Are Lifetime Roofing Warranties Lies?
Getting a new roof or a replacement roof here in Houston isn’t a small potatoes deal, it’s serious business.
If you’re like our local customers (Greater Houston-only homeowners), you want to feel comfortable with three critical points:
- The Performance VALUE of the roofing system being installed.
- The ROI it adds to the VALUE of your home.
- The real-life VALUE of your roofing coverage.
Setting aside the first two points, the subject we’re tackling in today’s article revolves around the hesitation you may be feeling about #3.
With over 7 million residents in the Greater Houston area (2019), it’s true there’s plenty of funny business to watch out for. Especially when one considers the extremely free and open way the Texas roofing industry is set up.
It leaves many first-time replacement roof buyers wondering as they do research on the industry and potential manufacturers and installers,
‘Are lifetime roofing warranties lies?’
Not generally speaking, but specifically as you go from company to company.
To answer that, let’s look at the 2 pillars of your roof warranty.
- Your Material Warranty: In this case, if you work with us, that would be GAF since they’re the manufacturer or source of the interlocking and cohesively-designed parts.
- Your Workmanship Warranty: That’s us, your local GAF Master Elite installer. The people or company you hire to install the roofing system according to the stipulations under GAFs warranty.
With GAF, you get a well-oiled, extremely well-vetted (most substantial roofing company in North America; 100+ years of company history, etc.) process. To get their warranty coverage, you must have the system installed by professionals who’ve been specially trained in their roofing products.
Obviously as the biggest name in the business, they offer industry-leading coverage. Combined with the coverage their GAF-certified installers like us provide, you’re looking at true peace of mind!
Defining Lifetime Coverage
Obviously GAF and installers aren’t going to cover the roof for eternity. Lifetime tends to mean a combination of a) the service lifetime of the roofing system (shingle, slate, concrete, wood, etc.) combined with, well, here it is in their own words:
Definition of Lifetime According to GAF:
“The word ‘Lifetime’ means as long as you, the original owner(s) (or the second owner(s) if coverage was properly transferred during the Smart Choice Protection Period), own the property where the shingles and/or accessories are installed. The Lifetime warranty is applicable only to shingles and accessories installed on a single-family detached residence owned by individuals. For any other type of owner or building, such as a corporation, governmental entity, religious entity, condominium or homeowner association, school, apartment building, office building, or multi-use structure, the length of the warranty is 40 years.”
That’s the basic fine print. However, under that umbrella is a ton of breathing room and coverage options for all of their products. Here’s a recap of some of the highlights of the GAF Golden Pledge Warranty, their most comprehensive:
- A warranty that covers your entire roofing system from top to bottom. No surprises.
- A NON-PRORATED 50 Year SHINGLE Warranty. This is in contrast to the usual 10 years of 100% coverage offered on less valuable ‘Lifetime’ warranties from other companies.
- Workmanship covered (and backed by the manufacturer, not a contractor that could go out of business). While we’ve been in business here in Houston a long time, we can’t yet match the staying power of GAF.
- A thorough 40-point inspection by an independent manufacturer representative to make sure everything has been installed to the highest standards. This is how they ensure our Houston Roofing & Construction installers are providing you with an absolutely picture-perfect installation.
- The Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval!
Hopefully that doesn’t come across as roofing mumbo jumbo, because it’s honestly the best value-per-roofing-dollar option in the Houston area and across the nation for millions of homeowners. It’s why roofing companies like ours are proud to declare our Master Elite GAF certification (only 3% of roofers in America carry this recognition).
Before wrapping up, here’s a few more of the exciting coverage details through Houston Roofing & Construction.
The Coverage You Get with Houston Roofing & Construction
Shingle Defect Warranty, 100% Coverage
- HR&C: Golden Pledge Warranty: 50 Years
- The Competition: Typical Warranty: 10 Years
Installation Labor Included for Replacing Shingles
- HR&C: Golden Pledge Warranty: Lifetime
- The Competition: Typical Warranty: 10 Years
Workmanship Coverage for Shingles
- HR&C: Golden Pledge Warranty: 25 Years
- The Competition: Typical Warranty: 2 Years
Good Housekeeping Protection on Roofing System
- HR&C: Golden Pledge Warranty: Yes!
- The Competition: Typical Warranty: No, doesn’t qualify for this prestigious seal.
Are lifetime roofing warranties lies? Well they certainly can be when you’re talking about less reputable manufacturers and installers. With GAF and certified (heavily-vetted) installers, no, you’re going to get great lifetime coverage under the definitions of that word which will be thoroughly spelled out for you long before you sign any dotted lines.
Industry Tip
Because GAF’s been in business perfecting their manufacturing processes for over a century, there’s a small likelihood of their products failing. Honestly. It does happen, but it’s not all that common by any stretch of the imagination. Keep in mind they service millions of customers across the continent.
Want to know what the #1 cause for a new roofing system to fail? Your installers! The reason is simple: non-GAF-caliber installers are paid to be cheap and dirty. The goal is to do as many roofs as possible, and on-site management or oversight is usually lacking (we get what we pay for).
GAF solves the issue, as mentioned above, by sending specialists out to inspect every roofing system installed in their name, and to ensure it meets warranty standards. Another reason to ensure you’re working with a GAF-certified installer so should it not meet GAF standards and the warranty is voided, the INSTALLER will remedy the situation promptly and professionally.
Wrapping Up
Yes, you need to be careful when investing in a new roof in Houston. Choose your manufacturer wisely! GAF is an incredibly solid choice that will increase your home’s value. Once you go that route you need a local Houston Master Elite installer. Have any followup questions or concerns? Need more information on the whole lifetime warranty thing? Call Houston Roofing & Construction today!