Flat roof repair in Aurora

Flat roof services in Aurora

Townhouses and row houses are common in Aurora, and their flat roof sections often span several units. A leak can start on one unit's section and show up in the home next door. 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.

Machell's Corners to the 404: Aurora

Aurora began as Machell's Corners, a hamlet at Yonge and Wellington streets in the early 1800s. Mills arrived around 1827, the railway in 1853, and the Fleury plough works foundry in 1859. Many industries left around 1900 and the town returned to farming, then boomed after the Second World War, with population growing from about 5,000 to 11,000 in the 1960s. Later development moved east past Industrial Parkway to Highway 404. Census data show about 22% of homes were built before 1981 and 40% in 2001 or later.

The downtown core at Yonge and Wellington, and Northeast Old Aurora, a provincial heritage district since 2006, hold old brick buildings and houses, where flat roofs over rear additions and storefronts are often found. The Hills of St. Andrew, developed in the 1980s, and the eastern subdivisions bring later construction, with membrane roofing on townhouse blocks and garages. Employers such as Magna International and a magazine printing plant occupy larger commercial and industrial buildings, and retail complexes near Leslie and Wellington add big flat roofs.

Aurora 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 Aurora 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)
• 108 mmRain in one day, 1-in-50-year storm
• -21 °CJanuary design temperature
• 4,210Heating degree-days per year
• 0.44 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 Aurora

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

• 22%Homes built before 1981
• 40%Homes built since 2001
• 67%Detached and semi-detached houses
• 17%Row houses and townhouses
• 6%Apartments in buildings of 5+ storeys
• 19%Households that rent

17% of homes in Aurora are row houses or townhouses. Flat sections often run across several units, so a leak can start on a neighbour's part of the roof or at the joint between two units. See townhouses and row houses.

40% of homes in Aurora were built since 2001, one of the higher shares among the cities we cover. Newer flat roofs rarely fail across the whole membrane; they leak at details first: flashings at rooftop units and terraces, drains and dried-out sealants. A maintenance visit catches those early.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census Profile

Aurora: facts for property owners

• Population of Aurora: 62,057 (2021 Census). Source
• Aurora is part of the Regional Municipality of York.
• Town of Aurora: 're-roofing using similar materials except where structural work is involved' does not require a permit. Source

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

Starting prices in Aurora

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.