Common questions
Roofing questions, answered
Roofing questions on this coast come down to three documents: the Regional District of Nanaimo permit lists, the building bylaw of whichever municipality applies, and Part 9 of the BC Building Code. All 10 answers below cite the specific article, table or bylaw section rather than paraphrasing the source.
- Does a re-roof need a building permit in Qualicum Beach?
- Town of Qualicum Beach Building Bylaw No. 903, 2024 does not name roofing in the exemption list at Section 3.3. What Section 3.3 does exempt is repair and maintenance of lawfully-conforming structures where life safety and building performance are not decreased below the existing level, exclusive of structural alterations. A like-for-like re-roof sits inside that clause, and the Town confirms any specific case.
- Does replacing roof sheathing count as a structural change?
- Replacing damaged sheathing like for like is repair rather than a structural change. Altering or replacing rafters or trusses, changing the roof line, or cutting a new opening for a skylight or dormer is structural. The Regional District of Nanaimo permit list covers alterations, additions or repairs to an existing building or structure, and interior structural renovations.
- Do solar panels change the permit answer?
- Yes. The Regional District of Nanaimo lists installing solar panels as work requiring a building permit, separately from any roofing work. A re-roof alone is exempt provided no structural changes are made, but a re-roof combined with a solar installation brings the permit requirement back through the solar work.
- Is eave protection required on roofs in this area?
- Article 9.26.5.1 of the BC Building Code requires eave protection running 900 mm up the slope to a line 300 mm inside the inner face of the exterior wall, then lists exemptions. Two apply on this coast: roofs of asphalt shingles installed in accordance with Subsection 9.26.8, and regions with 3,500 or fewer degree-days. Appendix C lists Parksville and Qualicum Beach at 3,200.
- How is roof area measured for a quote?
- Roof area is measured on the slope rather than taken from the building footprint. A steeper roof carries more surface for the same floor plan, and slope also changes how long the work takes through staging and fall protection. Penetrations, valleys and edge lengths are counted separately, because flashing work is where roofing labour concentrates.
- What decides between metal and asphalt shingles?
- Slope, exposure, roof geometry and how long the building is being kept. BC Building Code Table 9.26.3.1 permits profiled metal roofing from a minimum slope of 1 in 4 with no maximum, and asphalt shingles from 1 in 3, or 1 in 6 by the low-slope method. A cut-up roof with many valleys narrows the cost gap, because metal cost sits in the flashing work.
- What underlay does the BC Building Code require?
- Article 9.26.6.1 lists asphalt-saturated sheathing paper or No. 15 felt as acceptable underlay, with breather-type underlay required for wood shingles. Article 9.26.6.2 sets head and end laps at not less than 50 mm and requires the underlay to overlap eave protection by at least 100 mm. Synthetic underlays are installed to the manufacturer's written instructions.
- What ground snow load do roofs here carry?
- Appendix C of the BC Building Code lists a ground snow load of 2.0 kPa for both Parksville and Qualicum Beach, with an associated rain load of 0.4 kPa. Nanaimo is listed slightly higher at 2.1 kPa. Snow is not the governing load on most roofs on this coast, but snow is what a metal roof sheds in a single slide.
- Is a second layer of shingles cheaper than a tear-off?
- A second layer avoids tear-off labour and disposal weight, which is a real saving. The cost is knowledge. The deck condition stays unknown, the added dead load stays on the structure, and every flashing becomes a patch worked around the existing course rather than a detail let into the roof. Tear-off is the specification used here.
- What is the RoofStar Guarantee?
- The RoofStar Guarantee is issued by the Roofing Contractors Association of British Columbia through RCABC Guarantee Corp, on work carried out by member contractors. That makes RoofStar a third-party guarantee rather than a contractor's own promise. On SBS modified bitumen systems the terms available are 5, 10 and 15 years, and coverage is conditional on the roof being maintained.
Anything not covered here gets answered on the roof rather than over the phone. To have a specific roof looked at, request a free quote and the assessment comes back with the reasoning in writing.
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