Searching for a roofer near you in Cambridge will surface a lot of Kitchener companies. We come from the other direction, out of Wellington County.
Galt, Preston, Hespeler — and stone
Galt in particular has an extraordinary amount of nineteenth-century cut stone, and stone buildings bring parapets, deep eaves, stone chimneys and roof-to-wall transitions that have to be detailed in metal. This is the part of our map where flat and low-slope work over commercial and mixed-use stone buildings comes up most. Parapet walls are unforgiving: the membrane has to be turned up and terminated properly, and the metal cap has to actually shed water rather than sit there looking like it does.
Hespeler and Preston are their own mixes of older core and post-war expansion. Preston's older stock in particular has a lot of the same stone-and-steep-pitch character as Galt without the same visibility.
Cambridge's heritage conservation districts
Cambridge has three heritage conservation districts: Blair Village, Dickson Hill and Main Street. Properties within them, and individually designated properties elsewhere in the city, can require a heritage permit for exterior alterations. Given how much of the stock is stone with visible roof geometry from the street, roof material and profile are exactly the sort of thing a district plan considers.
If you are in Dickson Hill or Blair Village and thinking about changing material, that check comes first. Building permits are separate and go through the City of Cambridge, under the usual Ontario rule: no permit for a like-for-like re-shingle without structural change, permit once structure, sheathing beyond a repair, a new skylight opening, a flat roof assembly change or a material switch is involved.
Flat roofs, additions and the Grand
Cambridge sends us more low-slope work than anywhere else on our map, partly because of the mixed-use stone buildings and partly because of the sheer number of rear additions and sunrooms added to older houses over the last sixty years. Those additions are the classic case: a low-slope roof shingled by someone who did not want to change materials halfway across the house.
TPO or torch-down depending on the geometry — single-ply where it is a straightforward rectangle, modified bitumen where there are parapets, tight corners and a history of patching. We check drainage before quoting, because laying a new membrane over a drainage problem buys you a few years and the same phone call.
What Cambridge calls us for
Cambridge sends us more low-slope and membrane work than anywhere else we go.
- Asphalt shingle re-roofs — Preston and Hespeler's post-war expansion
- Steel & metal roofing
- Cedar shake & shingle
- Flat roofing & skylights — rear additions, sunrooms, and parapets on stone buildings
- Roof repair & leak detection — parapet and roof-to-wall detailing in Galt
- Eavestrough, soffit & fascia — stone buildings where the trough and the fascia have been ignored together
Cambridge roofing questions
Do you cover all of Cambridge, including Preston and Hespeler?
Yes, all three. They are genuinely different housing stocks though, so we quote them as different jobs rather than as one city.
Which heritage districts are in Cambridge?
Blair Village, Dickson Hill and Main Street. Properties in a district or individually designated can need a heritage permit from the City for exterior alterations, and with this much visible stone and roof geometry, material and profile are the kind of thing a district plan considers.
My Cambridge addition has a flat roof that leaks. What now?
First, check whether water is still sitting on it two days after rain. A little after heavy rain is normal; still there two days later means the fall is wrong, the drain is blocked, or the deck has sagged. We look at drainage before we quote a membrane, because a new membrane over a drainage problem just buys a few years.
TPO or torch-down for a Cambridge addition?
TPO for a straightforward rectangle — single-ply, hot-air welded seams, light, reflects summer heat off the room below. Torch-down modified bitumen where there is a lot of detail: parapets, tight corners, odd penetrations, or a roof that has been patched by three different people. We will tell you which we would use and why.
Getting a quote in Cambridge
Cambridge is about forty-five minutes southwest of Hillsburgh, generally down through Guelph. We come out, get on the roof, measure squares and pitch, look at the deck and the flashing details, and leave you a written quote at no cost and with no obligation to book. If your roof has more life in it than you think, we will say so. Call or text (519) 400-3840.