Roofing in Gloucester: leaks, flashing and ice at the eaves

What roofs in Gloucester look like

Gloucester sits east and south of the inner core. It was a township, then a city of its own in 1981, and joined Ottawa in 2001. Wikipedia’s census table shows the growth: 18,301 residents in 1961, 72,859 in 1981 and 101,677 in 1991. A large share of its houses went up in those decades, in areas such as Beacon Hill, Blackburn Hamlet, Pineview, Cyrville and Chapel Hill.

For a roof, that means two things. Many of these houses are decades old, so the roof may have been replaced since it was built and the decking or framing under it may be older still. Newer streets in the south have a different story; see Riverside South. For the request, give the house’s build year and the year of the last roof if you know it.

Where water gets in on these houses

The usual spots repeat from street to street: the flashing at a chimney, the boots around plumbing vents, valleys where two slopes meet, and the edge of the roof in winter. A ceiling stain seldom sits under the hole. Water runs along the deck before it drops, so the company traces it upward.

Flashing is the most common cause that gets patched twice. The page on flashing and chimney repair explains what the job involves. If water only appears in a thaw, read the ice dams guide.

Ice at the eaves and the attic

CAA-Quebec, citing CMHC, describes the mechanism. Heat escapes from the building and warms the roof. The lower layer of snow melts and runs to the cold eaves, where it freezes and forms a ridge of ice. Water backs up behind it and looks for another way in, often toward the inside of the house. The cause, it says, is almost always poor attic ventilation and inadequate soffit ventilation.

That shifts the repair. Shingles that look intact can leak at the eaves while the attic is the real fault. When the request mentions ice and a date, the company knows to look at roof ventilation and the soffits as well.

What the repair costs

One Ottawa firm, JDM Roofing, prints a list for repairs. A small shingle patch runs $300 to $700. A leak repair runs $500 to $1,500. Flashing or vent work runs $400 to $1,000. Deck or underlayment repair, which means wet boards under the shingles, runs $1,000 to $3,000. The same page gives $60 to $120 an hour. That is one firm’s list, dated 16.10.2025; your price is set after the company sees the roof.

What moves the number: how far the water travelled, whether the deck is wet, the pitch and the layers underneath. The roof repair cost guide sets the ranges side by side with other sources.

Contract, permit and timing

Ontario’s guide for roofing businesses says a written agreement is required for any contract over $50. It must describe the work, materials, warranty, total cost with taxes, schedule and cleanup. With an estimate written into the contract, the bill stays within 10% of it unless you sign a change. Sign at home and the law gives you 10 days to back out.

On permits, a like-for-like asphalt shingle job is generally exempt in Ottawa according to a local roofing firm’s summary of the City’s list, while framing changes need a permit and heritage properties need a heritage permit. The roofing company that calls can tell you which applies to your address. For a bigger decision, the page on repair or replace compares the two.

Who you are dealing with

You send the street, the roof age and what you see; the desk forwards it to one independent roofer that works the east end. That firm names its price on the call, so ask the questions on this page and get the answers in writing.