Your roof is an incredibly essential part of your home’s structure. You’ll want to be sure you can get the best protection for it. After all, the roof is your home’s defense against harsh weather. This is especially important to keep in mind when you live in an area like Portland.
A major roofing decision you’ll have to make, that many people overlook, is which warranty coverage to buy. When you have a roof installed, your first instinct may be to just go with the standard warranty. However, that’s a decision you’ll likely end up regretting. Installing a new roof is an important investment, so you should be sure you’re getting the best warranty you can.
Read on below to find out why you should go with an upgraded warranty instead.
When it comes to roofing warranties, you really have to read the fine print to make sure you’re getting the best. You might be offered a warranty that is for 20 years or so and will likely assume this provides 100% coverage during that entire time. However, for warranties that aren’t upgraded, it’s not that simple.
The standard warranties usually only cover you 100% for the first 5 to 10 years or so. After that, it is often prorated based on the age of the roof, so the coverage goes down a little each year. By comparison, the upgraded warranties have 100% coverage for up to the first 50 years. That’s a really significant difference!
What many people don’t realize is that a standard warranty doesn’t actually cover everything that you might expect. Typically, those warranties just cover the materials, as in the shingles themselves. Some of the labor costs are covered too, but only for the first few years. Then, once the warranty starts to be prorated, only the shingles are covered, which is only about 20-30% of the total cost. An upgraded warranty, however, covers both labor and materials.
Also, if you are re-roofing, these warranties do not ever cover the tear-off costs or the disposal costs of debris from the old roof. They also don’t cover underlayment, vents, valleys, flashing, edging materials, nails, and other accessories that are necessary for re-roofing. Upgraded warranties cover all of this.
Buying an upgraded warranty will also help you out if you ever plan on selling your home. This is because upgraded warranties are typically transferrable at least one time, whereas standard warranties are usually never transferable between home or building owner. If your warranty will transfer, this will definitely increase the resale value of your location and makes for a smooth transition.
Of course, you will have to let the warranty companies know that you are transferring the warranty. Usually, you will have about 60 days to provide proper notification.
These upgraded warranties can only be offered by a small number of contractors. Typically, this allowance is provided to the top roofing companies in your area and Interstate Roofing in Portland is among this select group.
We have earned and secured the highest level of certification with the top roofing manufacturers in order to provide their top tier warranties—GAF Golden Pledge, Owens Corning Platinum Protection, CertainTeed 5-Star Warranty—so you will be protected no matter what obstacles you face with your roof.
All three roofing manufacturer top warranties include a workmanship warranty. This type of warranty is the coverage against workmanship or installation errors. This is often not included with standard warranties.
The GAF Golden Pledge also includes a labor and workmanship warranty for 25 to 30 years or 20 years for 3-tab shingles. This is in addition to the 50 year upfront coverage, or 20 years for 3-tab shingles. This means that your roof will be in the hands of a manufacturer for a minimum of 20-25 years.
The Owens Corning Platinum Protection also includes a lifetime workmanship warranty, which starts to be reduced after the first 25 years. By comparison, only the next tier down, which is the Preferred Protection, does not offer a workmanship warranty at all and is only coverage for the first ten years.
GAF, Owens Corning, and CertainTeed are manufactures known for offering sustainable roofing and for their commitment to recycling. Sustainable roofing is becoming a more popular option, as people are more interested in living in an environmentally friendly way. This means your roof will be more energy efficient, reducing your energy costs and home’s carbon footprint by quite a bit. It can also be a healthier choice, reducing the moisture that can lead to health hazards such as mold growth. Because they reflect solar energy better than traditional roofing, sustainable roofing can be more durable and last longer. Coupled with the extended warranty, that will provide great protection for years to come.
In addition to offering the most upgraded warranties from all three manufacturers, Interstate Roofing is also committed to sustainable roofing. This includes offering green products such as Energy Star-rated shingles, solar tubes, and solar-powered vents.
You might be hesitant and think that upgraded warranties will majorly up the cost on an already expensive project, but that is usually not the case. In fact, you can now get much better coverage and extra benefits for a relatively inexpensive price. And when you decide to go with sustainable roofing, that will save you even money in the long run.
Ready for a replacement roof? Ask about the extended warranty. It’ll give you peace of mind knowing your roof will be around for many years to come.
Your roof is an essential component of your home and an upgraded shingle warranty is the best way to protect that investment.