Asphalt Roof Warranties
Your typical modern asphalt roof is only designed to last 10-15 years even though they are “warrantied” to be a 30+ year roof. This is because the manufactures only provide any real warranty coverage for the first 10-15 years, after that the warranty coverage typically drops by 80%. Even worse, if you look at the fine print in the warranty you’ll discover that there’s so many exclusions listed that it’s almost impossible for the homeowner to receive any warranty coverage from the manufacture. Foot traffic or even leaves on an asphalt roof is enough of a reason for asphalt shingle manufactures to deny warranty claims for their products.
Think of it this way, the tires on your car WILL wear out and even have a wear indicator to let you know when they need to be changed. Sure you can still drive on them after they’ve reached the wear indicator but it will only be a matter of time before those worn tires fail and probably cause more damage to the vehicle when they do! Asphalt roofing is the same. Many people have asphalt roofs that were installed decades ago and while they might not look the greatest they are in fact still keeping rain out of their home. The reason that many asphalt roofs installed over 20 years ago are still doing their job is the fact that those older shingles were manufactured with a higher percentage of asphalt content compared to the shingles on the market today. Old shingles, typically made with a felt base, have an asphalt content of 30 to 35 percent; new shingles, made with a fiberglass mat base, more typically contain about 20 percent asphalt. This is why a new asphalt shingle roof installed today will not last as long as an asphalt roof that was installed over 20 years ago.
Great Value!
While most permanent roofing systems do cost more than a basic asphalt roofing system they are a much better value and can actually make you money in the long run. This is because of several factors. First and foremost, a properly installed metal roofing system is designed to and will last several times longer than your typical asphalt roof on the market today. Your typical asphalt roofing system installed today will need to be replaced and is only designed to last 10-15 years while the typical metal roofing system on the market today is designed to last 50+ years and should never fail if properly installed. That means you will have to pay for 2-3 asphalt roofs in the same amount of time that a metal roof will last! Second, most metal roofing systems are energy star certified and provide far superior energy savings over asphalt roofing. Home owners who have installed a metal roofing system with a foam backer will often see energy savings of 25-30% in warmer climates. Those who install a metal roofing system with foam backer in a temperate climate are likely to see a 10-15% savings on their energy bill. These energy savings stem from the fact that your A/C system is no longer having to fight with the hot attic air seeping into the living space causing the A/C system to run more than it should have to. Since the A/C system is running less, the A/C system will actually last longer saving even more money for the homeowner! Further savings can be achieved with a metal roofing system if your insurance offers a class 4 discount, and most do. Homeowners with a class 4 rated metal roofing system can save as much as 30% on their home owners insurance. This is because of the superior storm protection provided by a class 4 rated metal roof. Lastly, many metal roofing systems are actually designed to be installed over 1 layer of existing asphalt shingles. If the asphalt roof currently installed on a home isn’t leaking then it will make an excellent sub-roof for many metal roofing systems, further decreasing the cost of the new metal roofing system because it typically costs thousands of dollars to remove an old asphalt roof and dump it in a landfill.