You can understand that Vancouver, being one of the oldest cities in British Columbia, has all kinds of homes with who knows what underneath. In Vancouver, extra care is needed when getting an estimate from a roofing contractor. A roofing company in Vancouver needs to know exactly what they are dealing with when taking your roof off. Unforeseen costs are a common situation in Vancouver and every owner should be prepared

Heritage - being one of the oldest areas in the GVRD, you can understand that there are some pretty old houses. What is a steep pitch roof? It is probably in the vicinity of 12/12 pitch, which basically means 45 degree angle roof. The original roof was cedar shake sitting on strapping. I don't know if it was being lazy or the norm, or if people were trying to save money but if you have this roof, you probably got more than one layer on the roof. The original is still on and two (2) other layers sit above the cedar shake. I have come across a house where five layers sat on top of it. According to building code nowadays, a Vancouver roofing company must remove all layers if a new roof is to be placed above. You folks tend to pay more due to the steepness, the fewer layers of roof, the plywood deck and the difficulty. You are probably two feet from your neighbors' house, and that makes it difficult to roof along the eaves.

Low Slope - Vancouver special homes run throughout East Vancouver. The slight problem with these homes as regards to roofing is that fewer and fewer roofing companies out there do tar and gravel. The choice you have is torch on or metal. Asphalt shingles cannot go on these homes. Your pitch is too low and asphalt probably wouldn't last ten years. Vancouver roofing contractors that have been in the business of torch on for more than ten years are probably reliable.

Low Slope or Steep Slope cedar shake - In Vancouver, this is common on the West side. There isn't much to say about cedar in Vancouver. There was a long period through the 60s, 70s and 80s when Vancouver roofing companies were not installing cedar. Most cedar roofs now are new construction.

Low Slope or Steep Slope Asphalt roofing - If you have asphalt roofing and it hasn't been changed in the last ten years, then you have a solid deck. Since the 70s, asphalt came into the market. With new construction, shiplap (also known as tongue and groove) was the only option of a solid deck. Shiplap moves a lot in the winter and in summer, so plywood should be layered down by the roofing contractor