Ok everyone…here’s the question.
How many of the contractors on this site carry any kind of “credential” from a manufacturer?
Why? Does product warranty and build quality matter to you? Which do you believe to be more important…installing a roof based on what you think or install with strict adherence to manufacturers specs and or recommendations?
Hi, I was wondering are you asking as a home owner, roofer, or? We have had many contractor customers, and facilitated completion of many roofs and claims. We also assist many on writing scope and estmates. When evaluating bids or responses we look at:
A. Contractor qualification, insurance, work comp, have employees for work or w9’s, policy support also,
B. All subs qualifications,
C. Osha plan, or assurance,
D. Did the respond to the scope of work,
F. Schedule and plan to complete work,
If this is insurance make sure its permitted and inspected.
Have an agreement for hidden issues like decking, rot, moisture.
Also an agreement to manufacture specs for install.
There are many elements to consider, at least in my experience. Sorry for going on… these are guidelines we follow. Have a great day. Let me know if this helped, I am pretty new here.
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I’m a roofing contractor.
You must install to meet the manufacturers specs. If you’re a good contractor, your standard install should meet or exceed manufacturers specifications. Kind of a strange question from another contractor.
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The manufacturer warranty specs are nothing special. Only difference we have to make is the use of their branded products.
As above, roof is the same in the end.
I pose the question because I see many comments here on the forum that seem to be made based on “opinion”. One said “all” shingles have a lifetime warranty…another says all roofs are the same… In my career I have found that knowledge is power…26 yrs in business…never a liability claim…1 comp claim. There are indeed HUGE differences in roofing materials…warranties…and installation requirements. The point of topic was to start a conversation about the importance of experience, incorporated with product knowledge and understanding.
Btw…ALL shingles are “not” lifetime warranted…lol
All shingle makers are a liar when it comes to warranty.
Any homeowner that chooses a shingle based on what they say about themselves Has been fooled.
No shingle last a lifetime.
So it is simple to see.
I give my homeowners realistic expectations right away. I tell them the truth.
I tell them they should expect 20 years.
Maybe 25-30 if we installed full ice and water shield.
I dont choose shingles based on their said warranty.
I choose shingles based on how they feel when i install them with my hands.
How my gun penetrates them…
How flat they lay.
Do they have pattern issues or shading issues?
Are they above average in appearance?
These issues to me supersede anything a shingle maker says about themselves.
My customer is convinced to use me before i even meet them so i never have to sweeten the deal with any talk of any “special” BS warranty.
As a homeowner that had a roof done about 5-6 months ago, the cert was important to me for a few reasons. I had already decided on Certainteed based on research before, so it made sense for me to get somebody with a Certainteed cert rather than one with no cert or a different mfr’s cert.
I don’t believe the ‘will last a lifetime’ claim for any shingle, but that’s not what the warranty is about. Warranty says they will fix it if there are problems. So the extended mfr warranty the cert ‘Certainteed Select Shingle master’ could include was important to me. It tells me that even if my roofer has moved on to other things in 10, 15, 30, etc… years, Certainteed will still cover the fix with another roofer. Included extended workmanship warranty as well, not just shingle defects. And it’s transferable to buyer if I sell the house within 15 years. So that can be a bonus for buyers if I do sell. So the cert tells me that the roofer is focused more on understanding the product I want installed, and the mfr is willing to back them up on it if the roofer goes away. Without the cert + extended mfr warranty, to me, it’s more of a gamble that the roofer will be around in case of problems in 10+ years, and then I’m also more dependent on what they and the mfr said with regards to ‘will last a lifetime’. Roof is too expensive and important to take things on good faith and sales pitches.
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