Choosing your shingle colour

Plain or blended

For the same colour, a manufacturer offers granule blends with more or less contrast. It is one of the differences to note between the types of shingles listed on your quotes.

A multi-tone shingle livens up a large simple roof. Above an already mottled brick, it can make the whole look heavy. The busier the facade, the more the roof gains from staying plain. A uniform facade accepts a richer roof.

The facade leads

A well-pitched roof takes up a large share of what is seen from the street. The roof's colour must match the brick, the stone and the wall siding.

• Red or brown brick facade. Black, charcoal and dark brown work well. A shingle leaning toward red risks clashing with the brick.
• Grey brick or stone facade. Grey, slate and black make a calm whole.
• Beige or buff brick facade. Warm browns and weathered wood tones suit it better than a cold grey.

Dark roof, hot house?

A dark shingle absorbs more solar heat than a pale one, and its surface gets hotter in midsummer.

What happens in the rooms depends on the attic. In a well-insulated, well-ventilated attic, a good part of that heat escapes before reaching the upper floor, and the colour changes comfort little. If the upper floor is stifling in July, have the attic insulation and ventilation examined before blaming the colour.

The test to do outdoors

A screen or a brochure renders colours poorly.

1. Get real shingles or a sample board, not a photo.
2. Set them against the wall, outdoors, then step back to the sidewalk.
3. Come back to see them in full sun, in shade and under a grey sky.
4. Ask the roofer for the addresses of roofs already covered in the colour you like, and drive by.

Colour and Laval's rules

Article 380 of Laval's Code de l'urbanisme (urban planning code) applies to flat-roofed buildings, for which it requires a green roof, a white covering or a material with a solar reflectance index of at least 78. Article 380 does not apply to sloped roofs. The Code does not specify what applies to an existing flat roof redone identically.

Heritage has its own rule. In a territory of heritage interest, or for a building of heritage interest, changing the roofing materials of a principal building goes through a PIIA (site planning and architectural integration program). The Code exempts replacing a material with the same material in a similar colour, replacing it with a material that keeps or restores the original or traditional features, and renovating a flat roof. For the same material in another colour, on such a building, the Code does not settle the question: the City may ask for the project to go through the PIIA, and the City decides. In a territory of heritage interest, the general criterion requires roofing materials to respect the dominant features of the territory, and it names their type, their dimensions and their installation pattern. For such an address, consult the Service de l'urbanisme (the City's urban planning department) before ordering.

Frequently asked questions