If you own a home on the North Shore, in West Vancouver, or anywhere the original architect specified cedar, you have probably had this conversation with yourself already. The cedar looks beautiful. It is also twenty-five years old, going grey and green in patches, and you have been told the next re-roof will cost more than the last one.
Composite shake is the usual alternative that comes up. This is an honest comparison of the two, written by people who install both, including where real cedar still wins.
The short answer
Real cedar gives you genuine wood, a look that ages naturally, and a material that has been on Lower Mainland homes for a century. It also needs maintenance, carries the weakest fire rating of any common roofing material, and in this climate it does not last as long as people expect.
Composite shake — Brava is the line we install — is moulded from recycled material to mimic hand-split cedar. It holds its appearance without treatment, carries a far better fire rating, and comes with a 50-year limited manufacturer warranty. It costs more up front than asphalt, roughly comparable to good cedar, and it is not wood.
How they compare
The table below is the honest version. Figures for composite are Brava's published specifications; cedar figures are typical for untreated Western red cedar in a coastal BC climate.
| Real cedar shake | Brava composite shake | |
|---|---|---|
| Fire rating | Class C or unrated untreated; Class B treated | Class A available depending on the assembly specified |
| Impact rating | Not rated | Class 4, the highest impact class |
| Manufacturer warranty | Rarely offered on the wood itself | 50-year limited |
| Maintenance | Periodic cleaning and treatment; moss control | None required |
| Appearance over time | Silvers, then darkens; moss in shaded areas | Colour is through the tile, not a coating |
| Realistic BC lifespan | Often 20–30 years, less on shaded north slopes | Warranted to 50 years |
What our climate actually does to cedar
Cedar is a good roofing material in a climate that dries out. The Lower Mainland is not that climate. Between October and April a north-facing slope under mature trees may barely see direct sun, and that is where cedar fails first.
What we find on inspection, in rough order of how often we see it:
- Moss and organic growth holding moisture against the wood, particularly on north and east slopes
- Cupping and splitting as shakes go through repeated wet and dry cycles
- Thinning at the butt ends, where the shake wears from the exposed edge inward
- Fastener failure in older roofs where the nails corroded before the wood gave out
None of that is a reason never to install cedar. It is a reason to be realistic about the maintenance a cedar roof needs here, and to be sceptical of anyone quoting you a 40-year cedar roof in a rainforest.
Fire rating is the part most people miss
This is the difference that matters most and gets discussed least. Untreated cedar carries a Class C rating or no rating at all — the lowest fire resistance of any common roofing material. Treated wood shakes reach Class B.
Brava composite can achieve a Class A rating, the highest class, depending on the assembly specified. If you are in an area where your municipality has tightened its requirements, or where your insurer has started asking questions about wood roofs, that difference stops being academic. We have written separately about how BC's fire rules affect what you can install.
Where real cedar still wins
We are a Brava Preferred Contractor, so treat this section as the one where we argue against ourselves.
- It is actually wood. Composite is very good now, but a roofer standing on it knows the difference. If authenticity matters to you on a heritage property, that is a legitimate reason.
- Heritage and design guidelines. Some properties are subject to conservation requirements that specify natural materials. Check before you commit either way.
- Smaller roofs with good exposure. A south-facing roof that dries quickly, on a modest house, is the best case for cedar and the weakest case for paying a premium to avoid it.
Weight and structure
Composite shake is lighter than concrete tile or slate, and comparable to cedar. On a straight replacement of a cedar roof, the structure is rarely the issue. Where it does come up is a house that was originally built for cedar, later re-roofed in something heavier, and is now being changed again — that is worth confirming at inspection rather than assuming.
How to decide
A reasonable way to think about it:
- Choose cedar if authenticity is the point, your roof dries well, and you accept the maintenance and the fire rating.
- Choose composite if you want the cedar look without the maintenance cycle, you want a Class A assembly available to you, or you intend to stay in the house long enough that a 50-year warranty means something.
- Choose asphalt if neither of the above justifies the cost difference. A good architectural shingle is not a compromise; it is the right answer for most houses.
Whichever way you go, the workmanship warranty is separate from the material warranty. Ours runs 10 years on shingle, metal and shake, and the manufacturer covers the material on its own terms — both are set out on our warranty page.
Common questions
Is Brava composite shake fire rated?
Brava composite shake can achieve a Class A fire rating, the highest class, depending on the assembly specified. Untreated cedar shake carries a Class C rating or no rating at all, and treated wood shakes reach Class B. The rating depends on the full roof assembly, not the tile alone, so it is confirmed as part of the specification for your roof.
Does composite shake look like real cedar?
Brava tiles are moulded from real hand-split cedar shakes, so the grain and thickness variation are taken from wood rather than repeated from a pattern. Colour runs through the tile rather than sitting on the surface as a coating. At ground level most people cannot tell the difference; up close, a roofer can.
How long does a cedar shake roof last in the Lower Mainland?
Realistically 20 to 30 years, and less on shaded north-facing slopes under trees where the roof stays damp through the winter. Cedar performs better in climates that dry out between rain. Anyone quoting a 40-year cedar roof on the BC coast is being optimistic.
Does a composite shake roof need maintenance?
No treatment or sealing is required, which is the main practical difference from cedar. Normal roof care still applies: keeping gutters clear, removing debris, and having the roof looked at after a significant windstorm.
Is composite shake more expensive than cedar?
Installed cost is broadly comparable to a good cedar roof and higher than asphalt shingle. The difference over the life of the roof is that composite does not carry a recurring maintenance cost, and it is warranted for materially longer.
Thinking about a composite or cedar roof?
We inspect the roof, photograph what we find, and give you a written fixed-price quote. No cost, no obligation. Call 604-935-6976 or see our Brava composite shake page.