Flat roof repair in Kitchener

Flat roof services in Kitchener

Many homes in Kitchener are rented, so a roof leak is often reported first by a tenant, then handled by a landlord or property manager. We find where the water gets in, fix that spot and tell you how much life the rest of the roof has.

When a roof is past repair, we replace it with EPDM, TPO, PVC or modified bitumen, and fix the drainage so water does not sit on the new membrane. Owners and property managers also book inspections and maintenance visits.

Berlin's factories and Kitchener's technology downtown

Kitchener began as Ebytown in 1806 and was called Berlin until 1916, when it was renamed during the First World War. The railway arrived in 1856, it became a city in 1912, and manufacturing has long been central: the Dominion Tire Plant was built in 1912, and the Kaufman shoe and Arrow shirt factories have since been converted to lofts. Four business parks, including Bridgeport, Grand River West and Huron, hold much of today's industry. Census data show about 49% of homes were built before 1981 and 28% in 2001 or later.

Downtown Kitchener has brick commercial buildings and former factories, such as the Lang Tannery, now used by digital media firms, where flat roofs over rear sections and low-slope roofs on large factory floors are common. Neighbourhoods such as Westmount, developed in the interwar and postwar periods, have older houses, while the newer parts of the city bring more recent construction. Large flat roofs on industrial buildings in the business parks, and a downtown building boom of new developments, mean the city has low-slope roofs of nearly every age.

Kitchener weather and your flat roof

Ontario's Building Code sets the climate values used to design roofs in each municipality. They show what a flat roof in Kitchener has to handle.

• 2 kPaGround snow load (about 42 lb per sq ft)
• 0.4 kPaRain load added to snow (Sr)
• 28 mmRain in a 15-minute storm (design value)
• 119 mmRain in one day, 1-in-50-year storm
• -19 °CJanuary design temperature
• 4,200Heating degree-days per year
• 0.37 kPaHourly wind pressure, 1-in-50-year

That snow load is about 2.2 times the Toronto figure. Snow drifts against parapets, walls and rooftop units, and the weight sits on the roof for weeks. Drains that freeze shut leave meltwater nowhere to go.

A design storm can drop 28 mm of rain in 15 minutes. On a flat roof that water has to reach a drain or scupper quickly, so clear drains and sound drain flashings matter as much as the membrane.

Source: Ontario Building Code, Supplementary Standard SB-1, Table 1.2

Homes and buildings in Kitchener

The age and type of buildings shape the flat roofs we see. These are the 2021 Census figures for Kitchener.

• 49%Homes built before 1981
• 28%Homes built since 2001
• 53%Detached and semi-detached houses
• 13%Row houses and townhouses
• 15%Apartments in buildings of 5+ storeys
• 40%Households that rent

40% of households in Kitchener rent. Landlords and property managers can send photos and the tenant's description of the leak, and we reply with the scope and a quote by email. See apartment buildings.

15% of homes in Kitchener are apartments in buildings of five or more storeys. Those roofs are looked after by condo boards and property managers, who need a written scope, photos and a plan that fits the reserve fund. See condo buildings and apartment buildings.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census Profile

Kitchener: facts for property owners

• Population of Kitchener: 256,885 (2021 Census). Source
• Kitchener is part of the Region of Waterloo.
• City lists 'installing new shingles on an existing roof' among work that does not need a building permit. Source
• Stormwater credits: Credit of up to 45% of the monthly stormwater utility fee for rain barrels, cisterns, infiltration galleries, rain gardens, permeable pavers. Source

Rules and programs change. Confirm current details with the municipality before you start work.

Starting prices in Kitchener

Starting prices in CAD before 13% HST, based on typical Ontario contractor rates (mostly Toronto and the GTA). The final price depends on roof size, access, the layers to remove, the membrane, drains and flashings, and is confirmed in your written quote.

See all prices.