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Learn more about roofing

Roofing Warning Signs

We all know many different weather conditions may occur in a coastal region like Vancouver and Lower Mainland. It’s important to recognize the warning signs if your roof is in need of repair or replacement. We’ve listed some of the most common issues that may require your attention. If you are experiencing any of these problems, Macbeth Roofing would be happy to provide a free consultation to assist with any concerns about your roofing system and its condition:

  • Rotting deck and rotting fascia
  • Cracked or rotting shingles
  • Loose or missing shingles
  • Missing granules
  • Algae build-up
  • Curled shingles
  • Ceiling stains
  • Damaged flashing
  • Exposed nail heads
  • Exposed wood
  • Cracked/missing caulking
  • Leaking gutters

Whether your roof is protecting your business or protecting your home, it’s the ‘first-defense’ against the elements of Vancouver’s and Lower Mainland weather. A leaking roof will rapidly lead to an ever expanding list of internal problems that are expensive and sometimes virtually impossible to completely fix, including wall damage, mold and rot, paint blistering and peeling, floor and carpet damage and bad odors.

It’s essential to keep it in the best condition possible. If you don’t see a condition listed here but want to make sure your roof is healthy, let us know and our Macbeth roofing experts will be happy to provide a free consultation.

Roofing Glossary

Our professional roofers at Macbeth Roofing in Vancouver and Lower Mainland look forward to helping you with your roof repairs or roof replacement. To help you feel more comfortable with this process, we have included some of the terms that may come up. We’re more than happy to answer your questions on your roofing needs.

  • Algae Discolouration: Black streaks or discolouration caused by the growth of algae on your roof.
  • Blisters: Bubbles that may appear on the asphalt roofing materials after they are installed.
  • Bundle: A package of shingles. Three bundles of standard shingles will cover one roofing square [10’x10′ or 100 ft2].
  • Caulk: Used to fill joints or cover nail heads to prevent leaks.
  • Closed Valley: A type of valley where the shingles are installed over the valley flashing, so that the flashing is not exposed.
  • Collar: A flange placed over a stack type vent to seal the roof around the pipe, also referred to as a vent sleeve.
  • Counter Flashing: A flashing that is attached to a vertical surface (such as a wall) to prevent water from seeping under a base flashing.
  • Course: A row of shingles that runs the length of the roof.
  • Deck/sheathing: The wood installed over the frame of the house to which the roofing is applied.
  • Dormer: A small structure projecting from a sloped roof, usually with a window.
  • Drip Edge: A non-corrosive metal flashing installed along the lower edge and often up the rake of the roof. Its purpose is to direct water draining from a roof into the gutters, preventing damage to the underlying construction.
  • Eaves: The horizontal, lower edge of a sloped roof.
  • Fascia: A flat board, band or face located at a cornice’s outer edge.
  • Felt (Tar) Paper: A fibrous paper, saturated with asphalt to be used as an underlayment, to increase roof protection.
  • Flashing: Pieces of galvanized metal that are used to prevent water from seeping in at roof joints, such as walls, chimneys, dormers and valleys.
  • Gable Roof: A 2 sided roof with matching slopes on either side.
  • Granules: A ceramic-coated, crushed rock that is applied to the exposed surface of asphalt shingles. The granules are often coloured.
  • Hip Roof: A roof with four sloping sides of the same pitch. There will be no gables on a Hip Roof.
  • Ice Dam: Ice formed at the lower edge of a roof that is caused by the thawing and re-freezing of melted snow. An ice dam can force water under the shingles.
  • Ice & Water Shield: An impenetrable roofing membrane installed under shingles to prevent water that may seep under the shingles from entering the house, normally installed at the eaves edge.
  • Louvers: Slatted devices installed in a gable or soffit to ventilate the space below a roof deck and equalize air temperature and moisture.
  • Mansard Roof: A roof with an extreme pitch, often it will appear vertical. These roofs will sometimes have a flat roof on top, or a low sloped hip roof.
  • Overlay: A term used to describe installing a second or third layer of shingles. This is not a recommended practice.
  • Pitch: The roof incline measured in feet as the ratio of the rise to the run. This is also referred to as slope.
  • Ply: The number of layers of roofing material, i.e. one ply, two ply
  • Rafters: The supporting framing to which a roof deck is attached.
  • Rake: The inclined edge of a roof.
  • Ridge: The uppermost angle of the roof, where the two slopes meet.
  • Rise: The vertical distance from the eaves line to the ridge.
  • Roofing Square: 100 ft2 of roofing material installed with proper exposure. However it is not 100 ft2 of roofing material but the amount of material required to cover 100 ft2 of a roof deck.
  • Run: The horizontal distance from the eaves to a point directly under the ridge. This is one half of the span of the roof.
  • Shed Roof: A roof with only one slope. It will have no hips, ridges, valleys or gables.
  • Slope: The roof incline measured in feet as the ratio of the rise, to the run. May also be referred to as pitch.
  • Soffit: The underside of the eaves.
  • Stack Vent: A vent pipe used for ventilation from sewage drains in the house.
  • Starter Strip: Shingles applied at the roofs edge to provide protection under the cutouts and joints of the first course of shingles.
  • Step Flashing: Flashing used to protect areas where a vertical surface meets a slope.
  • Tab: The exposed portion of a shingle, defined by a cutout.
  • Truss: Engineered components that supplement rafters in many newer homes and buildings. Trusses are designed for specific applications and cannot be cut or altered.
  • Valley: The intersection formed by two slopes meeting.

Contact our roofing experts today

If you’d like more information from an experienced team of Vancouver and Lower Mainland roofers, we’d be happy to help you. Please send us a message or call us today.

Roofing FAQs

Macbeth Roofing and Waterproofing is a Vancouver and Lower Mainland roofing company that provides services for commercial roofing projects and residential roof repair, roof replacement and new construction. We’ve prepared a list of some commonly asked questions, but if you don’t see the question that you wanted to ask, please contact us at (604) 593-1044 and speak to one of our roofing experts.

Macbeth Roofing and Waterproofing is a Vancouver and Lower Mainland roofing company that provides services for commercial roofing projects and residential roof repair, roof replacement and new construction.