The bungalow and its roof
The City's Politique de l'habitation (housing policy) refers to the bungalows of Fabreville, and its land use plan to detached one-storey single-family homes. Neither document describes the roofs. This page applies to a sloped roof covered with shingles.
For the City, the process depends on the material, as the page on roofing in Fabreville explains. For a residence, the same material requires no permit, while a new material requires one. The City does not define what same material means.
The materials the Code allows
Article 379 of the Code de l'urbanisme (Laval's urban planning code) sets out a closed list of roof coverings. For a sloped roof, it includes:
- asphalt, aluminum, enamelled or textured steel, wood or fibreglass shingles
- factory-painted and pre-baked metal
- galvanized sheet metal: standing seam, batten seam or Canadian style
- clay, slate or fibreglass tiles
- copper and composite roofing
The same chapter prohibits asbestos shingles. If an old, rigid and brittle shingle is lying at the foot of a wall, leave it where it is and show it to us at the visit.
Attic ventilation
A shingle roof ages better when air circulates under the deck. Air usually comes in through the soffits, under the roof overhang, and goes out near the ridge. When insulation blocks the soffits or the outlets are missing, moisture stays in the attic.
A roof replacement is the right time to talk about ventilation. The roof vents are installed at the same time as the shingles. Ask us to write in our quote what we plan for ventilation.
On your side, you can open the hatch and look with a flashlight, without going in. Frost under the deck in winter or blackened wood should be reported. If the insulation looks like small shiny pebbles, do not touch it: vermiculite can contain asbestos.
Ice at the roof edge
In winter, heat escaping from the house can melt the snow on the roof. The water runs down to the colder overhang and freezes there. The ice dam holds the water back, and the water can then back up under the shingles.
The fix is often found in the attic, on the insulation and ventilation side. Also ask us which membrane we install under the shingles along the overhang. Do not break the ice and do not climb up to clear the snow. Have us look at the roof.
What you see from the ground
On a one-storey house, the roof is easy to see from the yard. Look for:
- shingles whose corners lift or curl
- darker patches, where the granules are gone
- granules piled up at the bottom of the downspouts
- icicles that come back every winter in the same spot
Photograph each slope ahead of our visit.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a permit to change the shingles on a bungalow?
For a residence, the City does not require one if the covering is replaced with the same material. The City requires one for a new material, without defining what same material means.
Which shingles does Laval allow?
The Code de l'urbanisme names asphalt, aluminum, enamelled or textured steel, wood and fibreglass shingles. Asbestos shingles are prohibited.
Why does ice form at the edge of my roof?
Often, heat from the house melts the snow on the roof, and the water refreezes at the overhang. We can check the attic insulation and ventilation.