Services · Replace shingles or cedar with metal
Replacing an asphalt or cedar roof with metal
Most of our residential work is this job: a house on its second or third asphalt roof, or a 1980s cedar shake roof past saving, going to metal for the last time. The work is more than swapping the covering. The old roof comes off, the deck is checked and repaired, cedar roofs on skip sheathing get a new plywood deck, and the flashings, vents and underlayment are built new for a roof that will outlast the next three shingle roofs.
- Systems standing seam, metal shingles, corrugated
- Cedar roofs new plywood deck in the scope
- Underlayment high-temperature synthetic over the whole deck
- Time on site 3 to 7 days for most houses
The work
What the job involves
Day one is tear-off: shingles or shakes, old underlayment and flashings down to the deck, loaded straight into a bin. Then we look at the plywood. Shingle roofs usually need a few sheets replaced around chimneys, valleys and eaves. Cedar roofs on spaced boards need a full plywood deck, because metal panels need continuous support and a surface the underlayment can seal to.
Next comes the dry-in: a high-temperature synthetic underlayment over the whole deck, ice and water membrane at eaves and valleys, and new drip edge. Then the metal: panels or shingles, every wall, chimney and skylight re-flashed in matching metal, ridge and hip caps, and vents sized to the attic. Gutters are the last thing on and usually worth replacing at the same time, since the eave trim changes.
What our quote includes
- Full tear-off and disposal, number of existing layers stated
- Plywood allowance per sheet, and the full re-deck price if the roof is cedar
- High-temperature synthetic underlayment and where ice and water membrane goes
- New step, counter and apron flashing at every wall, chimney and skylight
- Ridge, hip, eave, gable and valley trim in matching metal
- Vents: how many, what type, and soffit intake if it is short
- The panel profile, gauge, finish and colour, named
- Manufacturer finish warranty and our workmanship warranty, in writing
- Start date, days on site, and how we protect the house, deck and garden
Worth knowing
Metal over shingles, or tear off?
The BC Building Code does not forbid installing a new roof over one layer of shingles, and some metal shingle systems are designed for it. It saves the tear-off and disposal. We do it when the existing roof is flat, dry and a single layer, the deck is sound, and an underlayment goes over the shingles so granules cannot abrade the metal.
We tear off when there are two layers, when the deck has soft spots, when the roof is cedar, or when the homeowner wants to see what is under there. On an old house that is most of the time, and we would rather find rot now than under a 50-year roof.
Questions
Replace shingles or cedar with metal questions
Do I have to replace the plywood under a cedar roof?
Almost always. Cedar shakes were laid on spaced boards so they could dry from below. Metal panels need continuous support and a surface the underlayment can seal to, so a cedar tear-off includes a new plywood deck, typically $2 to $5 per square foot.
How long will my house be a work site?
Three to seven days for most houses: a day or two of tear-off and deck work, a day to dry in, and two to four days of metal. Weather can stretch that, and we never leave a roof open overnight.
Should I replace the gutters at the same time?
Usually. The eave trim and drip edge change with a metal roof, gutters on a metal roof need hidden hangers and a slightly lower position, and doing both at once costs less than coming back. We quote them as a separate line so you can decide.
Related
Standing seam metal roofing
Concealed-fastener panels with raised seams, roll-formed to the length of your roof. The system most people picture when they say metal roof.
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Metal shingles and tiles
Stamped steel or aluminum shingles that interlock on all four sides, in slate, shake and tile profiles. A metal roof that keeps the look of the street.
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Roof ventilation and condensation control
Ridge vents, vented soffit, vapour barriers and anti-condensation underlays, so a metal roof stays dry from below as well as above.
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Gutters, soffit, fascia and flashing
Seamless aluminum gutters, metal soffit and fascia, and custom-bent flashings that match the roof, so the whole edge of the house is metal.
See details →Guides
How much does a metal roof cost in BC's Lower Mainland?
Metal roof prices in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley in 2026: standing seam, metal shingles and corrugated per sq ft, whole-roof budgets and extras.
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Metal roof vs asphalt shingles in BC: cost, lifespan and what matters here
Metal roofing against architectural shingles for a Lower Mainland house: installed cost, lifespan in our rain, moss, fire rating and when shingles still win.
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Can you install a metal roof over shingles in BC?
Installing metal over existing asphalt shingles in BC: what the code and manufacturers say, when one layer is fine, when to tear off, and what it saves.
Read →Need replace shingles or cedar with metal?
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