Fourth-generation architectural roofers specializing in slate, copper, zinc and cedar shake. We don't install roofs — we set them for the next hundred years.
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We work in slate, copper, zinc, and cedar — the same four materials that have defined Canadian architectural roofing since the 1800s. We don't install asphalt. We don't install steel pretending to be slate. If your roof is going to outlast your mortgage, the material matters more than the installer.
A 1924 Forest Hill heritage manor required full slate restoration after eight decades. We sourced 12,000 pieces of Welsh Penrhyn slate — the same quarry the original installers used — and reset every tile by hand over fourteen weeks. The original copper flashings were carefully extracted, cleaned, and reinstalled. Where copper had to be replaced, we used 16oz cold-rolled stock and patinated it on-site to match the existing finish. The result reads as if it has never been touched.
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Founded by Geoffrey Whitfield in a Hamilton workshop in 1962, expanded by his daughter Eleanor in 1989, and now run by her sons Marcus and James — Whitfield & Caine has installed slate, copper, zinc and cedar across Ontario for four generations. We turn down more work than we accept. We answer our phone. And we still set every roof the way Geoffrey would set it.
A measured process refined over six decades. Most clients don't see us this much for any other home project — and most are grateful we work the way we do.
Our craftsmen don't bounce between trades. Each is a specialist — copper, slate, cedar, or zinc — with 15+ years in their material.
Managing Partner · Slate Specialist
"You can't fake a slate roof. The work tells on you for a century."
3rd generation · 22 years
Partner · Copper & Zinc
"Copper is the most honest material we work with. It tells you exactly what it's doing every day."
3rd generation · 19 years
Senior Foreman · Cedar Shake
"Number 1 Blue Label or nothing. I won't put cheap cedar on a $4M cottage."
2nd generation · 27 years
Master Tinsmith · Custom Copper Work
"Every copper detail is hand-formed in our shop. No factory bends. No shortcuts."
2nd generation · 31 years
Heritage & Restoration Lead
"On a heritage build, the goal is making it look like we were never there."
4th generation · 11 years
Founding Partner Emeritus
"My father set roofs that are still on. That's the only mark that matters."
2nd generation · 47 years
"Whitfield & Caine restored our 1908 slate roof with the kind of patience and discretion that's nearly impossible to find. We watched master craft happen in our backyard for fourteen weeks. The roof looks like it has never been touched. That's the point."
Margaret HollowayHeritage Manor Owner · Niagara-on-the-Lake
"We hired Whitfield & Caine on the recommendation of our architect. Six weeks later we understood the recommendation. Marcus walked us through every decision. The roof is the best part of the house."
David ChenBridle Path Residence Owner
Honest writing about roofing — material specs, maintenance, common mistakes, and what to ask any contractor before signing.
No phone-only quotes. No sales reps. A senior craftsman walks your property, takes the photographs, and writes the proposal himself.
We serve Toronto and the GTA, the Muskoka cottage region, and the Niagara peninsula. For projects outside our service area, we travel — but we'll be honest about whether it's worth your money.