Asphalt Shingles

Certainteed Carriage House shingles on Toronto roof

2010-08-28T21:39:53Z

We recently installed the Certainteed Carriage House luxury asphalt shingle in Colonial Slate colour on a roof in East York, Toronto. Our client tastefully selected this premium shingle in order to preserve the appearance of the original natural slate which we removed.

The Certainteed Carriage House are super-heavy weight asphalt shingles which provide premium performance and are intended to evoke the pride and prestige of scalloped edge natural slate. These shingles come with a limited lifetime manufacturers warranty and provide premium performance in terms of wind and fire resistance and algae protection. Our client's home initially featured slate which was recovered with designer asphalt shingles by the previous owner. To preserve the appearance of the original slate in a cost effective manner, our client decided on the Carriage House shingle in the Colonial Slate colour. The shingle was a great choice given the large sweeping roof and dormer which account for a large portion of the home's front area. The colour was also a great choice as it provides a nice contrast with the red brick and off white painted natural slate on the dormer as shown in the photo gallery below. Our client was very pleased with the aesthetic improvement the shingles provided to his home. This is another example of the positive aesthetic effect the selection of a luxury shingle can provide to a home. Please scroll down to view the image gallery below.

Certainteed Independence shingle on mansard style roof

2010-05-12T04:38:20Z

We recently completed a roofing project for our client in Oakville where we installed the Certainteed Independence premium designer shingle in the weatherwood colour on the mansard portion of the roof.

For the less visible top portion of the roof the client decided to go with a lower cost alternative the Certainteed Landmark shingle in matching weatherwood colour. Given the matching colour and that both shingles are a laminated style the difference in the shingle design is difficult to notice even from across the street. We finished all the metal flashings in a commercial brown colour to match the shingles, including aluminum work on the sides of the windows which were previously brown painted plywoods. The project also included the installation of all new eavestroughs and downspouts, which we installed in the sable colour. The new downspouts were smartly placed further back on the sides of the house, which the client agreed is more aesthetically pleasing then the previous position at the front of the house. This roofing project is a great example of how the selection of a premium designer shingle can really sharpen the look of a home. Please view the image gallery to see how great this mansard style roof turned out.

Leaking chimney flashing

2010-05-11T01:53:35Z

Here is an example of an inappropriate installation of a chimney flashing on a sloped roof that is sure to leak. When we examined the client's roof we easily spotted this inappropriate installation as the tall cone chimney flashing was installed over the shingles.

This is clearly inappropriate as water will run down the shingles and underneath the flashing. To prevent the water from entering underneath, the installer put caulking all around the flashing where it meets the shingles as you can see in the photo. It is only common sense that this is a poor installation as the caulking will eventually crack and water will run underneath the flashing as was evident by the wet stains on the boards upon stripping the flashing and shingles in the area. Further, the chimney flashing lacks a collar over the tall cone and is simply caulked.

To repair the problem we ordered a new tall cone chimney flashing for a sloped roof with collar and installed it appropriately. First we installed ice and water shield around the entire chimney area, then installed the chimney flashing and shingles over the flashing. The water will now run down the shingles onto the flashing and further from the flashing onto the shingles below. The appropriate overlap of items is installed in a common sense way consistent with the flow of water given gravity. The collar is installed and prevents an wter hitting the chimney to run down the collar and onto the shingles. The collar area is then caulked only where there is potential for the collar to leak. The tall cone is caulked only where the two parts are welded. This is an appropriate installation of a chimney flashing. If you are having a chimney like this installed be sure to consult a roofing professional as it is possible that the person installing the chimney is unaware of proper installation.

Toronto asphalt shingles, cedar mansard and slate roof featured in Globe and Mail

2010-03-30T21:48:33Z

Not long ago in the Friday, February 19, 2010 edition of the Globe and Mail’s Real Estate section the home of a past client was featured as the Resale Homes: Home of the Week represented by our friend Richard Silver of Bosley Real Estate. Last summer M&R Roofing completed various roofing work at the Edwardian home on 52 Amelia Street in Cabbagetown.

The large detached home required a complete replacement of the main roof for which our clients decided to go with the Certainteed Landmark 30 year shingle in Colonial Slate colour. This colour of shingle was the best match for the slate tiles we placed on the front porch. The rear two-car garage roof was replaced with matching Colonial Slate shingles. To add character to the front of the home we replaced the front porch with 10 x 20 inch unfading black slate tiles and finished all metal work in copper. The original cedar shingles on the front mansard were splitting and falling off and the fascia was rotten. We recommended our clients replace this front mansard with new cedar shingles which would both rejuvenate the front of the house and keep with the original design. Given the front mansard accounts for a large section of the front of the house, the new cedar definitely added a bold and refreshing look to our clients home.

Two rooms facing the rear of the home also featured 2 x 4 foot skylights which we believed were too small given the size of the rooms. Since the skylights were in need of replacing our clients decided to go with the Velux 4 x 4 foot electric venting curb mount skylights (VCE) with remote controls and black out blinds. The black out blinds were also remote controlled and allowed our clients to easily block out all of the city’s bright lights in their bedrooms during the night. To appropriately install these skylights we had to laminate the rafters around the skylights as shown in the image gallery below.

The new cedar shingles and slate tiles work on the front of the home adds character to the Cabbagetown home and neighbourhood and demands attention from people strolling down Amelia Street. It is a great example of how the presentation of a home can be improved without replacing the entire roof with slate tiles or cedar shingles. To view the Globe and Mail article in full view select the article in the image gallery.