With asphalt roofing shingles what is the difference between a 20 year shingle and a 40 year shingle? I assume the 40 year are thicker and made with better materials and also more expensive.
Why would I opt for the 40 year over the 20 year? I need a new roof but can't justify spending the extra $ for the 40 year shingles.
Thanks, Walter
Well, how many years left on the mortgage, and how old are you? :^/
But seriously, most of the cost of a re-roof is labor. If you plan on moving in a few years, the fancy shingles will not pay back on sale. But if this is your 'forever' house, who wants to pay the labor cost and suffer the disruption more often than necessary ?
aem sends....
The plan is to stay in the house for 10 - 20 years, max. Also, as I live in NY I want to be able to strike a balance on color to hopefully reflect some of the summer sun rays to lower the temperature in the attic but also be able to absorbe some of those rays in the winter months. My house is white with an almost white/gray color now.
Thoughts on color selection? Other than personal preference does the color make a difference on roof shingle life too?
Thanks, Walter
Well, the main difference, besides your correct assumptions, (except for the "better materials", just more of 'em) is: Twice the warrantee. In your area, the color makes virtually no difference to the roof's longevity. In NY, I'd go for the darker shingle. As long as she doesn't mind. But if 10/20 years is all you plan to stay, maybe just save your money with the 20 yr. shingle. Tom Someday, it'll all be over....
Good point. Few people stay in a house for 20 years. Some people own the same house for a long time but, the average time between moves is about 5 years the last I saw numbers. However, 40-year shingles are probably the 3D contour style and you may just like the looks. Also, if you will be there for a while (not 40 years) the higher eye appeal may help the resale (or so the makers claim).
And you'd likely be wrong.
In many cases, the material is the same. Some of the extra money is put in a pool to pay the few claims that will come in from people that 1) remember the length of the warranty, 2) are still living in the same home 40 years later, 3) saved the required documentation and 4) can prove that the material was installed properly and 5) can be bothered to try to make it through the claim process.
Then they discover that it's a pro-rate warranty on material only and they get a
2/40th credit of the price from 38 years ago towards the list price of a current roofing product.The rest of the money is used to finance the product supplier's vacation to Europe every year.
Is the labor the same? I have to imagine lugging a heavier product will take longer.
-------------------------------- I had my roof replaced with 30 year, 5 tab architectural shingles. They are a major pain to keep clean, as are all asphalt shingles. If I had it to do over again I'd install a roof made of one of the newer composite materials (avoid metal - it dents, and is noisy in rainstorms).
10-20 years is a long time to be looking at and maintaining the roof you install. For not much more money than asphalt, you can have a totally worry free roof that can easily be cleaned without voiding the warranty (The warranty on every major brand of asphalt shingles I looked at stated that evidence of power washing, and even the slight indentation made by simply walking on the roof voids the warranty.)If you spend an extra grand or so now, you won't miss the money in the future, and you'll have a roof that looks great and is easy to take care of.
My 2 cents.
Good idea. That way the new buyer can claim the roof is about shot and offer you $10,000 less than your asking price. Ed
Many roofing suppliers deliver right to the roof with a conveyor. Little lugging to do. Ed
Check the 8/2003 Consumer Reports for durability ratings. There isn't a strong relationship between quality and price or warranty. Warranties for the shingles themselves and labor usually differ. But whatever you get, insist on a UL class A fire resistance rating because the homes that don't burn up in forrest fires have that (that's not to say that class A guarantees surviving a fire, but class B or C guarantees that the house burns down).
So what products do you recommend? Fiberglass? I am not aware of many composite products that are just a little more expensive than shingles, but I'd like to know of them.
Dimitri
--------------------------------- Here's a few links I found to help you start your research. The exact materials vary, but the roofs are mainly made of recycled plastic and rubber compounds. The pricing is generally competative with 30 year asphalt shingles.
Ed, a $10,000 roof job would get laughed at by the realtors. I mean, that'd better be a BIG roof. Besides, what if he leaves in 10 years? $5,000 off for a new roof? Money in his hands now may be just the thing. Tom Someday, it'll all be over....
I'm not sure what shingles you're referring to as 20/40 year guaranteed shingles. But I'll tell you a personal experience between the 3 tab and architectural shingles. A year ago we had a pretty bad hail storm. *All* the roofs with 3 tab shingles were damaged to the point of needed replacement, whereas the architectural shingled roofs had very little damage. This year we had another hail storm with the exact same results. The 3 tab roofs that were less than a year old needed replacement again. That tells you the added durability of architectural shingles. While higher priced with additional years guarantee, they proved to be worth the extra money.
Bob S.
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