain out than it is on steeper roofs. In addition, sunlight reflects on flatter roofs more directly than it is on steeper roofs. These natural phenomenon shorten the lifespans of flatter roofs than steeper roofs.
Roofs that are exposed to strong wind constantly tend to have shorter shingles lifespans.
Shingles in darker colours absorb more heat and tend to have shorter lifespans than lighter colours shingles.
Roofs at higher heights are exposed to more solar radiation and tend to have shorter lifespans.
What is WSIB?
WSIB stands for Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. WSIB is a government agency that supervises and ensures workplace safety is in placed with knowledgeable education and training.
WSIB covers workers’ injuries that occurred in a work related accident including work related illness that is developed from the work.
IT IS THE LAW—Bill 119 Mandatory Coverage for the Construction Industry!!! As of January 1st, 2013, it is MANDATORY for workers in the construction industry to have WSIB coverage. As of January 1st, 2014, contractors without a valid WSIB Clearance Number will be fined of up to $100,000.
What is a WSIB Clearance Number? Is it the same as the WSIB account number?
WSIB Clearance Number is NOT the same as the WSIB account number. A WSIB Clearance Number is a number on the WSIB Clearance Certificate provided by the WSIB to the contractors who is registered with the WSIB and their account is in a good standing.
Contractor with a valid WSIB Clearance Number not only proves that he/she is registered with the WSIB, it is also a strong proof that their account is in a good standing. Many contractors have obtained a WSIB account number by registering with the WSIB. However, they are unable to provide a valid WSIB Clearance Number because they have not paid their premiums and that their account is not in a good standing which means their WSIB is not valid and their workers are not covered by WSIB.
Do not believe everything you hear. Only believe what you see!!! Make sure you visually see the contractor’s WSIB Clearance Certificate which has a WSIB clearance number on it before you hire.
How to check if a company has a valid WSIB clearance number?
Please go to the Create Clearance Certificates page and type in the company info that you want to check a clearance number for. Here are detailed instructions on how to navigate the page.
I am just a homeowner, not an employer, what does WSIB have to do with me?
IT IS THE LAW—Bill 119 Mandatory Coverage for the Construction Industry!!! You must make sure that the contractors you hire have a valid clearance number or else, you may also faces serious fines and penalties.
As a homeowner, you are responsible for all the work related injuries if the contractor you hired does not have a valid WSIB. Even worse is that your home insurance will not be covering it. That means you will have to pay from your own pocket.
For more information, please refer to the article, “WSIB Protects Contractors and Customers” by Matthew Desrosiers.
What makes the price difference between different renovation companies?
The cost of labours is one of the important factors that makes the price difference between different companies. Experienced workers are getting higher paid than less experienced / non-experienced workers. In addition, full time workers are also getting higher paid than part time workers. Moreover, the number of workers being assigned to the job makes a big difference in the cost of labours. The cost of sending 6 workers to a job is triple than the cost of only sending 2 workers.
Materials cost is another component for the job cost. The brand of the materials, new vs old materials are factors that make the price difference between different companies.
A company with a valid operating license has to pay an annual renewal fee. This a company expense.
The liability insurance cost is another factor that makes the price difference between different companies. Make sure the liability insurance of the contractor that you hired is valid.
Do not believe everything you hear. Only believe what you see!!! Visually look at the contractor’s liability insurance of the contractor before you hire. Pay attention to the effective date. If their liability insurance is not valid, that means they are not insured and you are not covered.
The WSIB premium is an expensive cost for companies. As of 2014, the rate of the roofing group is $14.8 per $100 in wages. As a result of that, the job cost is usually higher for the companies who pay the WSIB premium. However, WSIB benefits employees, employers and homeowners.
For example, if 4 senior roofers and 2 junior roofers are working on a roofing job, the wage will be $350 * 4 + $250 * 2 = $1900. The WSIB premium for that particular roofing job (1 roofing job) will be $1900 * 14.8% = $281.2.
Do not believe everything you hear. Only believe what you see!!! Visually look at the contractor’s WSIB clearance certificate before you hire.
Why are the new shingles on my roof so bumpy?
Asphalt shingles are sticky strips that gets soften once heated by sun. New installed shingles look uneven and bumpy. Once the shingles get heated up, they become stretchy, soft and perfectly stick together. Shingles on the North facing roof slope takes longer time to be settled due to the lack of sufficient sunlight. For more information, please refer to the article, “Roof Shingles Are Not Lying Flat” by Glenda Taylor, Demand Media or refer to talk.roofing.com forum article “New Roof doesn’t look right”.