While it is plain to see that Alberta’s most popular choice for residential roofing material is the asphalt shingle, more and more options are becoming increasingly popular giving homeowners a broader range of choices when roofing or re-roofing their homes. Some of these products are fairly new in the marketplace and others have been proven for a long time. If you are considering a new roof, here are some of the more well-known options that you can choose from.

When we think of our home’s exteriors and how they protect the rest of the dwelling, we generally think of the larger items like the roof, siding or stucco, and windows. However, one of the exterior items that is often overlooked by homeowners is the eavestroughing (or gutters) and downpipes.

Alberta is home to some of the most diverse weather patterns in the world. If you’ve heard the saying, “If you don’t like the weather, wait ten minutes”, you know just how true that can be. Not only can the weather change rapidly in the summer months, the freeze-thaw cycle in the winter months can be just as erratic. Warm temperatures, melting snow on a January afternoon, can suddenly drop thirty degrees by evening, freezing everything solid, only to warm up again a couple of days later. But while the winter freeze-thaw cycle can play a part in causing ice dams, the main cause of an ice dam is actually heat loss from inside the house.

In Alberta, sloped roofing is generally an un-regulated industry, meaning that just about anyone can purchase a few tools and attempt to acquire and complete roofing jobs for the general public. So often, we find that as a homeowner choosing between several price quotes from contractor’s willing to do their roof, the old adage of “You Get What You Pay For” applies far more often than not.

Whether you own your own home, or decide to build a new home, at some point you will have to have a new roof installed. Here are several questions to ask when choosing a company to re-roof your existing home, or install the first roof on your new home.

The most popular choice of roofing material in Alberta for decades has been the Asphalt Shingle. They are versatile, easily installed and have less of an up-front cost than many other types of roofing. Generally speaking, shingles have been made the same way for a very long time.

Your lawn and garden need regular care and maintenance to grow and look attractive. How about your roof? Many homeowners wait for little problems to pop up before paying attention to what is happening over their heads. If neglected, these little problems can quickly become large and costly issues. Here are four things you can do proactively to look after your roof and make sure that little problems don't end up being big problems.