Flat roof repair in Niagara Falls

Flat roof services in Niagara Falls

Much of Niagara Falls's housing is older, and older houses often have flat roofs over rear additions, porches and garages. Typical signs are a stain on the kitchen ceiling, water at a skylight or a roof with several worn layers. 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.

Tourist strip and industrial basins in Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls grew from two towns, Clifton and Drummondville, which amalgamated in 1904. Cheap hydroelectric power drew electro-chemical and metallurgical industries in the early to mid-twentieth century, and industry began leaving in the 1970s and 1980s. Tourism then became the main revenue source, with casinos in the late 1990s and Niagara Fallsview in 2004. Chippawa, Willoughby and part of Crowland were added in 1970. Census data show about 61% of homes were built before 1981 and about 31% before 1961.

Historic Drummondville, Stamford and the Queen Street district have older brick buildings and houses where flat roofs over rear additions and storefronts are often found. Clifton Hill and Fallsview are dominated by hotels, casinos, attractions and a convention centre, which typically have large flat or low-slope roofs with mechanical equipment on top. The Drummond, Grassybrook and Westlane industrial basins hold industrial buildings tied to the hydro-power era. Outlying Chippawa and Crowland add rural and suburban buildings of mixed ages.

Niagara Falls 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 Niagara Falls has to handle.

• 1.8 kPaGround snow load (about 38 lb per sq ft)
• 0.4 kPaRain load added to snow (Sr)
• 23 mmRain in a 15-minute storm (design value)
• 96 mmRain in one day, 1-in-50-year storm
• -16 °CJanuary design temperature
• 3,600Heating degree-days per year
• 0.43 kPaHourly wind pressure, 1-in-50-year

That snow load is about 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.

Short summer storms can still drop 23 mm of rain in 15 minutes, so drains and scuppers have to be clear and sealed.

Environment and Climate Change Canada climate normals (1991–2020) record about 154 cm of snowfall a year at the Niagara Falls station.

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

Homes and buildings in Niagara Falls

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

• 61%Homes built before 1981
• 20%Homes built since 2001
• 72%Detached and semi-detached houses
• 7%Row houses and townhouses
• 4%Apartments in buildings of 5+ storeys
• 30%Households that rent

About 61% of homes in Niagara Falls were built before 1981, more than in 26 of the 40 Ontario cities on this site. Older houses often have flat roofs over rear additions, kitchens and porches, sometimes with two or three layers of old roofing on top of each other. Replacing one usually starts with a full tear-off and a look at the wood deck underneath.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census Profile

Niagara Falls: facts for property owners

• Population of Niagara Falls: 94,415 (2021 Census). Source
• Niagara Falls is part of the Regional Municipality of Niagara.
• City of Niagara Falls: a permit is required for replacing roofing with a different material and for repairs to structural members (e.g. roof sheathing). Source
• Weeping Tile Removal Assistance Program (WRAP): Rebate for disconnecting weeping tiles from sanitary sewer and installing backwater valves. Source

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

Starting prices in Niagara Falls

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.