Untreated Pine Shakes and how well they perform in Alberta Canada.
Untreated Pine Shakes have been used extensively for roof surface material the past 10 years or so in Alberta because the Alberta Building code permitted it.
Manufacturers and Home Builders recommended the Pine Shakes because it was a cheaper installation compared to Cedar.
Some felt the untreated Pine Shakes were as durable as Cedar and offered warranties of up to 25 years on the product.
It should be noted that the warranty for the installation was only 1 year.
Many home owners did not actually receive the warranty document and in other instances the home would have changed hands sometimes not only once but several times and the original documents were lost.
In about mid to late 1997 it became apparent that some wood rot were developing in the roof surfaces.
Most roofing contractors and suppliers made little out of this and simply stated that the condition was normal and should be treated as a maintenance matter.
Excessive curling, cupping and splitting was also noted.
Most roofing contractors maintained it was not a problem as the roofing felts would keep water out.
In some instances the shakes may not be Pine but contain other species.
The dark spots that appear on the surface of the shakes that can be seen are wood rot in early or often advanced stages.
What can not be determined is the condition of the shakes that are covered without removing several shakes.
Based on some recent investigations by a group of Home Inspectors from Calgary and Edmonton it is clear that there is wood rot present even in the areas hidden from view in the roof examined in the Edmonton area.
It would appear Northern Alberta is affected worse than the South from information we have learned.
This should not be a consolation to the people in the southern part of the Province. All that means is that it will take a little longer before the condition reaches that experienced in the Edmonton area.
It was felt by some Manufacturers that the condition resulted from an air borne fungus while others feel the fungus is in the shakes when they arrive at the job site.
The fungus has been seen present in newly opened bundles of shakes, how did it get there? It would seem reasonable to assume it came from the factory.
By July and August of 1997 it became apparent that there was a problem of some greater proportion than anticipated.
On September 18, 1997 Alberta Labour issued a letter to "Manufacturers of Pine Shakes" advising that only treated Pine Shakes would be permitted when the new Building code was issued and it was anticipated to be enforced by the end of 1997.
October of 1997 in a report from the City of Calgary Planning and Building Department they chose to advise against the use of untreated Pine Shakes but did not prohibit its use as they had elected to follow the directions from Alberta Labour.
Jan 9, 1998 a letter was issued by Alberta Labour Safety Codes Council advising that untreated Pine Shakes would not be permitted once the 1997 Alberta Building Code was in effect. The letter in part stated that untreated pine shakes are still recognized under the 1990 building code as being legitimate. It further recommended that roofs be inspected every five years as routine maintenance and any deteriorated shakes be replaced.
This code became effective June 1, 1998. and many roofs were installed using untreated Pine Shakes between September 18, 1997 and June 1, 1998
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E Mail Moe
Madsen
