Roofing · east coast of Vancouver Island
Roof Replacement and Repair in Nanaimo BC
Nanaimo Roofers is a local roofing company on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. We install and repair asphalt, metal and low-slope roofs across Nanaimo, Lantzville, Cedar and Gabriola Island. Nanaimo takes 1,000 mm of rain a year and a 1-in-50 wind load of 0.50 kPa, and we let those two numbers set the underlay, the fastening and the venting on every roof we build.
Text or call (778) 762-5375
- Written scope before any work starts
- Every roof built to BC Building Code
- WorkSafeBC covered and fully insured
What We Do
New roof installation
We tear off to the deck, replace rotten sheathing, then lay underlay and architectural asphalt shingles. Asphalt needs a slope of at least 1 in 3, or 1 in 6 where we use the low-slope method.
Metal roof systems
We install standing seam and profiled metal, from a slope of 1 in 4 up with no upper limit. Metal is what we reach for on a roof too flat for shingles and too steep for a membrane.
Roof repair and leak tracing
We find where the water actually gets in. That is rarely where you see the stain. Then we repair the flashing, the valleys, the penetrations and the 50 mm head and end laps that let it through.
Flat and low-slope roofing
Below a slope of 1 in 4 we build a membrane roof instead: two-ply torch-on SBS, TPO or EPDM, with the drainage and flashing heights a flat deck needs here.
Moss removal and roof maintenance
We lift moss with low-pressure treatment and fit zinc or copper strips at the ridge. We come back in spring and in fall, when your roof needs the most attention.
What it costs
Roofing prices in Nanaimo
We price by the square foot of roof area, installed. A simple gable costs less per foot than a cut-up roof with dormers, valleys and several penetrations. A second storey costs more than a bungalow. Wide overhangs and a shallow pitch give you more roof than the footprint suggests, and a steep roof adds more again.
| Material | Installed, per sq ft | Typical life |
|---|---|---|
| Architectural asphalt shingles | $4 – $9 | 25 – 30 years |
| Standing seam and profiled metal | $8 – $30 | 40 – 70 years |
| Cedar shakes and shingles | $14 – $30 | 25 – 40 years |
| Flat and low-slope membrane | $4 – $12 | 20 – 30 years |
How it goes
From first call to final sweep
A look at the roof
We walk the roof, and we check the attic from inside. We look at the deck, the venting, the flashing and the age of what is up there. The attic is where we catch a failing roof first, in daylight through the sheathing or staining down the side of a rafter.
A written scope and price
We name the materials by product, give you the measured slope and the venting ratio, and set a fixed price. If the sheathing turns out to be rotten, we agree the rate for that before we start.
A date and a weather window
We book the tear-off for a stretch of weather that lets us close the roof in.
Tear-off, install, clean-up
We strip the old material into the bin, repair the deck, and get the new roof on.
Where we work
Which authority covers your address?
Three authorities cover this coast: the City of Nanaimo, the District of Lantzville, and the Regional District of Nanaimo, which takes in Cedar and Gabriola Island. We confirm which one covers your address before we quote.
Departure Bay & North Nanaimo
Houses from the 1950s to the 1970s, most of them re-roofed once already, taking wind straight off the Strait of Georgia.
Lantzville
Its own District with its own building department, and long low roofs on acreage lots under mature Douglas fir.
Cedar
Electoral Area A. Farm buildings on land with farm status sit outside the permit requirement, and we tell you which side of that line yours are on.
Gabriola Island
Electoral Area B. Everything arrives by ferry, so we plan the tear-off and the bin around the sailings.
We work across all four, and our full service area lists the smaller communities in between. Send us the address and we'll take it from there.
Frequently asked
Roofing questions, answered
We keep a guide on what a roof costs, and another on the permit answer for each community. Our moss and rain guide covers what this climate does to a roof.
- Does a re-roof need a building permit in Nanaimo?
- The City of Nanaimo issues building permits under Building Bylaw 2016 No. 7224, which sets out no roofing-specific exemption, so we confirm the answer with the City before a job is scheduled. In the Regional District of Nanaimo, a roofing repair or replacement is exempt as long as no structural changes are made — the general permit requirement there still covers new construction, alteration, addition and demolition.
- Is eave protection required on a Nanaimo roof?
- Yes, on the roofs we build here. We run eave protection 900 mm up the slope, to a line 300 mm inside the inner face of the exterior wall, and we carry it further on a shallow pitch or a north slope that holds water.
- How steep does a roof have to be for shingles?
- Asphalt shingles need at least 1 in 3, or 1 in 6 when we use the low-slope method. Profiled metal starts at 1 in 4 with no upper limit, and modified bituminous membrane covers 1 in 50 up to 1 in 4. Anything flatter than 1 in 50 needs the slope rebuilt first, and we say so at the quote.
- How much venting does a roof need?
- We vent to at least 1/300 of the insulated ceiling area, and 1/150 below a 1-in-6 slope. We split that area across opposite sides of the roof, with at least 25% at the top and at least 25% at the bottom, so the attic actually moves air.
- What can be done about moss?
- Low-pressure treatment lifts it without driving water under the courses, and zinc or copper strips at the ridge slow it coming back. Asphalt shingles are never pressure-washed. Roofs on this coast are worth inspecting in spring and again in fall, and after any severe wind.