Condo and townhouse roofing in New Brunswick

Start with the board

In a Maritimes condominium corporation, the roof is usually a common element, so the board of directors and the property manager decide on it, not one owner. Nova Scotia's Condominium Act, New Brunswick's condominium statute (SNB 2009, c C-16.05) and Prince Edward Island's Condominium Act, together with your corporation's declaration and bylaws, set out who is responsible for the roof and when owners must vote on a change. Service New Brunswick, for example, lists roofs among the common areas the board manages on the corporation's behalf. Check the rules for your corporation with your property manager or its lawyer before you choose a roof.

Bring us in early. We provide the product documents, colour samples and warranty terms the board will ask for, so it can decide and give owners whatever notice the declaration requires.

Plan it with the reserve fund

Reserve fund rules differ in each of the three provinces. Nova Scotia's Condominium Regulations call for a comprehensive reserve-fund study, covering at least 20 years, every five years. In New Brunswick, Service New Brunswick says corporations with more than 10 units must complete a reserve fund study every 10 years and update it every three years. Prince Edward Island's Condominium Act does not require a reserve fund, according to CMHC's PEI condominium fact sheet, so ask your board how it plans to pay for a roof replacement.

The roof is often one of the largest items a board plans for. If your board is planning a replacement, we can give a fixed written price and the warranty documents for the study provider and the board to work from.

When owners have to vote

Some changes to the common elements need an owner vote, and a change of roofing material can be one of them. In Prince Edward Island, section 17 of the Condominium Act requires a vote of members who own 80 per cent of the common elements, or more if the declaration says so, for a substantial addition, alteration or improvement. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have their own rules in their Acts and in each corporation's declaration and bylaws. Whether a new roof is a repair or an improvement is a question for your condominium lawyer, so ask before the board decides how to approve and fund it.

Freehold townhouses

In a freehold townhouse row, each owner owns their own roof, but the roofs meet at the party walls. Neighbours who replace together can share one visit, one profile and one colour, and the joints between units are flashed once, properly, instead of patched where an old roof meets a new one.

One roof across every unit

One profile and one colour can run across every building in the complex, and the manufacturer's Guardian Lifetime Limited Material Warranty terms are the same for each unit. Read the full terms before the board votes: the warranty covers material and finish for the original purchaser and transfers once, and the transfer rules matter when units change hands.

Built for Maritimes weather

Salt air, wind-driven rain and freeze-thaw are what wear a condominium roof out near the coast. Aluminum forms a thin, tough oxide layer that seals the metal and cannot rust, so salt spray has no steel core to attack. Interlock® panels lock to each other on all four sides with the fasteners concealed, and wind resistance is warranted to 193 km/h (120 mph) installed to manufacturer specification. Damage from hurricane-force winds and wind storms is excluded from our labour warranty and is a matter for the corporation's insurance.

Ice dams come from heat loss and ventilation, not the roof covering, and no roof prevents them on its own, so we look at attic ventilation and insulation across the buildings with the board.