Ajax runs from the Lake Ontario shoreline back through Pickering Village and the newer streets around Duffins Creek, so there's no single kind of roof here. Highland has been fitting European metal roofing across all of it for over twenty years. Closer to the water you feel the wind more, and that's usually what shortens a shingle roof's life before anything else does.
The town reads differently depending on how far you are from the water. Pickering Village is the oldest part and looks it — narrow lots, mature trees, roofs that have been replaced more than once. South Ajax and the streets off Harwood are largely post-war, and the newer building around Salem Road and Audley is recent enough that first roofs are only now coming due.
Wind is the constant. There is nothing between Paradise Beach and the far shore, and a roof facing south-west takes everything the lake sends at it. Shingles fail at the edges first, usually along a rake or a ridge, and once one tab lifts the rest follow. Metal has no tabs to lift.
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Roofing homes in Ajax
Pickering Village is the oldest part of town and the roofs there have usually been replaced more than once; the newer streets around Salem Road and Audley are only now reaching their first.
Most of the decision is the profile rather than the colour. A deep tile like Banff suits older roofs with steep pitches and plenty of visible surface; Standing Seam is flatter and cleaner and sits better on a long modern run. Banff is available in black only; Standing Seam offers eight finishes.
Eight finishes
Black 9005 through Terra Cotta 8004, on every profile except Banff.
Snow
sheds rather than holds it, so there's less weight on the structure and less ice building at the eaves.
Summer heat
reflective coatings cut how much reaches the roof deck.
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Commercial roofing
Most of the commercial stock runs along Harwood Avenue and the plazas off it — low buildings with a lot of flat roof relative to their footprint.
On a commercial building the case for metal is mostly about what stops happening. Flat and low-slope roofs need attention on a cycle, and that cycle costs money whether or not anything has actually gone wrong — inspections, recoating, patching, and scaffolding booked every few springs. Metal takes most of it off the calendar.
Fasteners
Standing Seam fixes with concealed fasteners, so there are no exposed screws to work loose.
Finish
matched to the existing brick, cladding or curtain wall rather than fighting it.
Long runs
panels are rolled in Europe and cut to the building, so there are fewer joints.
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New builds and custom homes
Ajax is still building out at its northern edge, which is the easiest possible time to specify a roof properly.
The useful time to involve a roofer is while it is still on paper. Pitch, valley detailing and how the panel meets the fascia are all cheaper to resolve at the drawing stage than on site. We would rather be in the conversation with your architect early than be handed a finished deck and asked to make it work.
Early involvement
we work with architects and builders through detailing, not just at installation.
Seven profiles
the roof can be part of the design rather than a constraint on it.
Lifespan
metal outlasts asphalt by a wide margin, which matters on a house you intend to keep.
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Eavestroughs
Ground falls south toward the lake here, so anything the gutters miss ends up heading for the foundation rather than away from it.
Metal sheds water fast — that is the point of it — but it does mean more water reaches the eavestrough in less time than a shingle roof would send down. Undersized or leaking gutters are the usual reason water ends up sitting against a foundation, so we size the system to the roof rather than fitting it afterwards.
Coated steel
four protective layers, warranted 40 years by the system's manufacturer.
Sized to the roof
metal sheds water faster than shingle does, so the system is sized for the roof rather than matched to whatever was on the house before.
Coordinate the eavestrough finish with your chosen roof. Confirm the available materials and colours.
SEVEN PROFILES. UP TO EIGHT COLOURS.
Roofing in Ajax?
Free, no-obligation quote.