WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
Not all roofing contractors approach a Winnipeg installation the same way. The right questions reveal the difference before you sign anything. If you’re planning to sign a contract for a roof replacement, it’s important to understand how materials and installation methods affect your roof’s durability. Learn why factors like solid ventilation and job site care are just as important as a good shingle product. Pick up tips for spotting red flags in quotes and supervision so you can make sure your investment lasts.
In This Article:
Most homeowners hire professional roofers once, maybe twice in a lifetime, which means there’s little margin for a bad decision. A roof replacement is a major investment, and Winnipeg’s climate easily exposes weak workmanship and cheap materials. You need a roof that withstands minus-40 winters, heavy snow loads, and fierce prairie windstorms without failing.
To get a good result, ask specific, detailed questions before you sign a contract. A reliable roofing contractor will be able to answer these questions easily and include the specifics in writing.
1. Do you use synthetic underlayment and ice and water shield?
The layer beneath your shingles does a great deal of heavy lifting when it comes to keeping your home dry. Older methods rely on felt paper, which absorbs moisture, tears easily during installation, and degrades over time.
Synthetic underlayment does a superior job of repelling water, resisting tearing, and providing a durable secondary barrier against rain and snow. It stays intact even if a shingle blows off during a summer storm.
Ice and water shield are equally important in Winnipeg, where ice damming is a recurring problem. Snow melts on the upper portion of your roof, flows down to the colder eaves, and freezes solid – creating a barrier that forces meltwater to back up under your shingles. A self-sealing membrane applied along the eaves, valleys, and penetrations like vents and chimneys physically grips the nails driven through it, stopping that water before it reaches your drywall.
2. How will you manage attic ventilation during the replacement?
Installing new shingles over a poorly ventilated attic can dramatically shorten the life of your new roof. Heat and moisture from your home naturally rise into the attic, and without proper airflow, that moisture condenses on the underside of your roof deck.
Over a single winter, this condensation causes the plywood deck to rot and promotes thick mould growth. In the summer, trapped heat bakes your shingles from the inside out, causing them to blister and crack years before they should.
Professional roofers will check your current ventilation system before they draft a quote. They’ll calculate the square footage of your attic space and verify that you have balanced intake vents at the soffits and exhaust vents near the ridge. If your current system falls short, they can build a ventilation upgrade directly into the project plan.
3. What specific shingle line are you quoting?
Quotes listing “architectural shingles” or “lifetime shingles” without naming the exact brand and product line leave too much room for material substitutions. You need to know exactly what will be used on your roof.
Winnipeg sees severe wind gusts that easily tear standard three-tab shingles off a roof deck, as these older styles usually max out at a 100 km/h wind rating. Architectural shingles weigh significantly more and feature a layered design that resists wind uplift, while quality lines can carry wind ratings up to 210 km/h.
You also want to look at the cold-weather flexibility of the shingles being quoted. Standard asphalt becomes rigid and brittle in freezing temperatures, but shingles made with SBS-modified asphalt contain rubberized polymers. These polymers allow the shingle to remain flexible during large temperature swings, so it expands and contracts without cracking.
Learn about the shingle product lines we proudly carry at New Heights Roofing & Exteriors.
4. How do you protect my property during the tear-off?
Removing an old roof is an inherently messy process. Your crew hauls thousands of pounds of asphalt, rusted nails, and rotted wood off your house and into a disposal bin.
Falling debris easily damages siding, crushes garden beds, and breaks windows. Stray nails left in your driveway can end up in car tires.
Ask your contractor to walk you through their property protection process before work begins.
At New Heights, we lay tarps down to catch debris as shingles come off. Once the job is done, the crew runs magnetic sweeps across your lawn, driveway, and walkways to pick up any hidden fasteners.
5. Who manages the crew on site?
A great sales presentation means little if the crew showing up on installation day lacks supervision and direction. You need a designated point of contact at your home while the work is underway.
A site supervisor or designated crew lead present keeps the project moving smoothly. They can verify that the site materials match the contract, check the installation quality at various stages, and enforce safety protocols. If an issue comes up, like rotted decking found after tearing off the old shingles, a supervisor pauses the work, documents the issue, and consults with you before moving forward.
This structure prevents the crew from cutting corners and holds them accountable to the standards you agreed on upfront.
The Right Professional Roofers Will Answer All of These
Any reputable roofing contractor should be able to answer all five of these questions without hesitation and put the details in writing before you sign anything. If they can’t, that tells you what you need to know.
New Heights Roofing & Exteriors has been replacing roofs in Winnipeg for more than 15 years. Call us at 1-431-800-4597 to book your estimate today.
