Trimming Branches Over Your Roof in Vaughan

Tree Service Master cuts back branches that hang over, rest on or scrape against roofs across Vaughan. We quote the day you call, book the job fast and clear most roofs in two to four hours. A climber ties off each limb and the ground crew lowers it on a rope, so nothing lands on your shingles, gutters or skylights.

What Branches Do to a Roof

A branch touching the roof does damage every time the wind moves it. It scrubs the protective granules off the shingles, and bare shingles wear out years early. Leaves and twigs collect in the valleys and gutters, hold water against the roof deck and push water back under the shingles when the gutters overflow.

Branches over a roof also work as a bridge. Squirrels and raccoons use them to reach the roofline and chew into soffits and attic vents. And any dead limb above the house will come down on it eventually. In Vellore Village and Sonoma Heights, trees planted with the houses twenty years ago are now taller than the roofline, and we get these calls every week.

How Fast a Roof Clearance Job Moves

Send a photo of the tree and the roofline when you text, and we can often tell you on the same call roughly what the job involves. We still come out the same day to quote it properly. Once you book, the work itself is short. Most single-tree roof jobs take a morning, and the brush goes into the chipper as it comes down, so there is no pile left on the lawn waiting for a second trip.

How We Clear a Roof Without Touching It

The climber goes up on ropes and anchors above the limbs that need to come off. Each limb is tied to a lowering line that runs through a higher crotch in the tree and down to the ground crew. The climber cuts, and the ground crew takes the weight and swings the piece away from the house before letting it down.

Long limbs come off in sections, starting at the tip. That keeps every piece light enough to control. We never stand on the roof to cut, and we don’t drop wood onto the shingles to save time.

Each limb gets cut back to a side branch or to the trunk, just outside the branch collar. We never leave stubs. A cut back to a side branch keeps the crown’s natural shape and lets that branch keep growing outward, away from the house, instead of sending a cluster of new shoots straight back at the roof.

How Much Clearance You Need

For most trees we aim for 2 to 3 metres between the branches and the shingles. That leaves room for the branches to move in wind and to grow for a few seasons before they reach the roof again. Fast growers like silver maple, willow and honey locust may need more room, or a return visit every two or three years.

We also clear the chimney, plumbing vents and the satellite dish, and lift branches away from the hydro service line that runs to the house. Branches on the main lines along the street belong to Alectra Utilities, so call them about those.

Price Drivers for Roof Clearance

• How much of the tree is over the house. One limb over a corner costs far less than a crown spread across the whole roof.
• Height of the roof. A two-storey house with a steep roof means more rope work than a bungalow.
• Glass and fragile surfaces. Skylights, a sunroom, a hot tub or a glass railing under the tree slow every cut.
• Access. Backyard trees behind a narrow gate take longer than trees beside the driveway.
• Several trees. Clearing two or three trees on one visit costs less per tree.

When Clearance Isn’t Enough

Sometimes a tree has grown so close to the house that cutting it back would leave almost no crown on that side. A big maple planted a metre from the foundation will keep pushing into the roof, and its roots may be under the footing. Removal may be the better answer there. Our guide on trees close to the house covers how to decide. We tell you which way we would go, and the decision stays yours.

Branches From a Neighbour’s Tree

If the branches over your roof come from next door, Ontario common law lets you cut them back to the property line at your own cost, as long as the cuts don’t kill or seriously harm the tree. You need your neighbour’s permission to step onto their property, and it is good manners to tell them first. If the tree is protected under Vaughan’s by-law and the cut would injure it, a permit may be needed. Many neighbours in Concord and Vellore Village split the cost and have us trim the whole tree from both sides in one visit.

Timing

Roof clearance can happen any month. Clearing before winter matters most, because ice and wet snow weigh branches down onto the shingles. The December 2013 ice storm broke limbs onto roofs all over Vaughan, and most of those limbs were already touching the house. If the tree is an oak, we avoid cutting it from April through July to cut the risk of oak wilt. While the climber is up there, we also take out dead limbs above the roof, since those are the ones most likely to fall.

How Often to Clear the Roof

That depends on the tree. A slow grower like an oak or a spruce may stay clear for five years or more after a good cut. Silver maples, honey locusts and willows can close a 2 metre gap in two or three seasons. On the visit we tell you roughly when the branches will be back, so you can book the next trim before they touch the shingles. If the whole crown is dense and shading the house, ask about full tree trimming and pruning on the same visit.

What We Check While the Climber Is Up There

A roof job puts someone at the top of your tree, which is the best view anyone will get of it. While we are up there we look for the things you can’t see from the lawn: cracks at the forks, hollows where old limbs broke off, fungus on the upper trunk, and limbs that are dead at the top but still leafed out lower down. We also note squirrel nests built where the branches meet the roof.

If we find something serious, we stop and show you, with a photo if it helps. Most of the time it is a dead limb or two that we take out on the same visit. Now and then it is a crack or rot that changes the plan, and you hear about it before we carry on.

Shared Trees on Semis and Townhouses

On semi-detached homes and townhouses in Concord, Woodbridge and Maple, one tree often shades two or three roofs. Clearing only your half leaves the crown lopsided and the branches over your neighbour’s roof still feeding leaves into the shared gutter line. If the neighbours agree, we clear the whole roofline in one visit and split the quote between the units. It is faster and usually cheaper for everyone than three separate bookings.

Leaves, Gutters and Gutter Guards

Clearance cuts down how much falls on the roof, but a tree near the house will always drop some leaves and seeds. Silver maple keys and honey locust pods are the worst on Vaughan streets. A 2 to 3 metre gap means most of that lands on the lawn instead of in the gutters. If you have gutter guards, clearance also stops branches from rubbing them loose.

Before We Arrive

• Move cars out from under the tree.
• Clear patio furniture, planters and the barbecue from below.
• Tell us about skylights, a deck, a hot tub or a glass railing under the limbs, so we bring extra protection.
• Unlock the gate. You don’t need to be home.

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