Strata & Multi-Family · Langley
Langley has a lot of strata roofing coming due at once, and for a fairly specific reason: the Township built quickly, in waves, and each wave is now arriving at its first or second roof at roughly the same time. If you sit on a council here, that is the position you are in.
Most of what we are called to falls into one of two groups.
The 1990s and 2000s townhouse stock through Walnut Grove, Brookswood, Murrayville and Langley City is generally on its second roof or overdue for one. What we find on these is rarely dramatic: worn shingle, tired flashings, and ventilation that was marginal when it was built and is now well behind current practice. Correcting the venting during a reroof costs comparatively little and materially extends the life of what goes on top, which is worth putting in the quote so owners can see it.
The Willoughby and Yorkson complexes are newer and reaching their first replacement. They went up fast with builder-grade architectural asphalt, so a whole cohort of buildings is arriving at end of life together. The failure pattern is consistent — granule loss, lifting at the hips, and flashing detailed quickly at the many dormers and bump-outs these buildings have. The decking underneath is usually sound, which keeps the job a straightforward tear-off rather than a structural one.
Since 1 July 2024, strata corporations in BC with five or more lots can no longer waive or defer a depreciation report and must renew at least every five years. Stratas in the Metro Vancouver Regional District — which includes Langley — that had no report, or one predating 31 December 2020, were required to have one by 1 July 2026. Confirm your own strata's position with your property manager; the timing depends on when the strata was formed and when it last reported.
So most Langley councils now have a report with a roof line in it. Two things about that line are worth understanding before it becomes a budget.
It is a planning allowance built from the age of the assembly and a typical service life, often without anyone having been on the roof. And it is a figure for the site as a whole. On a multi-building complex the buildings are almost never in the same condition — exposure, tree cover and which way each row faces all change the answer. We routinely find one building in a row of six carrying most of the wear.
Where the buildings differ, the council has an option that a single site-wide number hides: do the worst buildings now and carry the rest. That can be the difference between a manageable contribution increase and a special levy that has to be fought through a general meeting.
We quote per building for exactly that reason. If a building genuinely cannot wait we will say so plainly, and if one has three or four years left we will say that too. It is a longer relationship than one job, and telling a council to spend money it does not need to spend this year is a poor way to start it.
Townhouse complexes are fully occupied while the work happens, and in Langley that often means driveways and visitor parking are the only staging areas available. Bin placement, parking displacement and the daily schedule get agreed with the council in advance so they can go out to owners before the noise starts. We protect landscaping and vehicles, and clear the site at the end of each day rather than at the end of the job.
British Columbia does not license roofing contractors, so the checking falls to the council. Three things are worth having in writing from anyone bidding: a WorkSafeBC clearance letter, a certificate of insurance naming the strata corporation, and a manufacturer certification you can verify in the manufacturer's own directory rather than take on trust.
Stonnex Construction Ltd. is incorporated in British Columbia, WorkSafeBC registered, carries $5M general liability coverage, and is listed as a GAF certified contractor in GAF's directory. We would encourage a council to ask every bidder for the same three.
Our general strata roofing page covers how we quote and schedule for councils across Metro Vancouver. If your buildings are low-slope rather than pitched, the flat and torch-on page covers those systems. For single-family work in the same market, see our Langley roofing contractor page, and the warranty page sets out what our labour warranty covers.
Council sitting on a depreciation report? Send it over with the complex address and we will inspect the buildings, photograph what we find, and give you a fixed-price quote per building that you can take to owners. No charge, no obligation. 604-935-6976 or info@stonnex.com.
What Langley councils and property managers ask us most.
Townhouse rows and low-rise complexes across the Township and the City — Willoughby, Yorkson, Walnut Grove, Brookswood, Murrayville and Langley City. Most of what we are called to is 1990s and 2000s townhouse stock now on its second roof, plus the newer Willoughby complexes reaching their first replacement.
Bring us the report and we will inspect the buildings. A report gives a planning allowance based on typical service life; it is not a quote for your particular roofs, and on a multi-building site the buildings are rarely in the same condition. We give you a fixed-price quote per building so the council can see what has to be done now and what can be carried.
Usually, yes, and on a larger site it is often the sensible answer. Doing the worst buildings first spreads the cost across contribution years instead of forcing one special levy. We will tell you which buildings genuinely cannot wait rather than quoting the whole site at once.
Yes. Access is the thing that changes out there — long driveways, limited room for bins, outbuildings in the way. It affects the schedule and the price, so we work it out at the inspection rather than after.
Those went up in a compressed window with builder-grade architectural asphalt, so a whole cohort is reaching the end of its practical life at once. What we typically find is granule loss and lifting at the hips, with sound decking underneath — which keeps a straightforward tear-off and replacement in range rather than turning into a structural job.
A written fixed-price quote setting out the scope, photographs of what we found, and on completion the manufacturer warranty registration for the materials. Our labour warranty is 10 years on shingle and metal and 5 years on torch-on and flat systems; the terms are on our warranty page.