For the most part, we find that home and business owners don’t really care about their roof until there’s a problem. The challenge to that is when there are issues, more damage occurs until the “problem” is resolved. Best practice is to regularly inspect and maintain your roof. Either way, selection of the materials of your roof system simply matters. On the front end you need to consider heavily what is going on your roof just as much as who’s putting it on. Finally, because they are manufactured products, quality control and warranty of those products matters as well. Here’s a few things to consider:
Choosing the right contractor who understands what a roofing system is. This is the first and most vital step. Most contractors throughout Texas don’t even view the roof as a system, they view it as a way to maximize profit over quality. One comment we get often is “my roofer is paying my deductible”. First of all, let’s clear the air on this one, since September 2019, it is illegal in Texas for “a contractor to pay, absorb, rebate, credit or otherwise declines to charge or collect a deductible.” Don’t just take my word for it, see DontFraudMyTexas.com for more details. Besides being party to insurance fraud, the reality is that a contractor has to get their profit somewhere on a job. Because of this, they are getting that money back somewhere on your job. Whether it’s sub-par workmanship, using second hand (or stolen) materials, or not installing to code, there are many ways that these kind of contractors can do the consumer a disservice and recoup the money they gave away. Thus, leaving that consumer unaware of the risks that they are now in. For more information about selecting a contractor, read our blog about choosing a roofer here. I mean, how many people did you go through to find the right person to cut your hair?!
Systems are designed to work together as a single manufacturer. According to GAF, “if the layers were not designed to work together, then mixing and matching them may lead to future problems.” Danny from the GAF External Learning & Development team went so far as to say,
“Think of the roofing system like a machine and the parts of that machine include leak barrier, roof deck protection, starter strip shingles, shingles, ventilation, hip and ridge cap shingles, and proper flashing. Take away any part of that machine, or install parts improperly/in the wrong order, it will not function properly. For example, skip starter strip shingles and the shingles above can be blown off from roof edges, or skip leak barriers at critical leak areas (valleys, penetrations, chimneys) and the flashing fails, the system fails (aka leaks).
Roofing manufacturers require their specific components to be installed for their warranty due to practical science, or better known as building science. GAF has been around for over 135 years and has seen what happens when mistakes are made or components are skipped, improperly installed, or improperly manufactured. The more components that are installed properly, the better the system performs and the more GAF will stand behind the system in the form of a warranty. “
Atlas Building products goes so far as to say, “roofing contractors should use complementary components from one manufacturer that are designed to work together for maximum performance and warranty value.” While the cynic may say, “of course they would say that”, I think that we should understand that each of these companies hires engineers and scientists to conduct their research to optimize their own materials.
Manufacturers’ warranties are a way to decrease your risk. Not all manufacturers are equal in their warranties, so it’s important you understand what the benefits are to choosing the right manufacturer. We prefer to use GAF because they back GAF warranties with an escrowed account ensuring there’s always the financial backing of any issues they may have. So often consumers have been burnt by contractors that it can be hard to sift through to the good contractors. In order to offer extended warranties, manufacturers go through a vetting process (see here for GAF’s program requirements) to ensure that contractors are insured, adhere to their standards of installation, and often subject their work to a third-party inspection. Lastly, for some warranties, such as the GAF Silver and Golden pledge warranties, the manufacturer guarantees the labor for a period of time as part of the warranty. This additional layer of backing by the manufacturer lends further credibility to the contractor.
It can be daunting to have to go through a re-roof for your home or business, but when you’re looking at the most important part of the home that protects you from the elements, it’s imperative that you choose the correct contractor who knows what a system is, select a full system, and protect your investment with an extended warranty from the manufacturer that backs up the contractors workmanship. If you have any questions, click here to schedule an annual service of your roof system here and we can help you through the process.
Banner Roofing & Construction can help to answer any of your questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at 682.207.1586. or setup an appointment with us. We are here for you, helping communities feel safe!
