New architectural shingle roof on Kanata two-storey

Ottawa Shingle Roofing

Asphalt Shingle Roofing for Ottawa Homes

Ottawa Roofing Pros installs asphalt shingle roofs on houses across Ottawa and the surrounding 30-minute drive. We strip worn roofs to the deck and rebuild them with architectural shingles, ice and water membrane, synthetic underlayment and new flashing.

Shingles cover most houses in the city, and more than 17 years on Ottawa roofs has taught us where they fail early. It is rarely the shingle itself: it is high nailing, missing eave protection and attics that can't breathe.

This page explains the shingle types we recommend, how the brands compare on warranty and wind rating, what a complete system includes and what it costs in 2026.

Get a Free Quote Call (343) 504-9753

Asphalt Shingle Roofing From Tear-Off to Ridge Cap

Our shingle roofing service covers full replacements of worn roofs and new installs on additions and custom homes, always with architectural shingles fitted as one matched system. Most detached Ottawa homes are stripped and re-shingled in one to two days. Steep, cut-up or very large roofs can take three.

Shingles suit almost any pitched roof in the city, from 1970s split-levels in Nepean to the 1990s two-storeys in Kanata whose original roofs are now well past their prime. If you are still weighing materials, our roof replacement service covers the wider project and this page focuses on the shingle system itself. It sits within our full range of residential roofing services.

A typical shingle replacement runs in this order:

Free assessment: we measure the roof, look in the attic, and note soft decking, ventilation and flashing condition before writing the quote.
Tear-off: old shingles, felt and nails come off down to the sheathing, with tarps over gardens, air conditioners and window wells.
Deck repair: soft or delaminated plywood and OSB is cut out and replaced, and we show you the damaged areas first.
Membrane and underlayment: drip edge, self-adhered eave protection and synthetic underlayment go down before any shingle.
Flashing and shingles: new step, chimney and valley flashing, starter strip, field shingles, then hip and ridge caps.
Ventilation and cleanup: ridge or roof vents go in, the yard is swept with magnets, and you get photos of the finished details.

Weathered wood architectural shingles on Barrhaven home — Completed brown architectural shingle roof in Barrhaven

Shingle Types and Which Suits Your Home

Most Ottawa homeowners end up choosing between standard architectural shingles, heavier designer shingles and impact- or high-wind-rated lines. The right one depends on budget, how exposed your lot is and the look of your street.

Three-tab shingles are still sold, but their lower wind ratings and shorter warranties make them poor value on a full replacement. The labour, tear-off and flashing cost the same whichever shingle goes on.

Architectural (Laminated) Shingles

Architectural shingles are the standard choice for Ottawa re-roofs. Two layers of fibreglass-mat asphalt are laminated together, which gives a dimensional look and a thicker, heavier shingle than three-tab.

Lines such as IKO Cambridge, BP Mystique 42, GAF Timberline HDZ, CertainTeed Landmark and Owens Corning TruDefinition Duration carry limited lifetime material warranties. Standard wind ratings run from about 177 to 209 km/h, and higher with enhanced nailing.

Premium Designer Shingles

Designer shingles mimic slate or cedar shake with thicker, multi-layer tabs and deeper shadow lines. Examples include IKO Crowne Slate and Armourshake, CertainTeed Grand Manor and GAF Grand Sequoia.

They weigh noticeably more per square, so we confirm the deck and framing can carry them. They suit older homes where real slate or cedar isn't in the budget, and they price above the standard architectural range.

Impact- and High-Wind-Rated Shingles

High-wind and impact-rated lines make sense on exposed lots, such as open-field edges of roofing in Stittsville or houses that took damage in the 2018 tornadoes and the 2022 derecho. IKO Nordic, for example, carries a UL 2218 Class 4 impact rating, the highest for residential shingles.

Many standard lines also reach 210 to 220 km/h wind coverage when installed with the manufacturer's high-wind (usually six-nail) pattern. Some insurers discount Class 4 roofs, so ask yours before choosing.

Brands We Install and Their Warranties

Every major manufacturer sold in Eastern Ontario makes a sound architectural shingle. The differences that matter are the wind warranty, the accessories each one requires, and the colour range in that line.

Brand	Core lines	Material warranty	Published wind warranty
IKO	Cambridge, Dynasty, Nordic	Limited lifetime	Cambridge 177 km/h standard, 210 km/h with high-wind application; Dynasty and Nordic up to 210 km/h
BP Canada	Mystique 42, Everest 42	Limited lifetime (owner-occupied home)	Mystique 42: 180 km/h standard, 220 km/h with high-wind application, 15-year term
Owens Corning	TruDefinition Duration	Limited lifetime	209 km/h with four nails, using the SureNail strip
GAF	Timberline HDZ	Limited lifetime	WindProven 15-year warranty with no maximum wind speed, when at least four qualifying GAF accessories are used
CertainTeed	Landmark, Landmark PRO	Limited lifetime	177 km/h for 15 years, upgradeable to 209 km/h with CertainTeed starter and hip and ridge

"Lifetime" material warranties are limited and usually prorated after an initial period, and the exact terms sit in each manufacturer's warranty document. You can read the published details for IKO Cambridge shingles, the GAF WindProven wind warranty and the Owens Corning Canada roofing range.

On top of the manufacturer coverage, every shingle roof we install carries our 1-year written labour warranty on the installation. We register the material warranty where the manufacturer requires it, and our roofing warranty page explains how the two work together.

A Complete Shingle Roof System

A shingle roof is only as good as the layers under and around it, so we install each component from one manufacturer's system wherever the line allows. Here is what goes on, and why:

Drip edge: metal at the eaves and rakes that keeps water off the fascia and steers it into the eavestrough.
Eave protection: a self-adhered ice and water membrane such as Grace Ice & Water Shield, IKO StormShield or GAF WeatherWatch. The Ontario Building Code calls for it on shingle roofs in our climate, at least 900 mm up the slope and at least 300 mm past the inside face of the exterior wall.
Extra membrane: we also run it through valleys and around chimneys, skylights and plumbing stacks, where ice dams and wind-driven rain find their way in.
Synthetic underlayment: products like IKO Stormtite or GAF Deck-Armor replace felt, stay flat in summer heat and won't tear if a storm interrupts the job.
Starter strip: factory starter puts a sealant line right at the eave and rake edges, where wind uplift begins.
Flashing: new step, counter and kick-out flashing every time, because reused flashing outlives nothing.
Ventilation and caps: a ridge vent such as GAF Cobra or Owens Corning VentSure, paired with soffit intake, then purpose-made hip and ridge caps.

Mixing brands matters more than most homeowners realise. GAF's WindProven coverage needs four qualifying GAF accessories, and CertainTeed's higher wind rating needs its own starter and caps. Swap in generic accessories and you can drop to the base warranty without knowing it.

Choosing a Shingle Colour

Choose the colour for your house and street first, because the performance gap between colours is small in Ottawa. Dark shingles absorb more sun, so snow tends to slide or melt off south-facing slopes sooner, and the attic runs a little warmer in July.

Colour does not cause or cure ice dams. Those come from heat escaping into the attic, which is explained in our guide to ice dams.

Charcoal, black and weathered-wood tones dominate newer subdivisions in Barrhaven and Orléans, and they hide streaking from algae and tree debris well. If your home is in a heritage conservation district, colour and material can need City approval, which our Ottawa roofing permits guide covers.

Before you commit, try IKO ROOFViewer, the GAF Virtual Home Remodeler or CertainTeed ColorView with a straight-on daylight photo of your house. Then look at a real roof in the same colour on a sunny day, because screens and small samples never match exactly.

Shingle Roof Pricing

Architectural shingle replacement in Ottawa typically costs $500 to $800 per roofing square (100 sq ft) installed in 2026. Most detached homes land between $10,000 and $24,000.

A 20-square roof, common on a two-storey home in Kanata or Barrhaven, works out to roughly $10,000 to $16,000. Your written quote after a free assessment sets the actual price.

Price driver	Why it moves the cost
Roof pitch	Slopes steeper than about 8/12 need roof jacks, harness anchors and slower work
Layers to remove	A second layer of old shingles doubles tear-off labour and disposal
Deck condition	Rotted or delaminated sheathing is replaced sheet by sheet
Complexity	Valleys, dormers, chimneys and skylights add flashing and cutting time
Ventilation upgrades	Adding soffit intake or converting to a ridge vent adds materials and labour
Shingle line	Designer and impact-rated shingles cost more than standard laminates
Access	Tight lots, no driveway for a bin, or long carries to the roof add time

For square-foot examples by house size and a breakdown of where the money goes, see our Ottawa roof replacement cost guide.

Why Our Shingle Roofs Last

Shingle roofs fail early because of installation shortcuts far more often than bad material. We control the three things that decide lifespan: nail placement, ventilation balance and the details at walls and penetrations.

Nailing in the nail zone: nails placed above the manufacturer's zone miss the double layer, and those shingles are the first to blow off. Overdriven nails cut the mat and underdriven ones lift tabs, so we check gun depth as the day warms up.
Balanced ventilation: the Building Code asks for at least 1 sq ft of vent for every 300 sq ft of insulated ceiling, split between high and low. We never mix a ridge vent with box vents or a powered fan on one attic, because the exhaust vents short-circuit each other.
Wall and penetration details: kick-out flashing at every roof-to-wall corner, new pipe boots, and counter flashing cut into chimney mortar joints rather than glued on.

The symptoms of getting this wrong show up within a few winters: frost on nail tips in January, blistered or curling shingles, and stained sheathing. If your attic already shows those signs, our attic ventilation and insulation work is usually done alongside the new roof.

Step flashing and new shingles at Nepean dormer — New step flashing where shingles meet a dormer wall in Nepean

Shingle Roofing FAQs

Ottawa homeowners comparing shingle options tend to ask the same questions. Here are direct answers from crews who install asphalt shingles every week of the season.

How long do asphalt shingles last in Ottawa?

Architectural shingles typically last 22 to 30 years in Ottawa, and three-tab shingles 15 to 20. South- and west-facing slopes age fastest from UV and freeze-thaw cycling.

Poor attic ventilation can take years off either type. If you want a longer-life material, our metal roof vs shingles comparison sets out the trade-offs.

Are architectural shingles worth the extra cost?

Yes, for nearly every full replacement. The material premium over three-tab is a small share of the total, since tear-off, flashing and labour cost the same.

In return you get higher wind ratings, longer warranties and a deeper look that suits Ottawa streetscapes. Most manufacturers have built their accessory warranties around laminated lines.

Can shingles be installed in winter?

Yes, with precautions. Shingle sealant strips need warmth to bond, so in cold weather we follow each manufacturer's cold-weather instructions, which can include hand-sealing tabs.

We stop for snow, freezing rain or deep cold. A winter roof installed correctly seals fully once spring sun warms it.

Do I need a permit to re-shingle in Ottawa?

Usually not for a straight like-for-like re-shingle. Structural work such as rafter repairs, and changes to homes in heritage districts, are different stories.

We check before the job starts, and our permits guide explains the City of Ottawa rules in more detail.

Can new shingles go over my old ones?

We almost always recommend a full tear-off. An overlay hides rotted decking, can't get eave membrane down to the sheathing, and shortens the life of the new shingles.

Some manufacturers also limit warranty coverage on overlays. If your roof only needs a section fixed, our shingle roof repair team can quote that instead.

Asphalt Shingles Across Ottawa

Our crews dispatch from Centretown to every Ottawa community and anywhere within about 30 minutes of the city.

Free roofing estimate

Get a Shingle Roof Quote

Call or send the form and we will book a free roof assessment, measure the roof and check your attic. You get a written quote that names the shingle line, accessories and warranty tier.

Call or text (343) 504-9753, answered 24/7
Email info@ottawaroofingpros.com
Licensed, insured and WSIB covered
Written quote and 1-year labour warranty

Call (343) 504-9753