In short
- Wikipedia counts about 6,000 Orléans residents in 1971 and about 24,000 a decade later, so many Orléans roofs date from the 1970s and 1980s.
- Single detached houses are more than half of occupied dwellings and townhouses about 30%, per the same article.
- HomeStars Ottawa figures: repair averages $1,800, asphalt replacement $7,200.
- Installing asphalt shingles needs no City of Ottawa building permit, with exceptions for heritage buildings.
Typical prices in Ottawa
| Job | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Roof repair, Ottawa average | $1,800 (reported $300 to $10,000) | HomeStars Ottawa guide |
| Asphalt shingle roof, Ottawa average | $7,200 (reported $4,000 to $20,500) | HomeStars Ottawa guide |
| New roof, all types, Ottawa average | $15,000 (reported $8,000 to $60,000+) | HomeStars Ottawa guide |
| An Orléans roof, exact price | Set after the company sees the roof | Layers, pitch, deck and access change the figure |
Sources. Prices: HomeStars, Roofing Cost Guide For Ottawa (updated 21.08.2026 on the page), seen 29.10.2026. Permit exemption and heritage exception: City of Ottawa, projects not requiring building permits, seen 29.10.2026. Contract rules: Ontario, guide for home renovation and roofing businesses, seen 29.10.2026. Orléans history, growth, housing mix, neighbourhoods and distance: Wikipedia, Orléans, Ottawa, seen 29.10.2026.
Orléans roofs by decade
Wikipedia traces Orléans from a francophone farming village of the 1830s to a major suburb. Queenswood Heights, from the late 1960s, was among the first large developments. Growth accelerated in the 1970s after improvements to Highway 174 made the drive downtown easier, and Convent Glen and Orléans Woods grew up in that decade. Chapel Hill and Fallingbrook followed in the 1980s and 1990s. Avalon and Notting Gate are newer.
For a roofer that map is an age chart. A 1975 house on its second or third roof calls for a deck check. A 2005 subdivision may be on its first roof and due a look at flashing and vents. A recent house in Avalon may still be under a builder’s warranty, so ask the builder first. Tell the company which one you have.
The housing mix and what it means up top
The same article reports single detached houses as more than half of occupied dwellings, townhouses about 30%, apartments and condos about 9%, semi-detached about 4%. About 85% of households own. With that many owners, most Orléans requests come from people who sign the contract themselves.
Detached two-storeys and split-levels have several roof planes meeting at valleys, which are the common leak points. Townhouse rows have long shared roof runs and ridge lines. Both appear in roof repair, where the usual faults are listed. For an older roof that needs more than a patch, roof replacement covers what the work involves.
Cost for Orléans homes
Read the HomeStars Ottawa page (updated 21.08.2026) with an Orléans house in mind: an average repair of $1,800, with reported jobs from $300 to $10,000. Replacing with asphalt averages $7,200 and the low and high reports run from $4,000 to $20,500. A new roof of any material averages $15,000. Those are city-wide averages. An Orléans two-storey with several valleys and a second layer to strip will cost more than a plain gable with one layer. The company names the figure after the visit.
Permits, contracts, heritage
A straight re-shingle needs no City building permit. That exemption falls away for designated heritage buildings and Heritage District Overlay properties. For anything structural, see roofing permits in Ottawa.
Ontario’s guide puts any job over $50 on paper. With an estimate in the contract, only a signed change lets the price pass 10% above it. The suggested deposit tops out at 10%, and you have 10 days to cancel a contract signed in your own home.
Winter and the Ottawa River side
Orléans sits along the Ottawa River, and Wikipedia describes clay-based floodplains along Green’s Creek and a rural edge to the east and south. Roof water ends up on that ground, so eavestroughs and downspouts belong in the same conversation as the shingles.
In winter, a warm attic melts snow that refreezes at the eave. That is an ice dam. After a thaw, ask the company to check the attic as well as the surface.
Who you are dealing with
In Orléans the desk forwards your form to an independent roofer that sets its own prices. That firm visits, writes the quote and signs the contract. Compare what each line covers before you sign.
Questions to ask the company
- Do you cover my part of Orléans, from Queenswood to Avalon and Notting Gate?
- How many layers of shingles are on my roof, and does the price include tear-off of all of them?
- Will you check the soffit vents and attic insulation while you are up there?
- Can the quote and contract be in French if I prefer?
- What is the payment schedule, and what happens if you find rotten deck boards?
Have this ready for the call
- Your street and neighbourhood, such as Convent Glen, Fallingbrook or Avalon.
- The year the house was built, and the last time the roof was done.
- Ground-level photos of each slope, the eaves and any ceiling stain.
- The shape of the roof: a plain two-storey gable, a split-level with a lower roof, or a townhouse row.
- Where a bin can sit on the driveway and whether a neighbour shares it.
Questions people ask
My house in Convent Glen was built in the 1980s. Is the roof near the end?
Probably not original anymore. Wikipedia places Convent Glen and Orléans Woods in the building boom after 1971. Asphalt shingles can last two to five decades per HomeStars, so check the roof’s own condition: granules in the eavestrough, curled edges and repeat leaks tell more than the house’s year.
Do two-storey and split-level roofs cost differently to repair?
Height and access change time. Wikipedia describes 1980s and 1990s Orléans homes as largely two-storey and split-level. A low roof over an addition is quicker to reach than a high peak, and steep pitches need more safety gear. The company prices the job after seeing the slopes.
I live in an Avalon townhouse. Who decides on the roof?
A freehold townhouse owner decides alone, but a shared roofline means the neighbour’s side matters. Under a condo corporation, the board usually books roof work. Check your title or declaration and write the answer in the request.
Does the Orléans location add travel cost to a roofing quote?
Orléans is about 16 km from downtown along the Ottawa River, per Wikipedia. Whether a company charges for distance is its own policy, and the written quote should show every line. Ask when it calls.
Can a roofer work during a spring thaw?
Some companies patch in a thaw and book the full job for drier weather, others work through winter. The company that calls will say what it can do and when.
