The Ultimate Roofing Showroom

604-572-8088

Short cuts:  Certainteed

Landmark "TL" Ultimate

Landmark Premium

Presidential "TL" Ultimate

Presidential Shakes

Grand Manor

Centennial Slate

Carriage House

Short cuts:   Malarkey

Highlander

Northwest XL -"ar" Scotchguard

EZ Ridge and Ridgeglass Caps

Mountain Ridge Caps

Short cuts: GAF ELK

Vented RidgeCrest Caps

Other pages with info regarding shingle roofs:

Underlayments  why are they important under shingles?

Velux Skylights

Shingle choices can be segregated into a decision between good, choice, better choice, and best choice. It will depend on your budget range, style of shingle chosen, and desired thickness and durability.

Once that decision is made you have more choices.

First, underlayments which are an integral necessity to hold the weather out, as all shingles from all manufacturers are just water-shedding devices, not waterproofing as is commonly believed. Stormy or incessant weather will allow water to ingress below the shingles, and the underlayment then goes to work to direct the water off the roof below the shingles. Like shingles you have "cheap stuff", good stuff, better stuff, and best choices. The best choice for your roof may not be the expensive stuff, it depends on regional weather  conditions, pitch or slope of roof, and the shingle chosen.

Next choice will be flashings, and drip edges. Choose wisely for our regional weather, and we have choices we will suggest that the typical roofers will try to leave off the roof.

Next is ventilation. All roofing materials need to be installed on a well ventilated attic space, but all asphalt shingles demand meeting or exceeding the building code criteria for venting. It is the single most common reason for warranties to be voided, as the shingle manufacturer insists on their shingles not getting "cooked" on a hot attic space.

A building needs to have air drawn in through soffit venting into the attic space below the roof, and an equal amount of air needs to be exhausted out through roof vents. Typically plastic or metal square vents we call static vents are used, at least in the past. The better way is to vent out through ridge vents hidden under the ridge caps. Alternatives include Whirlybird style Turbine Vents, Power Vents, and sometimes vents installed into the gables (not as efficient). Our local area requires at least 144 square inches of intake plus 144 square inches of exhaust, MINIMUM, for every 600 square feet of attic space under the roof. This minimum requirement means one requires at least 3 static vents or 12 lineal feet of ridge vent for every 600 square feet of attic. Always try to exceed this minimum, and some shingle manufacturers will require double this formula for their long term warranties to be valid and in effect.

Next, but definitely not least, is your choice of ridge and hip capping. One can fold over simple ridge units over the ridge to affect a waterproof roof, but this is a poor, cheap, unfortunate look for a home. It can actually spoil the appearance of really nice or really thick shingles. The western region often uses what is called EZ Ridge 10" wide shake look ridge to create a more interesting look. But the ultimate look is to raise up EZ RIDGE 10", or Mountain Ridge 10" caps, up on to a continuous installation of Trim-Line 9" Rigid Vent. It deals with the venting issue on most homes, while delivering an outstanding high definition high profile look to both the hips and the ridges of the roof. The curb appeal is wonderful, and this works well with medium thickness shingles as well as thick and super thick shingles. View designer ridge caps page for some of our suggestions. Another great way to achieve this is with our new Vented Ridgecrest caps. They are a one piece cap and vent unit built into one. With one pass the roofer can install both the caps and the vent at the same time which saves him time. The end look creates one of our ultimate roof-scaping effects, and we love to install this on the hips as well, for outstanding curb appeal, and outstanding noticeable definition.

Finally, while one is designing and then later getting installed a new roof system, there is no better time to add new skylights, change out old skylights, or upgrade to opening and fresh air venting skylights.

Our best skylight line is called Velux skylights. They were originally designed and built in Europe, but now offer Canadian and American manufactured skylights. They are energy star rated, energy efficient, finely built, and can come with a leak free guarantee. They include many sizes, both fixed models and opening style, they have manual openers as well as electric openers, and now offer tubular sun tunnels as well. Some models have built in wood work and curbs ready to install, while they also have units that mount onto existing curbs already installed on your roof. Accessories include blinds, solar shades, venetians, sun block shades, rain sensors, flashing kits, and electric controls both wall mounted and remote controlled.

Bring in the outside beauty and light into your inner home environment. The architectural beauty is outstanding. Getting rid of hot air from in your home vented out through opening skylights is a "cheap" way to air condition your home naturally. The roofer can easily install a skylight into the roof while doing the roofing. The finishing into the inside of a home is usually simple, and most handymen or carpenters can take care of this final part of the work.

A Velux Sun Tunnel is another way to bring light into the home. For those that just want free light, but are not interested in the architectural interest of the skylight shaft inside the home, a Sun Tunnel is an easy fixture to install from the roof, through the attic, and into the ceiling of your rooms below the roof.  See www.Velux.ca for more information.

The Showrooms in this section display a wide selection of asphalt fiberglass shingle styles currently available from a variety of key shingle manufacturers.

The choices will include much more than colour and patterns. Although most shingles made today come with reasonably long warranties, the real issue is thickness, texture, and weight.

Shingles that are thinner and lighter will blow off the roof in stormy conditions much easier than thicker and heavier shingles. If you are looking for a roofing shingle that will let you sleep at night during those stormy rainy nights, we seriously advise everyone to look at mid-weight and heavier weight shingles as their better roofing choice.

Please see this important consumer and contractor advisory message about the 2011 industry wide shingle warranty changes (please click on this link) that has renamed all "30" year shingles to Limited Lifetime Warranty. No shingle manufacturers made their shingle better, they don't expect them to last any longer, some even made their shingles thinner, and NONE of them expect their shingles to last a "lifetime". You need to read this section if you are in any way considering asphalt shingles for your roof. BUYER BEWARE ! Caveat emptor !

Today's least expensive and most often chosen shingles are called laminated shingles. The lowest "warranty" version to day was called a "30" year. Sounds like a long time to many consumers. Please remember that the "game" that various shingle manufacturers have been playing is upping their warranties to make the product "appear" better, while in fact they have made no improvements since they called the same shingles a 20 year or a 25 year. Some of these "marketing games" were created by shingle manufacturers that were in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection, where a long term view about warranty liability was probably not a priority.

This category of shingles, the "30 year" fiberglass laminated shingles is a price driven commodity. We consider most "30 year" laminates a "builder's grade" shingle. Like builder's grade carpet, the builders and many roofers are looking for as cheap a product that they can get their hands on,  to save money or make more profit. It's not a quality discussion, but rather a price discussion. So the manufacturers of this category of shingles are challenged to lower the cost of their 30 year shingles to meet this criteria , while still managing to "pass" the minimum requirements to meet local building codes.

To cheapen an asphalt fiberglass laminated shingles, the manufacturer has very few choices in reducing his costs. The fiberglass matt can be thinned down, but the main way to save costs is to reduce the weight of costly asphalt and coating ingredients. So lighter weight and thinner shingles yields a cheaper shingle, but nets a product that is minimal for storm resistance, weather resistance, and overall quality. The whole point of the shingles is to keep water and weather out of our homes, and the most important thing in a shingle is the waterproofing asphalt bitumen. Logic and common sense tells us that less of the "goo" is not a good thing, less asphalt does not make a shingle better, and less asphalt and thinner shingles will not last as long as thicker and heavier shingles with more asphalt.

So in areas that experience windy days, stormy periods, lots of rain, wide temperature changes (cold to warm seasonal variations), we don't believe that "30 year" laminated fiberglass shingles are a smart choice. The roofers will suggest them as they are cheaper, or they will make more profit on them, but instead it should be the homeowner's decision what materials they want up on their all important roof, to defend their home against the current weather, the worsening weather due to climate change and global warming, and the worst of the weather that is expected from time to time.

Aside from the weather resistance of the shingles, they perform another extremely important function. The shingles you choose for your home will contribute greatly to the overall look and architectural appeal of the home. The thicker the shingles, the better the texture and style, which will simply make your home look better. A better looking home is worth more.

Curb appeal matters... 50 to 75% of the look of your home is determined by the appearance, look, and style of the roof.

The real estate market has changed. Only a few years ago the property market was hot, and in that "sellers market" curb appeal was not quite as important. We are currently back in a "buyers market" in all of North America, and in Western Canada as well as the Pacific Northwest, curb appeal now matters more than ever.

 If you you home to sell quicker than others, if you want your home to stand out from the crowd, if you want to maximize how much you can sell your home for, then you will really have to pay attention to your home's curb appeal. And one of the easiest way to improve your home's curb appeal, is to invest in better looking roofing materials. If you are changing your roof anyway, make sure the materials you select will represent the value you wish your home to portray.

So, in deciding on the curb appeal of shingles we like to classify shingles as "thin" (the "30" year), "medium", "thick", and "super-thick". An upgrade to medium thickness shingles is not very much cost, but you immediately yield a significant difference in wind resistance, and a modest difference in thickness. Thick shingles will cost a little more, but it's a worthwhile investment in great storm resistance, as well as good looking texture and style.

The various shingle showrooms you can enter into from the buttons and links on the left, will show many photos and informational editorials on the features, the benefits, and advantages of a wide variety of shingles.

Some will be more "leak resistant" technology, some will be super-thick with outstanding texture and architectural appeal. Some will be good old fashioned good value, while others will create realistic style simulations of real slate or wood shakes.

We are showing various brands, not to confuse you, but rather to offer you a wide choice of styles and features, because in the end it should be YOUR decision what you want to have crowning your home ... not the builder, not the roofer. We respect these professionals, but you as the consumer need to be offered all your options and choices to build a better looking, and a better performing roof system.