Perhaps one of the most confusing aspects of a roofing project is what exactly do shingle manufacturers provide in terms of warranty coverage? Quite frankly, what the wrapper states is one thing, what the homeowner is actually covered for, is quite another! Recently, many homeowners have been left highly disappointed when they discovered that their 20 or 25 year warranties on failing shingles installed as recently as 5-10 years ago are so inferior they may as well have no warranty at all! One part of the problem is that, depending on the manufacturer, the warranty quickly becomes prorated, and covers the material replacement only. This leaves the homeowner holding the bag for other costs involved in a reshingling project. These costs may include, but not be limited to, labour for tear-off and reinstallation, disposal fees, underlayments, flashings and so on. Really, the warranty covers very little of the actual cost of a quality replacement job. Furthermore, some manufacturers aggressively attempt to discredit a warranty claim based on a ventilation issues which may have been no problem at all for the previous roof, but all of a sudden, have supposedly caused the current roof to fail.

Perhaps the most important part of a shingling job, is not only the shingles used, but is actually the entire "ROOFING SYSTEM" the manufacturers require for a full comprehensive warranty. A" Roofing system" takes into account many more things than just the bundles of shingles. It includes dealing with issues related to decking, flashings, starter strips, underlayments, chimneys, plumbing stack upgrades, wall interruptions, proper ventilation, hip and ridge capping products and more!

Equally important as the " Roofing System" one uses, is the roofing company hired to do the job! Many contractors have very little in formal training, and usually these types of contractors can offer nothing more in the way of warranties than as if the homeowner installed the shingles themselves! Most manufacturers will offer various designations to contractors who prove themselves to be highly qualified in their trade. These designations will allow certain established roofing companies to offer extended comprehensive warranties to their customers which helps eliminate the pitfalls of limited warranties of shingles purchased off the shelf of the local lumberyard, installed by uncertified contractors.

A good example of this is the GAF/ELK Corp. GAF/ELK is the largest, oldest shingle manufacturer in North America. They promote a "Master Elite" contractors designation which they only offer to the top 3% of the companies in any particular region. A "Master Elite" contractor has the ability to offer lifetime roofing systems with GAF/ELK products which mean exactly that...a 100% lifetime warranty..no proration...no exclusions...which means no disappointments! By adhering to very stringent installation procedures, these highly qualified contractors typically educate the homeowner of the finer details of shingle warranties which many contractors will not bother with.

It is very important for homeowners to choose the right products and installers before starting a project as important and expensive as roofing, in doing so, you may save yourself lots of money down the road!