Reunion at a glance
Reunion is on the far northwest edge of Airdrie, just north of Woodside Golf Course. It was planned under the City’s Northwest Community Area Structure Plan, approved in 2007, which covers Reunion and neighbouring Williamstown across about 320 acres. The City reports the area as around 95% built, with only a little land left to develop in Reunion.
The community is known for its craftsman-style single-family homes — stonework, multi-pane windows and contrasting trim — on front-drive and laned lots, along with semi-detached homes. It has one of the larger ponds in Airdrie, Reunion Arch Park, playgrounds and pathways, and Heron’s Crossing School is next door in Williamstown. From many streets you can see open fields and, on a clear day, the Rockies.
That view comes with a trade-off: Reunion’s roofs are some of the most exposed in the city.
On the edge: wind exposure
Most of Airdrie gets some shelter from the homes and trees around it. Reunion’s outer streets don’t. To the north and west is farmland, and the prevailing northwest wind crosses it with nothing to slow it down before it reaches the first row of roofs.
On these homes we see the classic wind-failure pattern:
- Rake edges — shingles along the gable ends lift and tear first, especially where there is no starter strip along the rake
- Ridge caps — caps with a failed seal peel back and blow off
- First courses at the eaves — the lowest rows catch gusts that sweep up the slope
- Repeat failures — the same area losing shingles storm after storm
A simple re-nail doesn’t fix a repeat failure. The fix is to rebuild the edge properly: starter strip, correct nailing and hand-sealing so the shingles have a bond to hold on to.
Craftsman roofs: details that matter
Reunion’s craftsman architecture gives it character, and it gives its roofs more details to get right.
Multiple gables. Craftsman homes often have front-facing gables over the garage and entry, which add rake edges — the exact edges where wind damage starts.
Covered porches. Porch roofs tie into the front wall and often have a lower slope than the main roof. The wall flashing and the low-slope section are common leak points.
Stone meeting the roof. Where stone veneer meets a roof, the flashing has to work with the stone rather than simply being caulked against it. Poorly integrated flashing lets water get behind the veneer.
Visible roofs. The front roof lines are a big part of these homes’ curb appeal, so replacement shingles should suit the style: dimensional architectural profiles in blended tones.
Homes backing onto the pond and open space
Reunion’s large pond, parks and pathways are a big part of its appeal, and many homes back onto them. From a roofing point of view, open space behind a house works much like open farmland: there is nothing to break the wind before it reaches the rear slopes. Those rear slopes are also the hardest to see from the street or the front yard, so damage there often goes unnoticed until it leaks.
If your home backs onto the pond or a park, walk around the back after a windstorm and look for shingles on the grass or pathway, and ask for the rear slopes to be checked specifically during any inspection.
Semi-detached homes
Reunion’s semi-detached homes share a roof across two owners. If one side needs work and the other doesn’t, the new roof has to be tied into the neighbour’s existing roof at the shared line so it stays watertight. After hail, both halves are usually damaged, and the best result comes when both owners document the damage and replace at the same time so the roof matches from end to end.
Hail in northwest Airdrie
Wind isn’t Reunion’s only exposure. Summer storms that track across the prairie reach the edge of the city first, and hail on these roofs is often accompanied by strong gusts. That combination — bruised shingles with weakened seals — is why a proper inspection after a storm matters here. See hail damage roofing for what to do after a storm.
When a Reunion roof does need replacing, it’s the right moment to install Class 4 impact-resistant shingles with a high wind rating and a high-wind installation. Homeowners planning to stay long term may also want to price metal roofing, which handles wind well when fastened to specification.
Most requested roofing in Reunion
- Wind repairs on rake edges, ridge caps and eave courses — see roof repair
- Storm inspections after hail and high wind — see roof inspection
- Replacements built for wind and hail — see roof replacement
- Porch and flashing repairs on craftsman details
For typical costs, see the Airdrie roofing cost guide.
What roofing costs in Reunion, by problem
On Reunion’s exposed edge, what you pay depends mostly on what the wind has done — so here we price by problem rather than by house size.
| Problem or job | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ridge caps re-set and hand-sealed | $300–$700 | After a northwest windstorm. |
| Rake edge rebuilt with starter strip | $700–$1,500 | Fixes the repeat failure, not just the shingles. |
| Class 4 with a high-wind install | $7.50–$10 / sq ft | Per sq ft — edge details add a little. |
| Steel shingles in a craftsman profile | From $12 / sq ft | Per sq ft. |
Get an exact quote for your roof
Re-setting a few ridge caps is a quick repair. Rebuilding a rake edge with starter strip costs more, but it’s the repair that stops the same shingles blowing off every winter. On a replacement, the high-wind details — starter on the rakes, the manufacturer’s high-wind nailing, hand-sealed edges — add a little to the Class 4 price and a lot to the roof’s chances. See the Airdrie roofing cost guide for everything else.
A typical Reunion wind call
A composite of the most common Reunion call, not a single job:
A home on one of the outer streets, facing open farmland, loses its west-facing ridge caps and a run of shingles along the gable rake. It’s the third time in two winters. Each time, a handyman re-nailed the loose pieces, and each time the next northwest gust lifted them again.
On the roof, the reason is clear: there’s no starter strip along the rake, so the first course has nothing sealed beneath it, and the replacement shingles were put on in November and never bonded. The fix is to rebuild the rake properly with starter and hand-sealing and to replace the ridge caps with wind-rated caps. If the roof is already due, it’s the moment to replace it with Class 4 impact-resistant shingles installed to the high-wind specification.
With Reunion about 95% built, most of our work here is on existing roofs, but for the last new homes, detached garages and additions, see new roof installation.
Other Airdrie communities
We also work in King’s Heights, Cooper’s Crossing, Hillcrest and Old Town.