If you're among the many Edmontonians desperate to clear your roof of a heavy blanket or snow, here's what you're looking at: wait times of one to three weeks, and a fee for a typical home ranging from $400 to $700.
"The influx of calls has been ridiculously high," said Gil Olson, who manages Advance Roofing System. His company typically clears 60 houses a day, but lately has fielded more than 2,000 requests every 24 hours.
"Our volume of snow removal calls just went through the roof really."
Experts say it's best to go with qualified roofers because they are both insured and trained to keep their footing on icy terrain. General labour, on the other hand, would leave homeowners on the hook for liability and damage if any accidents occur.
The expense is worthwhile for Chris Darrah, who believes leaving his roof alone would just lead to a bigger bill down the road.
"Probably a good idea to be doing this," he said. "End up having problems – I've got leaks coming in my windows already."
According to officials, the heavy snowfall, combined with recent warm-up, puts homes at risk of ice damming, shingle damage and leaks.
The risk is enough for some homeowners to take matters into their own hands, despite the danger.
"You don't think it is very much, but when you get up there you see it's two to three feet – quite a bit of weight to leave up there," said a man who identified himself only as Desmond. "You got to get up there and look at it – you gotta do what you gotta do."
With Files from Kevin Armstrong
