The West Coast look, done so it lasts 30 to 40 years.
The work
Western red cedar is the roof a lot of North Shore and character homes were built for, and it still outperforms anything trying to imitate it. We repair the cedar roofs worth saving and fully replace the ones past it. Either way the details are the same: number-one grade cedar, stainless fasteners, and a breather gap under the shakes so the wood dries out between rains instead of rotting from the underside.
The detail
Full tear-off to the deck, then spaced sheathing or a breather mesh over solid sheathing so air moves under the shakes. Ice-and-water shield up every valley, cedar breather layer, then No. 1 grade shakes laid to the correct exposure and keyway. Stainless nails, hand-cut valleys, and lead or copper flashing at every wall and chimney.
Cedar fails when it can't dry. The breather gap under the shakes lets the underside give up moisture between rains, which is the single thing that decides whether a cedar roof lasts 15 years or 40. Stainless fasteners never bleed rust stains down the field the way galvanized does by year eight.
Laying cedar straight onto solid sheathing with no breather gap, so the shakes cook and cup. Wrong exposure, so the keyways line up and leak. Galvanized nails that corrode and let shakes slip. We check for all three, and on a repair we'll tell you honestly whether the roof is worth patching or you're throwing money at a full replacement anyway.
Best for
Frequently asked
30 to 40 years on a full replacement done with a breather gap and stainless fasteners. Our wet coastal climate is hard on cedar, so the ventilation detail matters more here than almost anywhere. A cedar roof laid tight to the deck in this climate can be cupping and leaking inside 15 years.
Often, yes. If the framing and the majority of the field are sound and it's a section of failed shakes, valleys, or flashing, we repair it. We'll walk the roof and tell you straight whether a repair buys you real years or just delays a replacement you'll pay for anyway.
We install fire-retardant treated cedar where the local requirement or your insurer calls for it. Treated shakes carry a Class B or C rating. If your area or strata requires it, we'll spec the treated product and give you the documentation.
A wash and a moss treatment every few years, and keep the valleys clear of debris. That's most of it. Overhanging branches trimmed back so the roof gets sun and airflow. Skip the maintenance in this climate and moss holds moisture against the wood, which is what shortens the lifespan.
Yes, and plenty of homeowners do for the lower maintenance. We'll walk you through what changes — the sheathing usually needs to be closed in solid, and the look changes. If you're keeping cedar to match the neighbourhood or a heritage requirement, we'll tell you that too.
Roofing · Lower Mainland
Draw your roof or send us your address. We’ll come look at it and send an itemised proposal back inside 48 hours.
