​Roofing Shingles that have been Time Tested

Roofing Shingles

In previous blogs, I have been a strong proponent of upgrading from the minimum necessary to simply put a new roof on your house.  And yet my most recent blog series is recommending that there are times when you shouldn’t upgrade?  Before you discount my ramblings entirely, please allow me an opportunity to explain.  I understand that a roof is a significant investment, so my recommendation is simply to invest wisely.  I know a few extra dollars in my pocket is always welcome, and if I can save some money by shopping I appreciate that someone took the time to steer me in a better direction.
My first recommendation is simply that here in Kansas City that we get sunny and hot summers, icy winters, windy spring, violent storms that include tornadoes and hail, and generally harsh weather year around.  While a base Architectural Shingle is often referred to as a 30-year shingle, it is quite unlikely that we will ever get anything approaching 30-year lifespan out of that shingle.  One bad hail storm is all it takes to render them damaged enough to warrant replacement.  However our sunny days with ultraviolet (UV) exposure take their toll as well.  Wind-driven rain drives water in places it was never intended to be, and that impacts your roof.  Our winters are based on ice; I have already written on ice impacts, causes, and minimization, but you cannot eliminate the impacts of freezing on your roof materials.  Simply put, we don’t get anywhere near the forecast life presented by the marketing brochures.
Architectural grade 30-year shingles have been around awhile, we can accurately predict how long they will last in our Midwest climate (on average).  Predictions vary, and a single hail storm or tornado will destroy a brand new roof, but our roofing company history is showing that fifteen (15) to twenty (20) years would be a good run for a 30-year roof.  The upgraded roofing (40-year, 50-year, plus, premium, lifetime, whatever marketing terms are used) simply haven’t been around long enough to show they stand up longer.  I have seen 50-year roof damaged by a hail storm, and while the neighbor qualified for a new roof from their insurance company, this homeowner was left with a damaged roof that looked bad but also didn’t qualify for replacement.  And looking at these materials, there is nothing in them that leads me to believe we will ever get 40 years or more of life out of them, compared to the 20 years we might expect from the baseline roof.  Do you want to take the risk on unproven materials?  They certainly cost more.

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