In Part 2 of our blog series about understanding roofing warranties, we’ll dive in to extended warranties
offered by contractors. You’ll recall in Part 1; we discussed two factors to consider regarding warranty
coverage: Material Coverage and Workmanship Coverage. Extended Warranties are where the
Workmanship Coverage really become relevant…and there is some significant value for homeowners
who choose to partner with a contractor offering this warranty as a part of their value proposition.

Extended warranties were created by manufacturers 10-15 years ago enabling them to extend the life of
the warranty well beyond the 10-year non-prorated period noted earlier. In order to offer these types of
warranties, contractors must be vetted by the manufacturer and then receive a special certification
authorizing them with the privilege of offering this warranty solution to their customers. We at Sierra
Hills Roofing received this certification from GAF and Owens Corning. These manufacturers ran credit
checks, verified references, consulted the BBB and wouldn’t offer entry into their certification program
until we had been in business for two full years. I say all this to emphasize that manufacturers don’t just
hand these certifications out willy-nilly! They do their due diligence to insure they are only partnering
with healthy businesses that will represent their brand with integrity and success. Once certified,
contractors can begin offering these extended warranties to their customers.

Extended warranties can actually extend the non-prorated period of the material warranty all the way to
50 YEARS. These are typically labeled as System Warranties. Manufacturers require contractors
completing a reroof to include several of their roofing accessory items along with the shingle in order to
qualify. These are typically items like: underlayment, starter shingles, ventilation products, and hip &
ridge caps. This assembly embodies a “roofing system” and is then warrantied by the manufacturer for
an extended period. In GAF and Owens Corning’s case, that’s a full 50 years! Just like the non-prorated
10-year period included with the manufacturer standard warranty that was explained in the prior blog;
System Warranties include labor costs to replace defective roofing material…only now it’s covered for a
non-prorated 50 years. That’s FIVE TIMES THE COVERAGE you get with the standard product warranty!

The fun doesn’t stop there! Above and beyond the System Warranties, manufacturers also offer
premium extended warranties that include Workmanship Coverage. In my professional opinion, these
are a huge value-add for the homeowner and the contractor collectively…and here’s why. Premium
extended warranties have the same material coverage as the aforementioned System Warranties, but
now include additional coverage for workmanship. So, what is workmanship; and how does
workmanship compare to “labor”? Labor is the act of installing a roof; workmanship is the art of
installing a roof. Workmanship Coverage warranties the roof installation even in the event the roof was
installed incorrectly, meaning not installed to manufacturer specifications. The caveat here is that the
roofing contractor owns this warranty for the first two years. So that means, if the roof fails in the first
two years due to an improper installation, it is incumbent upon the contractor to remedy the error.
After that, the manufacturer takes over. Once that happens, if the roof fails the manufacturer actually
pays a certified contractor (whether it be the original or a different one) to replace the failed area.

That’s a huge value for the homeowner, and the contractor. While we’d all love to believe that our hired
contractor is a perfect craftsman, everyone is human. Errors happen, but with this warranty you are fully
covered by the manufacturer for material defects and the original contactor’s installation.

A couple of additional notes about extended warranties. I mentioned earlier that only certified
contractors can offer these warranties. Certified contractors are also the only people that can register
these types of warranties with the manufacturer. Warranty registrations are completed upon project
completion. Extended warranties are registered by the certified contractor on the homeowner’s behalf.
This happens on a contractor portal through the manufacturer’s website, which is a digital resource
given only to the contractor. These extended warranties also include an additional cost for the certified
contractor. You read that correctly, EXTENDED WARRANTIES ARE NOT FREE, so there is likely an
additional cost factored into the cost of the bid/proposal to encompass this added expense. It’s still
extremely worthwhile! If you make the decision to partner with a contractor offering an extended
warranty, it will likely be the last time you ever roof this house in your lifetime!

What if you don’t intend to live in this home for the rest of your life…is there still value in purchasing a
new roof accompanied by an extended warranty? ABSOLUTELY! These warranties are fully transferrable.
Whether you decide to sell your home, or if you die before the warranty expires and your home is being
passed down to family in an estate, the new owner of the home will enjoy the benefits as the previous
owner without any interruption. Its important to speak with your contractor about the transfer process,
as each manufacturer is slightly different. If you partner with us at Sierra Hills Roofing, we are brand
ambassadors for our manufacturing partners, and offer complimentary assistance to our customers with
every step of the transfer.

This concludes our two-part blog designed to help you comprehend the different types of warranties
available with a reroof. Roofing manufacturers also publish legalese documents explaining the warranty
coverage from top to bottom. These are available online at:

– https://www.gaf.com/en-us/resources/warranties
– https://www.owenscorning.com/en-us/roofing/warranty

For more information, contact Sierra Hills Roofing at 916-975-5095, or visit our website at
www.sierrahillsroofing.com. Thank you for reading.

The post Understanding Roofing Warranties: Part 2 – What You Need to Know About Extended Roofing Warranties first appeared on Roofing Services in Auburn CA.

In California, most reroof projects happen for one of three reasons.

1. Your roof has reached the end of its service life or is actively failing
2. A storm has damaged your existing roof resulting in the need for replacement
3. Your insurance provider is requiring roof replacement in order to maintain coverage

Whichever situation you find yourself in, you have accepted the inevitable and know that its time for
your roof to be replaced. As you begin to collect bids and proposals from contractors, you are presented
with a ton of information! You’re learning all about shingle manufacturers, roofing accessory items like
underlayment and ice & water barrier, chimney flashings, gutter guards, etc.…the list goes on and on.
But one of the most important considerations of who to hire for your project and what material to
utilize should be the warranty.

Reroof warranties have a number of factors to consider. That said, there are two aspects that are the
most important and relevant to protect your investment and peace of mind for many years to come!
Understanding what’s covered and what isn’t is key to ensuring you are “getting what you paid for” on
your new roof. If done correctly, this could be the last roof your home needs in your lifetime!

Let’s dive in! The two factors to consider when selecting which warranty best meets your needs are:
Material Coverage and Workmanship Coverage.

In part one of our two-part blog series about roofing warranties, we’ll discuss a manufacturer’s Standard
Product Roofing Warranty. This primarily deals with Material Coverage.

Material Coverage, simply put, is the warranty given by the manufacturer for the roofing materials
being installed. A couple decades ago, manufacturers of shingles and roofing accessories organized their
warranties by the weight of the shingle and the number of layers of laminate formed during the
manufacturing process. They categorized this warranty by the number of years the roof should last: 30-
year, 40-year, and 50-year. Obviously, the longer the warranty coverage, the more premium the
material. 30-year warranties belonged to your standard laminated architectural shingle. 40-year and 50-
year warranties were heavier shingles and tri-laminates. There were more layers of granules/filler
installed and the weight was heavier by the square. **For our novice roofing readers, a square is the
unit of measurement used by the industry to outline roofing coverage of 100 sq ft. In this type of
warranty, as the roof approached the end of its service life, the warranty would prorate similar to that of
a tire warranty. In this instance, if your roof failed in year 25, and you had a 30-year rated shingle, the
manufacturer would prorate the remaining amount of roof life left in the warranty and issue a material
voucher redeemable at any authorized retailer for the prorated amount of remaining value. For the
example above, if your roof lasted 25 of the 30 years, there would be very little value remaining in the
final prorated 5 years of service life and the manufacturer would only issue a very small credit towards
the purchase of your new roof. Even though I’ve been in the roofing business for over a decade, it still
amazes me when I consult with homeowners who believe they are entitled to a new roof under
warranty if their 30-year rated shingle fails in year 28. That’s not how warranties work, and it never has
been!

Warranty nomenclature changed in the early 2000s. Manufacturers now label all of their shingles as
“Limited Lifetime” shingles regardless of weight, thickness or number of laminates. Personally, I’m a fan
of this change, because all major roofing manufacturers are essentially offering the same thing. It also
makes it very easy for you, the consumer, to understand a standard product warranty being offered by
the shingle manufacturer that your contractor recommends. This warranty covers the shingle and all
additional accessories (made by the same manufacturer as the shingle) for a non-prorated period of 10-
years, and then a prorated rate for the remaining amount of time you own your home. If there is a
major material defect that leads to roof failure in the first 10-years, the manufacturer not only covers
the cost of the replacement material, but they also cover the cost of the labor associated with the
necessary replacements. After year 10, the prorated portion of the warranty only covers material (no
labor); and the rate of proration varies by manufacturer (80% beginning in year 11 then decreasing
roughly 2%-3% per year thereafter). Keep in mind, these warranties do not carry a cash value. If the
product fails, whether its before the non-prorated period ends or after, manufacturers resolve these
claims with vouchers that can be used to purchase new material at any authorized dealer. You will also
be asked to sign a resolution agreement freeing the manufacturer from any additional liability or future
claims.

Standard Product Roofing Warranties can be registered either by the contractor completing the
installation, or the homeowner. If you’re a DIYer, you still qualify for the manufacturers standard
warranty. Registering the warranty is simple. It can either be done online, or by calling the 1-800
number listed on the packaging of the roofing products being installed.

For more information on standard product warranties, you can visit these website resources:

– https://www.owenscorning.com/en-us/roofing/warranty
– https://www.gaf.com/en-us/resources/warranties

Or call Sierra Hills Roofing at 916-975-5095. Thank you for reading part one of this two-part blog about
roofing warranties. Make sure to visit our website at: www.sierrahillsroofing.com to view Part 2.

The post Understanding Roofing Warranties – The Standard Warranty first appeared on Roofing Services in Auburn CA.