Are 40+ Year Shingles Worth The Money

shopman

I am getting ready to put a new roof on my house this spring. I would think the bulk of the expense of putting a new roof on is labor. My house+ garage is 70' * 30' (5.5"/12" pitch hip roof). I am not worried about the cost of the materials, I would rather pay an extra $1500 in materials if I can get 15 more years out of the roof. My question is do 40 year shingles really really last 40 years? I dont mind paying the extra money if they will last twice as long.

IHI

Suprising labor is actually reasonable on roofing its the materials, permits/landfill, etc...and all the unexpected things that pop up that are the spendy part.

Anyways, if your not worried about buying a better product, make sure the crew tackles other areas to help make the roof live longer-meaning proper air is getting supplied into the attic space as well as proper exhausting of the air so you dont cook your new shingles. I dont sell many roof because I will only bid them to be perfect-everybody else could care less about air flow and ensuring the products last so maturally they're ALOT cheaper since they dont mess with soffits/chutes/etc...

Warranties are touch and go, as with everything else in this world the manufacturer will find every reason no to stand behind it and will often place blame on the installation or 100 other reasons no to cover you. I personally install mostly 30-35yr shingles, they're thicker than the cheap stuff but not as hard to work with or handle as the longer warranty period stuff-typically we charge alot more for labor if dealing with 45+yr shingles since often we have to cut them with saws instead of a razor blade to to being so darn thick/heavy.

The area under your shingles will determine the longevity, I've seen 25yr shingles outlast newly installed 35-40yr shingles due to circulation not being as it should.

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Cole

Where are you from will determine a lot of factors.

I know here in Dallas we go through roofs all the time, hail, winds etc...

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Grumpy

I don't think 40 year shingles are worth the extra $$$ because like Cole said roofs get replaced often, and usually not due to age. Your best bet, if you want to spend extra on your roof, is to focus on your underlayments and your flashings.

shopman

I live in Southern MD, we dont get too much wind. The winters might get down to 10 F on a cold extreme, and the summers hit around 98 F on a extreme hot day. Its a hip roof with 8"*8" plastic vents on the back side. No vents on the side hips. I was going to have a ridge vent installed (I think it looks better, and it would give more venting then the current vents. I also plan of having the existing shingles torn off.

The soffits were not vented when I bought the house, the insulation was pushed up tight. I installed the styrofoam pieces to push the insulation back to give good ventilation in the attic, this is a hip roof so it was alot of styrofoam pieces.

Grumpy

Don't mix your ventilation systems... I do not think a ridge vent would suffice from what you described... just not a long enough ridge line... there usually aren't on hip roofs. Your best bet is to install additional mushroom vents. Mixing ventilation systems will cause more harm than good. Do not mux mushrooms and ridge vent. Also do not install a ridge vent unless you have equal or greater intake ventilation. This usually means a continuous soffit vent or 4x8 vents spaced ~5' apart.

Do the calculations at rollvent.com or airvent.com

MJW

The 40 yr Landmarks are worth getting if you have potential for moss builup. The 40's are algae resistant. Depending on location you can get or order 30 yr algae resistant. I think your price difference will be a little closer than $1500.
Either venting will work fine, but don't use both or too many because it will actually reverse the effect. It can suck snow and water in the vents. Also make sure your vent holes are at least 8x8 and 12" down from the peak. I usually cut the 10x10, but I don't think it is needed. There are formulas for calculating this, and the websites Grumpy mentioned may have it.

Grumpy

I didn't know that cert put ar standard in their 40's. I am pretty sure you have to pay extra and specifically request AR in IL. However TAMKO has AR standard in all their shingles (available in IL).

MJW you cut intake vents in the roof? I never do this especially near the edge of the roof due to snow and ice back up, not to mention I have seen many many cases where there is enough snow on the roof covering the vents, which means you'd have no intake. Always place the intake in the soffit when ever possible. I know sometimes it's not possible, and that's when I install mushroom vents instead of ridge.

red_cedar

several years ago, the shingle warranties changed. Shingles that were 25 yrs changed to 30 yr. 30 yr changed to 40 yr.
IMO money should not be directed to underlayment ( unless in valley or along eave ) or flashings, which galvanized steel will hold up for decades and also any flashing that is considered, should be for asthetic value only. When it comes time for a new roof, the roofer will more then likely try to sell you on new flashing anyway. Shingles are known to not last long regardless of what one gets. They dont hold up like they use to.

Grumpy

Red, I use ice shield as a secondary flashing in all areas to recieve a metal flashing. I also meant choose 30# over 15# felt. Obviously this slightly costs more in time and material, not much but a little bit. In addition aluminum flashing is standard for my area, so if someone wanted to upgrade their flashings, they'd go to a galvanized or even copper, both of which obviously costs more than aluminum and copper definetly looks better than aluminum. Plumbing flashings are commonly the rubber boot, but I use lead which costs more than rubber.

So my point is they will get a better roof if they upgrade their flashings and underlayments for only a few hundred bucks.

red_cedar

I didnt mean anything Grumpy, just stating my opinion.
Your upgades are not realy upgrades, you are just providing a better roof than those that are not.

Grumpy

You are absolutely right, but on an even playing field my better roof would cost more than the lesser roof quoted by the other, which is I guess really what my point was to "spend your money on upgraded underlayments and flashing." I guess I should have elaborated in the first place.

shopman

I will look at that site and try to determine which type of venting system will give me more ventilation. You Are correct Grumpy, because I have a hip roof I do not have that much ridge, but I would still think it would give me more ventilation then the mushroom vents. I will try to calculate it out. I was going to try to use the ridge vent if possible because I think it looks much nicer then the mushroom vents, but if the mushroom vents give me more ventilation then I will have that installed.

I have read you should not mix venting systems, but I thought they that rule mostly pertained to if you have gable vents and a ridge vent on a standard roof. The air would short circuit and just go in the gable vent and out the ridge vent. Because I have a hip roof, could I have a ridge vent down the center with no mushroom vents on the front or back of the house, but have one mushroom vent on eack side of the hip? I just want the roof to look as nice as possible.

Thanks for all your comments, this is a big investment for me and I just want to make sure the job is done right. I basically want to specify how I want it done and hopefully the contractor will agree if I can get my facts straight from talking with you guys. I will be posting several other questions in the next week or so, thanks again for your help.

AaronB.

HIP VENT! Check it out.

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shopman

I think I said my vents wrong, the current vents on my house are square plastic 8" * 8 " vents, not mushroom vents.

Grumpy

I am not at all a fan of hip vents. I fear the possibility of water penetration is much too great! I won't risk it.

AaronB.

I have used them many times, never a problem. Dont knock it before you try it.

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Cole

See I feel the same way.

I am going to try them one day though.

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Grumpy

There's alot of things I haven't tried that I won't try because I do not have confidence in the product. I don't gamble with my customer's homes. I don't have confidence in the product therefore I refuse to try them until proven otherwise.

IHI

Same here, I personally have a hip and I thought about trying the ridge/hip vent system for a split second and decided long term risk possiblity was too great for water/snow infiltration, so stuck with the tried and true metal vents. Does not look as astecially pleasing I admit, but knowing this system has worked before our time goes along ways since I hate roofs and I hate roof leaks...same with whirley birds, I would not install them on a dog house even if I hated the dog. Been on a few ceiling repairs where blowing snow/rain came right in, accumulated and then melted causing stains/soft spots/peeling paint, and a few crumbling areas.

I love new technology, but there comes a point where old school is proven as opposed to the theroies of the new stuff that have only been out for a few years and they show paper theory and real world are two different animals.

Josh: no hip vent fer me

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