Buyer's Guide
How to choose a metal roofing contractor in Alberta
Eight checks that work on any company. Roofer is an optional certification trade in Alberta, so these are what separate one quote from another.
1. Check the prepaid contracting licence with Service Alberta
In Alberta, a business that solicits, negotiates or signs contracts in person away from its own place of business (at your kitchen table, for example) and takes money before all the work is done is a prepaid contracting business. It must be licensed by Service Alberta and post security with the province. Search the legal name on the quote in Service Alberta's Find a Licensed Business tool before you hand over a deposit.
2. Ask for WCB coverage and the insurance certificate
The Government of Alberta advises homeowners to make sure the contractor and its workers have Workers' Compensation Board coverage and to ask for the WCB number. WCB-Alberta lets anyone check the clearance status of a company registered with it, and a clearance letter can be emailed or printed online. Ask too for an insurance certificate showing public liability and property damage coverage, sent by the broker or insurer with current policy dates. A photo of last year's certificate proves nothing about the week your roof comes off.
3. Get the contract in writing, and know your rights
The Government of Alberta says to always insist on a written contract: a detailed description of the work and materials, who gets the permits, an itemized payment schedule, the warranty, the insurance certificate and WCB number, and a statement of your cancellation rights. If you sign a direct sales contract at home, you can cancel it up to 10 days after you receive your copy, without giving a reason. If a deposit is asked for, find out whether it's refundable and on what conditions. The homeowner is ultimately responsible for making sure permits are in place before work starts, so the contract should say who is getting them.
4. Read the warranty as if the exclusions are the document
Ask four things: does the coverage reduce over time? Is there a wind figure written down, tied to installation to the manufacturer's specification? Does it transfer to the next owner, and on what terms? What is excluded? Then ask who issues it. On our roofs the material warranty comes from the manufacturer, Interlock Roofing Ltd., the labour warranty comes from us, and we'll hand you both documents before you sign. Ice damming, for example, is a stated exclusion of the material warranty; a roofer who promises a roof will stop ice dams is promising something the warranty doesn't.
5. Ask what the fasteners look like
Exposed gasketed screws through the weather surface are a leak point once the gaskets age, and an Alberta roof goes through hail, strong sun, chinook winds and freeze-thaw every year. Concealed-fastener, mechanically interlocked panels keep the fasteners out of the weather and leave no edge for a windstorm to get under. If the answer involves visible screws, ask what the maintenance looks like in year twelve.
6. Ask where the snow will go
A metal roof sheds snow. Before the roof is ordered, ask where snow will slide off, what it will land on (an entry, a deck, a walkway, the neighbour's driveway) and where snow guards go. Ask about attic ventilation and insulation too: ice dams come from heat loss, and a good roofer looks at the attic, not just the roof.
7. In a condo, get the board's approval before the contract
In most Alberta condominium corporations the roof is common property, so the board decides on it under the Condominium Property Act and the corporation's bylaws, often with its reserve fund study in mind. Ask the contractor to provide what the board needs, such as the profile, colour, specification sheets and warranty, and get the decision in writing before anyone signs.
8. Ask who manufactures the panels, and check its ratings
Many metal roofs are re-branded panels from commodity mills. Ask for the manufacturer by name and for its published test reports. The system we install is made in Canada by Interlock Roofing Ltd.: heavy-gauge aluminum, roughly 2 to 3.5 kg per square metre depending on profile, four-way interlocking with concealed fasteners, minimum 3/12 slope on every profile. In hail country, ask which impact rating applies and who verified it: the Interlock® aluminum panels carry a UL 2218 Class 4 impact rating, per the Intertek / Delta Building Products listing. No roof is hail-proof, and a rating is not a discount: ask your insurer what it means for your policy. If your acreage or mountain home backs onto forest, ask which assembly a fire rating applies to. Ours is Class A Fire Rated Available, as a complete assembly; under ASTM E108 and CAN/ULC-S107 the rating belongs to the assembly, not the panel.
Contractor-vetting questions, answered
Do roofers need a licence in Alberta?
Not a trade licence. Roofer is an optional certification trade in Alberta, so a roofer doesn't need a journeyperson certificate to work. What does apply is consumer protection law: a business that signs you up in person away from its place of business and takes money before all the work is done must hold a prepaid contracting business licence from Service Alberta. Also check WCB coverage, liability insurance, a written contract and a warranty you can read in full.
How do I check a contractor's licence in Alberta?
Search the business's legal name in Service Alberta's Find a Licensed Business tool at servicealberta.ca. Use the legal name on the quote or contract, not the website name, and check that the licence type matches the work.
Can I cancel a roofing contract in Alberta?
If it is a direct sales contract (signed at your home rather than at the business), the Government of Alberta says you can cancel it up to 10 days after you receive your copy, without giving a reason. Read the cancellation terms in the contract before you sign either way.
What questions should I ask a metal roofing company in Alberta?
Five with the highest signal: Are you licensed with Service Alberta if you take a deposit? Can I see your WCB clearance and insurance certificate? Who issues the warranty, does it transfer, and what does it exclude? Are the fasteners exposed or concealed? Who manufactures the panels, and what impact and fire ratings apply? Confident answers to all five are rare, and telling.
Is a Class 4 impact-rated roof hail-proof?
No roof is hail-proof. A UL 2218 Class 4 rating, which the Interlock® aluminum panels carry per the Intertek / Delta Building Products listing, is the highest class in that impact test. Ask your insurer, not the roofer, what an impact-rated roof means for your policy.
Does my condo board need to approve a new roof?
Usually. In most Alberta condominium corporations the roof is common property, so the board decides, under the Condominium Property Act and the corporation's bylaws. Talk to your property manager first; your contractor should give you the specifications the board asks for.
What is the difference between an installer and a certified installer?
Certification means the manufacturer trained the crews and stands behind the installation. Interlock Metal Roofing (Alberta) Ltd. is the certified Interlock® roofing contractor for Alberta.
Should I get multiple metal roofing quotes?
Yes, and compare them like for like. A cheaper quote with exposed fasteners and a prorated warranty is not the same roof at a lower price. Compare the system, warranty terms, licensing, coverage and insurance, then compare price.
Which parts of Alberta do you cover?
All of Alberta, from one office in Calgary: Metro Calgary and Metro Edmonton first, then Central Alberta (Red Deer, Lacombe, Olds), Southern Alberta (Lethbridge, Pincher Creek), Medicine Hat and Brooks, the Foothills and Crowsnest Pass, Banff, Canmore and the Bow Valley, Peace Country (Grande Prairie, Peace River), the West Country (Edson, Hinton, Whitecourt) and East-Central Alberta (Vegreville, Wainwright, Lloydminster).
Ready when you are — bring this checklist to the estimate.
