When we tear off an old cedar shake roof, we look under the shakes before we look at anything else. Decking that's rotted, sheathing that got swapped from skip to solid ply somewhere along the way, felt that was never spaced right for drainage — a re-roof either fixes those problems for good or buries them under a fresh layer of cedar. We do the first one.
Storm or wind damage causing an active leak right now? Call the emergency line — reported before noon, we tarp it the same day.
Local Context
A lot of Burnaby's housing stock dates to the postwar boom, and neighborhoods like Capitol Hill and Vancouver Heights still have plenty of bungalows with their original 1950s and '60s cedar shakes overhead. Decking rot under those older roofs is common, and it rarely shows itself until the tear-off starts. A patch repair can hide that rot for another season. A full re-roof is where we find out what's really underneath, and where it either gets fixed properly or gets covered up again.
Add Burnaby's wet winters, and moss on a cedar roof here isn't something you deal with once. It keeps coming back.
The Re-Roof
We tear off down to the deck, every layer, not just the top course of shakes. Once the old roof is off, we check the sheathing underneath. If it's original skip sheathing — the gapped board pattern most older Burnaby cedar roofs were built on — we replace any rotted sections and keep that same skip pattern rather than switching to solid plywood. Skip sheathing lets air move under the shakes; solid ply traps moisture against the wood, and that's where a lot of cheaper re-roofs start failing early, sometimes within a few years instead of a few decades.
From there, we install pressure-treated cedar with interlay felt spaced properly between courses for drainage, so water sheds the way the roof was designed to shed it in the first place. It's the same process whether the crew is working a straightforward gable roof or the steeper, more cut-up rooflines common on Capitol Hill's older character homes.
Gapped boards that let air move under the shakes — the original pattern on most older Burnaby cedar roofs. We keep it wherever it's still sound.
Traps moisture against the wood. Where cheaper re-roofs start failing early — sometimes within a few years instead of a few decades.
Process
We start with an on-site look: moisture-meter readings around any suspected leak points, an attic inspection from underneath where it's accessible, and drone photos on steeper pitches where walking the roof isn't necessary just to put together an accurate quote.
That on-site look gives us a written, itemized estimate, price-locked for 30 days, before any work starts.
Once a job's booked, during peak season — spring through summer — the booking queue itself typically runs 3 to 6 weeks out, so the earlier an estimate gets booked, the more flexibility there is on timing.
A cedar shake re-roof runs 4 to 5 days on-site — longer than a standard reroof because of the extra tear-off and sheathing work described above.
Ready to get an on-site look booked? Call or text your address and we'll set a time before the peak-season queue fills further.
Pricing
Cedar re-roof costs vary more than asphalt, mainly because you don't know everything until the tear-off starts.
If a permit or strata approval is needed, that gets sorted before work starts, not after. Nothing changes mid-job without a signed change order first.
Crew & Warranty
Our cedar shake and steep-pitch work is led by a foreman who's been roofing for over a decade, RCABC Skilled Roofer accredited, and with our crew specifically since 2015. That's the person walking your roof during the estimate and running the job on-site — not a rotating crew lead who's never seen your project before.
Marco Silva's roofing experience — with our crew specifically since 2015.
Workmanship warranty on every full re-roof, separate from the cedar manufacturer's material warranty.
Lead Foreman
Every full re-roof carries a 5-year workmanship warranty, separate from the manufacturer's material warranty on the cedar itself. And if a covered leak reopens in the area we worked on within the first 12 months, we fix it at no charge. We keep before-and-after photos from most completed jobs — ask and we'll show you cedar work close to your roof's age and pitch.
Want Marco to walk your roof before you commit to anything? Call or text and we'll set up an on-site look.
Service Area
Cedar shake re-roofing is one of our most requested jobs in Burnaby's older neighborhoods: Capitol Hill, Vancouver Heights, and the Edmonds area especially, where narrow lane access is common and original 1950s and '60s shakes are still overhead. We also take on cedar re-roofs across New Westminster, Coquitlam, Port Moody, and East Vancouver.
Have a question the FAQ below doesn't answer? Call or text us directly.
FAQ
For most homes, yes. There's noise and activity in the yard during the 4 to 5 days we're on-site — that's tear-off and construction work, and there's no way around it. We stage material and set up the dump trailer to keep the disruption contained to as small a footprint as possible, especially where lane access is tight.
Yes. We cover and protect your landscaping and siding in the work area before tear-off starts, not as an afterthought once debris is already coming down.
We can document damage and provide the estimate an insurance claim needs, though the claim itself goes through your insurer.
On a cedar roof in this climate, it's necessary. Moss holds moisture against the wood, and left alone it shortens the life of the shakes. We only recommend it where we see real growth on the roof, not as a standard add-on to every quote.
New cedar starts a warm gold-brown and weathers to grey over time, so a perfect match to an already-weathered roof isn't possible on day one. We can walk through blending options during the estimate.
Not Quite Right?
Moss, Not a Full Re-Roof
Moss holds moisture against cedar and shortens its life, but not every roof with growth needs tearing off. See what our moss removal and treatment service covers.
Comparing Materials
We install and repair asphalt, metal, and flat torch-on roofing too. See how our torch-on flat roofing system handles low-slope sections.
Get Started
Call or text us with your address and a few photos, and we'll book an on-site estimate — written, itemized, and price-locked for 30 days once it's in your hands. No pressure, no rush.
