subject: Defective Shingles Can Be A Homeowner's Nightmare [print this page] When you replace your roof, it's reasonable for you to assume that the shingles will last around what the manufacturer warranty states. If you had a 35 year asphalt composite architectural shingle installed, then common sense dictates the roof should last around 35 years. That is assuming, of course, that it doesn't get hammered from a hail storm. If your roof is replaced with defective shingles, the estimated remaining useful life will drastically reduce and can turn into a costly nightmare. I'll explain some of the common manufacturer's defects that I regularly run across in the Omaha Metro in this article.
In 2001-2002, thousands of Omaha roofs were replaced due to the major hailstorm that blew through. Now, after more than 8 years, a 25-year life asphalt composite 3-tab shingle with organic backing roof covering should look like it's almost brand new. Instead, a lot of these roofs look like a machine gun hit them on the east and south face. The shingles have major granule loss in chunks, the shingles have significantly cupped up on the tabs, and in the valleys or down by the eaves, there may even be holes developed all the way through the backing. The shingles appear to be 20-30 years old and heavily wore out. On the north and west face, the shingles at first glance appear to be in pretty good shape. Run your hand across the surface or eye across the roof deck and you'll notice every shingle is cupping. It's nowhere near as bad as the east and south face, but it's deteriorating too. Lower pitched roofs will wear out much faster than steeply pitched ones. The ugly truth for many of these organic backed shingled roofs is they need to be replaced.
Ever seen a roof with a bad case of acne? That is what blistering looks like. It occurs when the manufacturer has too much tar in the mix. When the sun beats down on the roof, the tar bubbles up, lifting the granules, and eventually causing the granules to fall off. To the untrained eye, this can resemble hail damage. You can best notice blistering by feeling the surface of the shingles. Blistering occurs heaviest on the sunny side of the roof, but can be found over the entire surface. Sometimes you can find blisters on a few shingles or if the entire roof was replaced with the defective shingles, then you'll see it all over.
The homeowner needs to find out who the manufacturer is as soon as the defect is found. The best way to determine the manufacturer is to contact the Builder or the Roofing Contractor who installed the roof. You'll need the type of shingles installed, manufacturer's warranty, and the manufacturer's contact info. Of course, you may be lucky enough to have a bundle still sitting in your garage. If those options fail, a qualified Roofing Contractor may be able to help you figure out who the manufacturer is by looking at the shingles. After you determine who the manufacturer is, find their website, and look around on the site for where to file a claim. Tamko and CertainTeed both have very helpful websites for filing claims.
In the Omaha Metro, I'm not aware of any recent manufacturer claims where labor was included in the payouts from roofs that were installed back in 2001-2002. With labor being the largest expense for installing a new roof, this can be a huge financial blow to homeowners. In addition, the manufacturer also pro-rated the life of the shingles. There was one house I inspected for a Buyer where the Seller was given replacement estimates by quality Roofing Contractors of around $7,000, but the manufacturer only cut a check for a measly $900!
CertainTeed manufactured some of their shingles from 1987-2005 with organic backing. After 2005, CertainTeed switched all of their shingle manufacturing over to fiberglass backing. The focus of the class action lawsuit was with the organic backed shingles. The website that lists out the date ranges for each specific type of shingle they manufactured covered by the settlement is www.certainteeshinglesettlement.com. On this website, it takes you through how to determine if your shingles are covered in the settlement, if you are eligible to be a member of the Settlement Class, claim filing process, the summary of the Settlement Agreement, and links for Class Members.
Each roof is a system and different factors weigh on longevity of the roof covering. To determine if your roof has any manufacturer's defects, wear-n-tear defects, evidence of hail damage, inadequate attic ventilation, improper flashing, installation errors, etc, it's best to hire a quality licensed Roofing Contractor or ASHI Certified Home Inspector to look your roof over. If you're planning on selling your home in the near future, the home inspector can not only surface roof issues, but other potentially high dollar or safety issues related to the rest of your home. The inspection can alert you to minor preventative maintenance items that could save you thousands later.
