In my next series, I’m going to tackle two topics that are also my top most frequently asked questions.. They are topics that very few contractors understand, much less want to discuss, when attempting to convince you to replace the roof on your home. What could cause such confusion between shingle manufacturers, contractors, and homeowners?
“Just how long is my new roof going to last?” and “What does the manufacturer warranty actually cover?”
I’m sure you’ve heard the terms “20-year” or “30-year” shingles before. Nowadays, we even have “lifetime” shingles. The contractor that you might be interviewing for your roof may use this term to describe architectural or dimensional shingles. Many homeowners hear “30 year” or “lifetime” and think that’s how long their roof is going to last. I’m sorry to burst a bit of a bubble, but here in Texas, we are hard on our roofs. Most properly installed roofs in our area (without hail or a hurricane damage) are going to last 18-22 years before they need replacement.
Over the last several years, most “30-year” shingles have been changed to “lifetime” shingles. (Side note: be wary of contractors who still refer to any architectural shingle as a 30-year shingle. They obviously don’t keep up with the times.) Still, why is it called “lifetime” if it’s only going to last 18-22 years?
The timeline given by the manufacturers is the manufacturer warranty period against manufacturing defects, not the life expectancy of the shingle. Composition shingles are designed to lose their granules at a rate of 2-5% per year of service. What your actual loss rate is depends on a few factors, including the amount of rain your roof receives. A storm like Hurricane Harvey, which didn’t have much wind with it, wore down roofs just with the sheer amount of rain that fell over a few days period. A roof that I inspected about a month prior to Harvey looked like it had aged 2-3 years when I saw it again a few weeks after Harvey hit.
So, now that we know that “lifetime” means the manufacturer’s warranty period, and not the expected life of the roof, what does the manufacturer’s warranty cover?
Some of the items that the warranty may consider as material defects are excessive and abnormal granule loss, cracking or curling shingles, and unsealed shingles. If the shingles are manufactured incorrectly by having too much or too little asphalt, or the fiberglass mat delaminates, or any other myriad of issues, those items are covered under the shingle warranty. Of course, each of these items can also be caused by issues other than errors in the manufacturing process, such as improper installation and improper ventilation.
To determine if there is a manufacturing defect, you first will need to open a claim with the shingle manufacturer. It’s handy if you have your original paperwork available to reference. Many times the manufacturer will reach out to your original contractor to verify the materials used and dates of installation. This is one area where having an enhanced shingle warranty (such as the GAF Silver Pledge Warranty) is useful. These warranties must be registered with the manufacturer, which means that they will have all the necessary data available to speed up the processing of your claim.
Typically, a sample shingle will need to be pulled off the roof and provided to the manufacturer. Expect a $350-$550 charge from your contractor for this service. They will also need to install a new temporary shingle in that spot to ensure no leaks occur. The contractor may also perform this service at no charge in exchange for the contract to replace the roof if the manufacturer determines that they are at fault. This sample is then sent to the manufacturer to determine the cause of the defect. If the manufacturer determines that there is a defect, they will contact you regarding a settlement.
How much compensation/remediation you are entitled to will be determined by the type of warranty that you have in effect on your roof. Most roofing contractors only offer and supply the very base shingle warranties, which are available at no cost. This is a huge disservice to their clients! The base shingle warranties offer very little protection. One such example is the GAF Smart Choice Limited Warranty. For the first 10 years, there is no proration on the shingle cost; however, there is no assistance on the other accessories, nor on the labor and disposal costs. On the other hand, these costs are included with the GAF Silver Pledge warranty. The GAF Golden Pledge warranty even covers workmanship!
When it comes to the enhanced shingle warranties, typically only manufacturer-certified contractors are allowed to offer them. At M&M Roofing, Siding, & Windows, we are GAF Master Elite Contractors, as well as Certainteed ShingleMaster Contractors, and Owens Corning Preferred Contractors. This allows us to offer the full line of GAF steep slope warranties (Golden Pledge, Silver Pledge, System Plus), as well as several of the Certainteed and Owens Corning enhanced warranties.
In my next article on shingle warranties, I will go in to a bit more detail about the different variations of the GAF, Certainteed and Owens Corning, warranties.
Travis Diekmann
The Texan Roofer