Roof Components Explained: How Everything Works Together (like a hockey team)

Roof Components Explained: How Everything Works Together (like a hockey team)

Most North Okanagan homeowners look at a roof and see shingles. Roofers look at a roof and see a system. A roof isn’t just a top layer of shingles. 

That top layer is like the forward line in hockey…flashy, visible, the part you notice. But if you’ve ever watched a hockey game where the goalie’s having a bad night, you know this truth:

It doesn’t matter how good your offence is if your defence and/or goalie are falling apart.

Same deal with roofs. Your roof only works because every part (visible and hidden) is doing its job as a team. One weak link can mess up the entire play.

So today, we’re decoding your roof as a living, breathing system...the parts you see, the parts you don’t, how they interact, and how one missing detail can make the difference between a bone-dry attic or expensive attic mold and deck rot.

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This is the insider breakdown: the mix of homeowner-friendly explanations and contractor brain — that North Okanagan homeowners honestly never get told.

Let’s walk it.

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The Offence: The Visible Roof Components

These are the parts every homeowner recognizes. This is the “offence” IE, the forwards, the scorers.

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Shingles

Your shingles are the first line of defence against rain, UV, snow melt and wind. Asphalt shingles are most common in the North Okanagan because they’re durable, cost-effective and extremely reliable when installed properly. They shed water, but only because other deeper layers support them.

Ridge Caps

These go over the highest peak of the roof; where two slopes meet. They protect that high seam and finish the roof cleanly. They get a lot of wind exposure, so quality and proper fastening matters here.

Soffits and Fascia

You see these from the ground more than anything:

• Fascia is the board at the end of the rafters you see from the street. It creates a clean edge.
• Soffits are the underside you see when you stand under the eaves.

These aren’t just cosmetic, they protect wood framing and connect to the ventilation system.

Gutters

You may not think of gutters as part of the roof system, but they are. They control water leaving the roof and keep it away from the foundation and siding. If gutters clog? That overflowing water can back up under your shingles and deck into the attic edge.

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The Defence: Where Water Is Actually Won Or Lost

This is where almost all real roofing failures happen and where the “invisible” roofing components kick in.

Shingles keep most water out.

These next layers are what keep ALL water out.

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Drip Edge

Think of this as the precision passer at the blue line…small role, massive consequences. Drip edge directs water off the eaves and prevents capillary creep upwards under shingles.

If you skip it, water can back up under the shingle edge, rot your fascia, and cause edge rot.

Underlayment

This is where we get technical. There are two main categories:

1) Ice & water shield (peel-and-stick membrane)
We use this in high-risk zones like:

• eaves
• valleys
• around chimneys
• around skylights or sun tunnels
• any potential ice damming zone

This is the REAL “elite defence.” It self-seals around nails and protects the deck if snow melt freezes and backs up under shingles.

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2) Synthetic underlayment
This covers the rest of the deck. It’s stronger and more moisture resistant than the old-school black felt paper.

Flashing

This is the most misunderstood piece by homeowners.

Flashing is metal that goes around anything that interrupts the flow of water:

• walls
• chimneys
• skylights
• where two slopes meet (valleys)
• where roof meets vertical siding

Flashing is your last line of defence before water gets into wood. If flashing is done wrong or not sealed properly? Doesn’t matter how new your shingles are, water is getting where it shouldn’t.

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Chimneys and Chimney Crickets (if applicable)

If a chimney is wide enough, we’ll build a small peaked “cricket” behind it, this splits water flow and prevents pooling. Not every home needs one, but if the water naturally “funnels” behind that chimney, the cricket is what prevents rot and leaks.

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The Goalie: Roof Deck or Sheathing

This is the last line of defence between “roof” and “home.” If this fails…you’re not in water damage territory anymore, you’re in structural compromise territory. Roof deck or sheathing is usually plywood or OSB and the deck needs to remain:

• dry
• strong
• intact
• unwarped

That’s why good roofers (like us) ALWAYS inspect the deck before installing a new system. Because if you cover a compromised deck, you’ve not only turned a small problem but you've turned it into a very expensive one. This is why roofing is not only a cosmetic product, it’s a structural one.

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The Coach: Roof Ventilation

Ventilation is the mastermind of the entire system or the coach who sets the strategy.

It controls attic temperature and moisture, which controls:

• lifespan of shingles
• risk of ice damming
• attic mold growth
• indoor air quality
• energy costs

Ventilation includes:

• intake vents (soffits)
• exhaust vents (ridge vent or other exhaust systems)

You need both.

Air must come in low (soffits) and exit high (ridge) and if you only have one? The system suffers.

A lot of North Okanagan issues we see aren’t because of “bad shingles.” They’re because ventilation wasn’t balanced properly.

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Special Teams: Skylights, Sun Tunnels and Other Penetrations

Not every home has these, but IF yours does, they require special detailing:

• specialized flashing kits
• ice & water shield around the perimeter
• correct slope adaptation
• correct sealing / counter-flashing

These are “high-risk areas” by nature because anytime you cut a hole into a roof, you’ve created a water path, making proper flashing, non-negotiable.

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The Whole Team: Why This System Has To Work As One

Here’s the big mindset shift:

A roof doesn’t leak because of one surface mistake...it leaks because one small part of the system stops doing its job, and that failure compounds.

A missing piece of drip edge can ruin fascia.  Improper flashing can ruin drywall and framing.  Bad ventilation can destroy roof decking and shingles YEARS before their time is up.

So yes, your shingles matter. They’re the scorers. They get the spotlight. But like any hockey fan in the Okanagan knows:

Games are won and lost by defence and goaltending, not just goals.

Same with roofs.

So How Long Should a Roof System Last in the North Okanagan?

If the system is properly installed, we can expect to get 25–30 years on most modern shingles, but even longer if ventilation is dialled.

However, if one small detail gets skipped? You might see problems in 3–7 years and that’s the part no homeowner wants to discover mid-January.

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Final Word: Your Roof Should Play Like a Team That Knows How to Win

If you take one thing from this article…it’s this:

A roof isn’t just shingles, it’s a coordinated system.

When every player on the roof does their job?
Your home stays dry, efficient, and protected for decades.

When one detail is missed?
It can snowball into a costly problem.

And just to be clear, when North OKGN Construction makes a recommendation, it’s never about upselling. It’s about giving your home the protection it genuinely needs, based on decades of hands-on experience across the North Okanagan. We’d rather help you prevent an issue now than profit from repairing it later.

North OKGN Construction knows the details. We’ve been in the attics, on the decks, in the valleys, and replacing the mistakes made by roofs that were treated like a single-layer project.

So if you’re curious whether YOUR roof is working as a team, or if there are weak links holding you back from a win this season, we can take a look.

We’re local. We’re family-run. We’re here to help you protect your home the right way.
Because when you want it done right the first time, and you want professionals who care about the details, North OKGN Construction is who you call.

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