Roofing & Waterproofing in The Beaches

The whole neighbourhood, from Woodbine Beach east to Fallingbrook and Birchcliff, and from the boardwalk up through Kingston Road Village to the Main and Danforth edge. Kew Gardens and the Queen Street East shops sit roughly in the middle, and because the neighbourhood is a narrow strip along the lake, a call from Fallingbrook gets the same response as one near Woodbine.

We do. Permits go through Toronto Building and are needed when roof structure changes or a foundation is altered, while a straight reroof in the same material usually needs none. What catches people out here is the lot width and the street parking, since staging material on a narrow Beach street often needs its own arrangement, and we sort that out before the first day rather than on it.

It is measurable and it is the reason we specify differently in the Lower Beach than we would three kilometres inland. Humidity runs higher year round, freeze-thaw cycles at the eaves are more frequent, and flashing metal and fasteners stay damp for longer, so they corrode faster. The practical result is that a material choice that lasts perfectly well in Leaside underperforms within sight of the water.

Rarely, even when they look alike from the street. A Victorian on the flat near Balmy Beach and an Edwardian up near Kingston Road are the same era and often the same builder, and they will not have the same problems. Recognising which one we are looking at is most of the diagnosis.

Yes. Bay and gable fronts, steep dormers, decorative wood shingles in the gable ends, and old copper or galvanized valleys are regular work for us, and we match slate, cedar, or copper where the original is worth keeping instead of covering it over in asphalt. When matching a feature would cost more than it gives back, we tell you that honestly and show you the alternatives.

Mostly because of how the top floor was built. Many of these houses have a half storey tucked under the roof, with sloped ceilings and knee walls that leave very little room for insulation or airflow right where heat escapes into the deck. Combine that with the repeated thaw and refreeze near the lake and snow melts on the upper slope, freezes again at the cold eave, and backs water up under the shingles.

It can, at both ends of the building. Partway down one of the streets running south to the water, a house receives runoff from the lots above it, so the grading, downspout discharge, and window wells on the uphill side deserve a close look. The same fall in the ground often leaves a tall rear wall and an awkward climb to the back of the roof, which we plan for before quoting.