Cedar Shake Roof Cost in Victoria, BC

Cedar is part of the streetscape in Oak Bay, Uplands, Rockland and the older blocks of Fairfield, where 1910s to 1950s homes were built with shakes and many still carry them. On these streets the question is rarely whether cedar looks right; it is whether to pay two to three times the asphalt price to keep it, on a lot where a Garry oak or a neighbour's cedar hedge shades the north slope for most of the year. Shade is what turns a 25-year cedar roof into a 12-year one.

Installer supply is thin. Fewer Greater Victoria crews lay cedar well, and the ones that do book months ahead in summer. Insurers occasionally ask questions about untreated shakes, and homes in wildland-interface areas of the Highlands, Metchosin and Sooke may face restrictions. Heritage-designated homes should confirm with their municipal building department before switching from cedar to another material, since visible changes can need approval.

Two things happened to cedar pricing. First, the supply of large, clear, tight-grain western red cedar shrank after 2019 restrictions on old-growth harvesting in BC; Paragon's guide reports material prices up 40 to 60 percent since then. Second, installation is slow: shakes are laid over spaced or breathable underlay with an interlayer of felt between courses, and every course is hand-nailed. A cedar crew covers far fewer squares a day than a shingle crew.

That is why Vintage Roofing's 2023 figure of $18,000 to $25,000 for a Victoria cedar roof already reads low against Paragon's Surrey guide of $35,000 to $65,000 for Grade 1 shakes. Our model sits between them.

Cedar shingles are sawn on both faces, thinner and lie flat; shakes are split on at least one face, thicker and more textured. Shakes cost more and last longer when kept clean. Grade matters more than either: No. 1 (blue label) is all heartwood and edge grain; lower grades include flat grain and sapwood that cup and rot faster in a wet climate. Our rate assumes No. 1 grade; a quote priced on No. 2 material will be cheaper and shorter-lived.

• Ask for the grade and the mill's label in writing
• Ask whether shakes are treated or untreated
• Ask how the roof will be ventilated beneath the cedar

Cedar needs moss and debris removed regularly, trees kept back, and periodic treatment. Shoreline's 2026 moss guide prices a professional treatment at $500 to $1,200 and an annual contract at $300 to $600 in Victoria; budget one of these every one to two years. Paragon's lifespan figures show the payoff: 18 to 25 years maintained against 12 to 15 unmaintained. Over 25 years the upkeep can add a third to the installed price.

Most Greater Victoria homeowners replacing old shakes now choose laminate asphalt for cost or metal for longevity, and metal shake profiles exist for character streets. If you keep cedar, do it for the look and accept the upkeep. The calculator prices all three on your own home; the material pages compare lifespan and coastal fit in more depth.