Roof snow removal in Sainte-Rose

The roofs in the inventory

The City's heritage inventory counts 171 principal buildings in Sainte-Rose. It records 53 gable roofs with flared eaves, 44 straight gable roofs, 27 flat roofs and 17 mansard roofs. For coverings, it records 77 asphalt shingle roofs, 35 in profiled sheet metal and 14 in standing seam metal.

These figures describe heritage buildings, not the whole area. The land use plan also points out that in Sainte-Rose, plexes stand alongside traditional Canadian houses and apartment towers.

Permit and heritage matters are covered on the page roofing in Sainte-Rose. When it comes to snow and ice, an old village follows the same rule of caution as the rest of Laval.

How ice forms at the edge

A digest from the National Research Council of Canada, published in 1968 and kept as a historical reference, sums up the mechanism. Snow melts higher up on the slope, then the water freezes once it reaches the eaves. The melting comes mainly from heat lost by the building. What builds up this way at the edge is called an ice dam.

As long as the dam holds, meltwater can no longer drain off. The digest specifies that on a roof of overlapping units such as shingles, the trapped water can get into the attic or the exterior walls.

What hangs over the walkway

The Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ, Quebec's building authority) urges owners to have the ice and icicles visible at the edge of their building removed. The Régie gives the reason, which is the danger to pedestrians and cars.

If the edge of your roof hangs over an entrance, a driveway or a sidewalk, keep people away until we come by. Do not strike the ice and do not try to knock it down, whether from the ground, from a window or from a ladder.

Going up, the last resort

On a slope, the CNESST (Quebec's workplace health and safety board) allows climbing only as a last resort. It must first be established that nothing can be done from the ground or from a lifting device, and that the snow left in place still threatens the structure.

Ask for our quote to name the planned method, and to say whether the ice at the edge is part of the job.

When the ice comes back every winter

Having the ice removed works for the current winter. The digest itself classes this step among temporary measures. For a longer-lasting result, it points to better insulation of roofs and ceilings and to ventilation of the attic above the insulation.

If the dam forms again year after year in the same spot, tell us in your request. We judge on site, during the visit, what can be corrected.

Frequently asked questions