As a base minimum, IPRC will follow the standards of the BC Building code, Roof system manufacturers requirements,  and the RCABC's Roofing Practices Manual (RPM). The RPM has been developed over the last 50 years of roofing application. During that time, many issues have come up with roofing systems that have either caused roofs to fail catastrophically or simply not last as long as intended.

Twice a year, the Technical committee of the RCABC will meet to discuss issues that have come up and make changes to the RPM accordingly, so that these issues dont happen again, but sometimes, the Technical Committee can be slow to adopt changes, leaving issues unchanged until the next meeting when the issue has become more prevalent.

Being at the front line of Roof Observations, we tend to see these issues when they are actually occurring, whether we see it when we are reviewing an active roof installation, when we do a condition report on a 2 year old roof, or when we review a 15 year old roof, so we can implement changes to our specifications that will improve on roofing standards immediately. As such, we have developed our own proprietary set of standards that go over and above the RPM's standards.

Who should design your roof:

• You? Have you been trained in how a roof should be installed? Have you spent years working at installing roof systems in the field? Are you intimately knowledgeable with current roofing standards and practices?
• The roofing contractor? Think about this one…the contractor will want to get in and out of your project as fast as possible and sell you a roof system that he can make the most profit on and whip off quickly. Is it the right one for your building? Does his quote deal with all of the finite details on your building? Typically a contractor prepared specification is little more than one or two pages in length. Ours run into the double digits and include full front end documentation (tender forms, general instructions, insurance requirements, etc).
• The roofing supplier? Similar to the roofing contractor, the supplier will have a vested interest in making sure his product is used, and lots of it! They may specify the most expensive products they carry or try to fit your budget with inappropriate materials.

The best option is to have a company design your roof who is not affiliated with any supplier or contractor. That way material is selected on value for the dollar (not to be confused with value engineering), and the contractor is selected on merit. All of the tricky details that are usually the first place for leaks to occur will be detailed in the specification.

We have seen roofs fail for a number of reasons and we have learned from those reasons. We also don’t want to use your project as a “Guinea pig” by specifying new, unproven materials. When it comes time to put together your roof system design, we look at what has worked in the past on buildings like yours and we apply it to your building. This does not mean we are static or old fashioned, we just like to use proven systems.

No. Our specifications have clauses in them that allow you to reject all tenders for whatever reason without penalty.

No. Our specifications that include specific materials are to be bid on by all parties using the same materials specified. This keeps the bidding even and fair.

The specifications are prepared for you on a lease basis. You own the right to use that specification on the building it is designed for. Specifications are not transferable. They remain the intellectual property of Inter-Provincial Roof Consultants Ltd. and are not to be used if another inspection firm is overseeing the project. This protects us, but it also protects you. Another inspection company may not understand or interpret the specification the way it was intended.

Yes. We combine our specification design service with our Roof Observation service so that we can see that the specification is being followed and is being applied as intended. Many contractors will follow only part of a specification if they are not monitored during the application process.

Who is going to be up on the roof, speaking the same language as the roofers, answering their questions, coming up with solutions?
If we are not involved in the actual roof replacement/installation, we cannot answer any questions or assist with any issues that come up during the installation.

Substantial completion is when the project has reached the point where the remaining amount of work value equates to less than the 3-2-1 rule in the Builders Lien Act.
3% of the first $499,999
2% of $500,000 to $999,999
1% of any amounts over $1,000,000

So…if a project value is $1,250,000 total, then the amount of work value that the contractor must achieve in order to reach substantial completion would be:

3% of the first $499,999:--------------------$14,999.97
2% of rest to $999,999:----------------------$9999.98
1% of remaining $250,000------------------$2500
Equals:-------------------------------------------$27,499.95
So…$1,250,000.00 - $27,499.95 = $1,222,500.05 worth of work must be complete in order to reach substantial completion.

IP - Inter-Provincial (Red seal) Journeyman Certification
TQ - Trade Qualified Journeyman certification (the previous Journeyman certification)
RRO - Registered Roof Observer, as accredited by the Roof Consultant Institute (RCI, Inc.)

There are two Holdbacks written into our specifications:

The Builders lien holdback is a 10% holdback that is to be held for a period of 55 days following substantial completion. This is a mandatory holdback required by law in British Columbia.

The deficiency holdback is a 10% holdback that we recommend so there is some incentive for the contractor to finish the project and correct all outstanding deficiencies. It is also out of this amount that any costs for Post Final observation would be deducted.

A letter of Intent is a letter acknowledging acceptance of a contractor's tendered bid. We include a draft version in our specification package, but you are more than welcome to write your own letter.

There are many roofing contractors out there that would love to tell you that they are the greatest and most professional. In our opinion, the proof is on the roof. When we work with a roofing contractor we look for several key points:

• A professionally organized firm
• Qualified tradesman on each project
• Sufficient equipment to suit the project at hand
• Responsible management
• Years of experience
• The ability and desire to learn and improve
• The willingness to listen and act upon issues pointed out by us
• The ability to adhere to the specification

Please visit our "Recommended Applicator" page.

Yes; however, we reserve the right to refuse to work with some contractors. Some have proven to be less than reputable and we prefer to not work with them. We will let you know if a contractor is not one we work with and we will recommend you reconsider inviting them to bid.

After we have finished writing your specification and you have had a chance to review it:

• We will assemble a list of 8 (eight) contractors who we feel are best suited for your project and we set dates for the tendering process (site visit date and tender closing date). You are able to participate in the selection of contractor process, we will advise you if a contractor you have suggested is not the correct fit for your project (assuming we know something about them)
• We then host a meeting on site with those contractors to go over the specification and review the project at hand. those that do not attend the site meeting are not allowed to submit a bid for the project (unless they missed the meeting for a good reason - this is at our discretion)
• then approximately 2 weeks later, the original bid documents will arrive at your location (your office, home, etc) and you will open the bids.
• We are able to provide you with a review of the tenders, if you so desire, but ultimately the choice is yours. IPRC does not award projects directly, this is the responsibility of the owner/owners representative
• Once you choose the successful bidder, you send them a letter of award and the process of scheduling the project begins