Highland has been roofing in Hamilton since 2004 — the brick streets below the escarpment, the newer subdivisions up on the mountain, and Dundas, Waterdown and Stoney Creek around them.
Hamilton sits between the escarpment and the lake, which is a lot of weather for one city to absorb. Above the mountain the wind is stronger and the snow heavier; below it the older neighbourhoods are more sheltered but the housing is a great deal older.
Durand and the streets around it have brick and stone houses with steep, complicated roofs that were built to last and mostly have. The King Street commercial stock is the opposite problem — flat and low-slope roofs on buildings whose owners would rather stop thinking about them.
Hamilton
Seven heritage districts
Hamilton has seven heritage conservation districts: Cross-Melville in Dundas, Durand-Markland, Hamilton Beach, MacNab-Charles, Mill Street in Waterdown, St. Clair Avenue and St. Clair Boulevard. Each has its own plan, and a new roofing material on a house inside one should go past the City's heritage staff first.
The houses in those districts are the ones where a careful profile choice shows most. Bring the profile and colour to that conversation, not just the word metal.
01
Roofing homes in Hamilton
Westdale was laid out in the 1920s as a planned suburb, and its houses have steeper, more complicated roofs than the post-war streets around them.
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.
02
Commercial roofing
In the east end and along Barton Street, older industrial and commercial buildings carry large low-slope roofs.
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.
03
New builds and custom homes
Most new building is happening above the escarpment, where exposure is higher and snow load heavier than it is downtown.
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.
04
Eavestroughs
Water coming off the escarpment is a factor for anything built at its base, on top of whatever lands on the roof.
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 Hamilton: questions
Can I put a metal roof on a house in a Hamilton heritage district?
Check with the City of Hamilton's heritage staff first. Cross-Melville, Durand-Markland, Hamilton Beach, MacNab-Charles, Mill Street and both St. Clair districts have their own plans. Highland can help you pick a profile and colour to take to them.
Is metal a good roof up on the mountain?
Above the escarpment the wind is stronger and the snow heavier. Metal sheds snow and has no tabs for the wind to lift; what matters most is how it is fastened at the edges and ridge, which is worth asking about at the quote.
Do you roof commercial buildings in Hamilton?
Yes. Highland does commercial and agricultural roofing as well as homes, and carries $5 million in liability insurance and WSIB coverage.
Roofing in Hamilton?
Free, no-obligation quote.