02/13/2025
With the added notes from local municipalities across social media in the last few weeks, coupled with the most recent storms to come to southern Ontario, and with more snow on the way, this is a great opportunity to remind the general public about being aware of how much snow is piling on their various buildings. In the Ontario Building Code (OBC), designers, architects and engineers all must design to minimum standards based on climatic data which will dictate a specific snow load for your local area.
Being located in Penetanguishene, and right next to Georgian Bay, we have got hammered this year with more snow than is usual, and the added weight on our roofs can put them beyond what they were designed for. This can cause our roof vents to become burried, causing ice damming to occur; it can create unwanted sag in our ceilings, causing cracking in our drywall, or in the worst case, it can create a roof collapse. The most affected areas on roofs where the snow can accumulate even more than the rest is in valley areas, and in low roof to wall transitions, where the wind can deposit more snow than the rest of the roof.
These failures can occur on garages, homes, businesses, sheds, cottages, and the list goes on. If you can, it is recommended to remove the buildup of snow to relieve this pressure, and to help with the potential headache that it could create in the future! And if you aren't able to yourself, talk to any number of local snow removal specialists and ask how they can help.
Stay safe out there Ontario!
