Sloped roofs
Roof Replacement and Shingle Roofing in Calgary
A roof replacement removes the existing covering down to the deck, repairs or replaces damaged sheathing, and installs a complete new assembly: eave protection, underlayment, starter course, field shingles, hip and ridge, flashings, and vents. Marku Roofing Repair Ltd. repairs and replaces steep-slope shingle roofs in Calgary under City of Calgary business licence BL272564.
- 24/7 emergency line
- Licence BL272564
- WCB 9892020
- $5M liability
- Free written estimate
Free written estimate
Tell us what the roof is doing
We reply with a written scope and a price, not a range.
City of Calgary licence
BL272564
WCB Alberta account
9892020
General liability
$5,000,000
Written estimate
Free, itemised
Asphalt shingles cover the large majority of Calgary houses. They are a layered system: a fibreglass mat, an asphalt coating, ceramic-coated granules for ultraviolet protection, and a factory seal strip that bonds each shingle to the course below once solar heat activates it. Almost everything that goes wrong on a shingle roof is a failure in one of those layers, and the first question is always whether the answer is a repair or a replacement.
Call 403-700-7542 for a free written estimate.
01
Repair or replace
Repair when the damage is local, the field is otherwise sound, and the shingles are still flexible enough to lift without cracking. Shingles past a certain age cannot be lifted for a repair without breaking the courses around them, which turns a four-shingle repair into a slope replacement.
Four conditions move a roof out of the repair column for good.
The deck is soft. A boot that sinks between rafters means the sheathing has taken on water and lost strength. Patching a covering over a failing deck buys one season.
Granule loss is general. Local granule loss around a valley is a repair. Granule loss across a whole southern exposure, with the mat showing through, is an aged roof.
The same slope has been patched more than twice. Each patch adds a seam. Past the second one, the failure is the assembly, not the spot.
An insurer has already written it off. After a hail event, an adjuster's scope for full replacement makes repair the wrong economic choice.
02
What fails on a Calgary shingle roof
Broken seal strips. The seal strip is what holds a tab down against wind. Chinook gusts along a ridge or rake break the bond, the tab lifts, and the course below is exposed. This is the most common single defect we find.
Hail bruising. A hail strike fractures the mat under the granules without necessarily removing them. The bruise feels soft, like a dent in a car panel. It is not visible from the ground and it is the specific damage an insurance adjuster is looking for. See hail damage roof repair.
Granule loss. Granules protect the asphalt from ultraviolet degradation. Once they wash into the eavestrough in quantity, the asphalt below oxidises and the shingle goes brittle.
Cracking and curling. Age and thermal cycling. Calgary shingles run through a larger annual temperature range than the same product in Vancouver.
Exposed and backed-out fasteners. Nails driven high, over-driven, or under-driven work loose over time and telegraph through.
Failed flashings. Step flashing at walls, valley metal, chimney counter flashing, and vent boots. The rubber boot on a plumbing vent typically fails before the shingles do.
Stop guessing
Get shingle roofing & replacement priced in writing
We look at the roof, photograph what we find, and hand you a scope with a number on it. If a repair is the right answer, we say so rather than quoting a replacement.
Estimates are free and written. Not a range, not a verbal number.
03
The slope rules
Section 9.26 of the National Building Code sets the minimum slopes for asphalt shingles.
- 1 in 3 or steeper. Normal application. Two thicknesses of shingle over the entire roof.
- Between 1 in 6 and 1 in 3. Low-slope application, with additional shingle thicknesses over the entire roof.
- Below 1 in 6. Not a compliant application for asphalt shingles. The slope needs a membrane. See SBS roofing.
Calgary homes with a low-slope porch, addition, or dormer tied into a shingled main roof need both systems. The transition between them is the detail that leaks, and a replacement is the moment to build it properly rather than shingle over it.
04
What a Calgary replacement includes
Tear-off to the deck
We strip the existing covering. Layering new shingles over old hides deck damage, adds dead load, and voids most manufacturer warranties. Draft We do not recommend a layover, and we will say so in writing if you have been quoted one. There is no way to inspect a deck you cannot see, and in a hail market the second layer also makes future claim documentation harder.
Deck inspection and repair
Sheathing is inspected once it is exposed. Delaminated, punky, or water-stained panels come out. This is the only point in the roof's life when the deck is visible, so it is the only honest time to price the repair.
Eave protection
The National Building Code requires eave protection to extend from the roof edge a minimum of 900 mm up the slope, to a line not less than 300 mm inside the inner face of the exterior wall. On a Calgary roof with a chinook freeze-thaw cycle, that membrane is what stops ice-dam backflow from reaching the sheathing.
Underlayment
Synthetic underlayment over the field. Self-adhered modified bituminous membrane in valleys and at wall tie-ins, where water concentrates.
Ventilation brought to code
Replacement is the moment to fix venting, because the sheathing is open and the vents are off. The code requires unobstructed vent area of not less than 1/300 of insulated ceiling area, with at least 25 percent at the top of the space and at least 25 percent at the bottom, and at least 63 mm of clearance between insulation and sheathing. Most Calgary attic moisture complaints trace back to a roof that was replaced without touching the intake side.
Flashing replaced, not reused
Step flashing at walls, counter flashing at chimneys, valley metal, and vent boots are replaced with the roof. Reused flashing is the most common source of a leak on a two-year-old roof.
05
Impact-rated shingles
Class 4 impact-rated shingles are tested to UL 2218 by dropping a steel ball onto the shingle and checking the mat for fracture. In hail-exposed markets they reduce the frequency of claimable damage, and some insurers offer premium credits for them.
Calgary is a hail-exposed market. The 5 August 2024 hailstorm produced nearly $2.8 billion in insured damage across the city according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, with more than 130,000 claims.
Draft Class 4 is the top UL 2218 impact rating and the one worth asking about here. Expect it to add roughly 10 to 15 percent to a shingle roof in Calgary, which on a typical detached home is about $1,000 to $1,800 over a standard architectural shingle. Several Canadian insurers offer a premium credit for it; whether yours does is worth one phone call to your broker before you choose.
06
Materials and brands
Draft The lines most commonly specified on Alberta roofs are IKO Cambridge and Dynasty, Malarkey Legacy and Vista, Owens Corning Duration, and BP Mystique. Dynasty, Vista and the Class 4 lines are the impact-rated options; the rest are standard architectural shingles. For a repair we match the closest current product, because granule colour fades and an exact match to an aged roof does not exist.
07
Timeline
Draft A standard Calgary bungalow is usually a one-day tear-off and re-roof. A two-storey, or anything with multiple valleys, dormers or skylights, is more often two days. Add a day if the deck turns out to need sheathing, which is not knowable until the old covering is off.
Lead time is the longer wait. Off season, roughly 1 to 2 weeks from approval. In peak season, 3 to 6 weeks. In the weeks after a significant hailstorm, longer than that, and anyone promising otherwise is either not busy or not telling you the truth.
08
Warranty
Manufacturer warranties cover the shingle. Workmanship warranties cover the installation. They are separate documents and they fail in different ways.
Draft Almost every leak in a roof's first decade is an installation problem rather than a material defect, so the workmanship term is the one worth reading. The Calgary market norm is 5 to 10 years, issued in writing. A verbal warranty is not a warranty.
Cost
What shingle roofing & replacement costs in Calgary
Draft Calgary market rates, 2026. These are ranges, not a quote. The number that matters is the one on your written estimate, after somebody has been on the roof.
| Work | Typical Calgary range |
|---|---|
| Minor repair: a few shingles, nail pops, resealing | $200 to $500 |
| Flashing repair at a chimney or wall | $250 to $700 |
| Chimney or skylight reflash | $300 to $600 each |
| Larger repair: a section, a valley, some deck | $800 to $2,600 |
| Full replacement, standard architectural shingle | $5.20 to $6.40 per sq ft |
| Full replacement, Class 4 impact-rated | $5.80 to $7.10 per sq ft |
| Full replacement, typical detached home | $12,000 to $16,000 |
What moves a number inside those ranges: roof pitch and storeys, how many valleys, chimneys and skylights there are, how much deck has to be replaced once the old covering is off, and whether the venting has to be corrected to meet code. Deck replacement is the one nobody can price from the ground, which is why an estimate that has not been on the roof is a guess.
Our own photographs
Work on Calgary roofs
Every photograph on this site is taken on a job we did. No stock libraries.
Checkable, not claimed
Credentials you can verify before we set a ladder up
Marku Roofing Repair Ltd. was incorporated in Alberta in 2022 under corporate access number 2024249985. We hold City of Calgary business licence BL272564, WCB Alberta account 9892020, and $5,000,000 in commercial general liability through Sandbox Mutual Insurance.
No awards, no rankings, no "best in Calgary". A licence number, a WCB account and a policy limit are things you can check yourself.
More about the companyAnswers
Frequently asked questions
Still unclear? A five minute phone call usually settles it faster than reading.
Ask us directlyShould I repair the roof or replace it?
Repair while the damage is local and the shingles still lift without cracking. Replace once the deck has softened, granule loss is general, or the same slope has been patched more than twice. We put the recommendation in writing either way, including when the answer is that nothing needs doing yet.
Can you replace a roof in Calgary in winter?
Asphalt shingle seal strips need solar heat to bond. In cold weather the strips stay unsealed until spring, which leaves tabs vulnerable to chinook wind uplift. Hand-sealing is the accepted workaround. Draft We do install through the winter when the job cannot wait, with every tab hand-sealed, and we say so in the estimate. If the roof can wait for spring, we will tell you that too rather than sell you a winter install you did not need.
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Calgary?
Replacing a roof covering like for like does not normally require a building permit. Structural changes to the roof framing do. Confirm with the City of Calgary before work that changes the structure.
Will my insurance pay for it?
Insurance pays for sudden accidental damage, such as hail or wind. It does not pay for age. See hail damage roof repair.
How long do shingles last in Calgary?
Shorter than the printed warranty period, because the printed period assumes an average climate. Calgary adds hail, chinook wind, and a wide freeze-thaw range. Draft In practice, plan on 15 to 25 years from a standard architectural shingle here, against a printed warranty that may say 30 or more. Impact-rated shingles and a properly vented attic both push you toward the top of that band. A single bad hailstorm can end any of them early, which is what insurance is for.
Can you match my existing shingles?
Colour matching an aged roof is imperfect because granule colour fades. We match the closest current product and place repairs where the difference reads least.
Why did my shingles blow off in a windstorm when they are only three years old?
Most likely the seal strips never bonded, either because the roof went on in cold weather without hand-sealing or because the nailing was high and missed the nail zone.
Is one blown shingle urgent?
Yes, in Calgary. The exposed course below has no lateral water protection, and the next chinook driving rain sideways will find it.
What happens to the old shingles?
Draft They go in the bin on site and out to a Calgary landfill or asphalt recycler. Disposal is included in the price we quote; it is not a line item that appears afterwards. Asphalt shingle recycling is available in the Calgary area and the tear-off tonnage from one house is significant, so it is worth asking any roofer where their waste actually goes.
Free written estimate
Book it before the next chinook
Freeze-thaw turns a small opening into a large one faster here than almost anywhere else in Canada. Get it looked at while it is still a repair.
Serving Calgary, Airdrie, Cochrane, Okotoks and Chestermere.