My cedar shake roof has heavy moss. What are my options?

Cedar shakes were the default roof on Greater Victoria's 1970s and 1980s houses, from Broadmead and Cordova Bay to the first phases of Colwood and the Highlands, and on the character homes of Oak Bay and the Uplands. Forty years on, most of those roofs are on their second or third owner and the shakes under the moss are the original ones. A Broadmead roof under Douglas firs is the classic case: a thick green pelt on the north slope, cupped and split shakes on the south, and a homeowner asking whether the moss is the problem or the symptom.

The answer in the region has shifted. Cedar material prices rose 40 to 60 percent after 2019 according to a BC cedar guide, treated cedar needs cleaning every year or two in shade, and Victoria home inspectors flag moss and shake condition as a matter of routine. Many owners who loved the look now re-roof in a cedar-look laminate shingle or a metal shake profile, especially in the tree-heavy municipalities; the ones who stay with cedar tend to be in Oak Bay and the Uplands, on sunnier lots, and budget for a maintenance contract from day one.

A roofer looks past the moss at the wood. Shakes that are still thick at the butt, lie flat and show no daylight from the attic can be cleaned and treated and will give years more. Shakes that are cupped, split along the grain, thin and feathered at the edge, or that show light through the attic sheathing are done, and cleaning them removes the moss that was, in a sense, holding them together. A moss company will happily clean a dead roof; get a roofer's opinion on the shakes first, ideally with a written inspection ($150 to $400 in our model).

• Thick butts, flat, no daylight: clean and keep
• Cupped, split, feathered, daylight: replace
• One slope bad, others sound: partial repair
• Past 20 years in shade: replacement planning regardless

Cedar is softer than asphalt and pressure washing furs the surface, splits shakes and drives water into the laps; the Cedar Bureau's care guidance and Pacific Northwest extension advice both point to gentle methods. The professional sequence is debris removal from the keyways and valleys, a treatment applied on a dry day, and a soft brush or low-pressure rinse once the moss is dead, all done with fall protection because a wet mossy shake roof is among the slipperiest surfaces a crew works on. Copper strips after cleaning suit cedar well because the roof's long life justifies the 20-year metal.

Cedar again keeps the look and suits heritage streets, at roughly two to three times the asphalt price in our model and with a maintenance commitment. Laminate asphalt in a cedar-tone blend is what most shaded Saanich and West Shore lots choose, and an algae-resistant line resists the moss that killed the shakes. Metal in a shake profile costs more than asphalt, less than premium cedar over its life, and sheds needles and moss, which matters under firs. Whatever you choose, a change from shakes to another material is the case where a building department is most likely to want a word, so confirm locally before signing.