50 year roofs, ar they worth it?

[Dan Mages]

I was wondering... Are the 50 year roofs really worth it? As the old saying goes, the roof is only as strong as the weakest link. Will the roof outlast the underlayment, flashing, and plywood and need to be replaced in 25-30 years anyways?

Thanks

Dan

[Russ Filtz]

Only if you live in the house that long! Which most people don't seem to these days. Sure it'll be a minor selling point, but will you get your money back?

[Chris Damm]

No they're not. My roofer said the grandules are what protects the shingles and they won't last that long. He recomended no more than a 30 shingle. They do nothing to add to the resale value either.

[Matt Ocel]

I got a good buddy that sells roofing material. When asked the question, he laughed and said do not waste you money.

[Jim Becker]

We just put on a 50 year roof as part of our addition project...spec-ed a 40 year roof, but got the 50 year material for a whole extra $120. (And this was a big job) I don't know if I'll still be here in 50 years...unlikely considering I'm 51 years old, but the texture and depth of the 50 year Elk architectural shingles we used is esthetically very pleasing. So this is not just a matter of life, but also of how you want things to look. And if the granules don't last that long, there is the warranty for us or whomever succeeds us in this property. The actual cost savings to go to 30 year shingles was not substantial for the particular product we chose...most of the cost is labor.

[Craig Summers]

Speaking of more expensive things to put on your roof .....

We might have to replace our roof in the next few years, but I'm hoping that more efficient solar shingles hit the mass market soon, so that we can get some "payback" on the shingles

http://www.solar-components.com/pvshingl.htm

http://www.solar-components.com/shingle.jpg

Ive been watching various sites about the technologies, thin film solar is becoming more eficient and cheaper, even getting up to 41% eff. in the lab (might be a couple years for that)

DOW is on board (http://solarcellsinfo.com/blog/archives/1498), so hopefully the train gets rolling

Back to topic
As to 50 years, i heard from installers that 'year' rating is more a rule of thumb about thickness of rock/felt and quality of adhesives used. I wouldn't pay the extra money, I don't think there is a significant benefit. Also the extra weight may be a bit much if you do the two layer system.

I would pay more attention to making sure my attics are vented correctly, that way you don't cook your shingles/plywood (both the asphalt and glue do melt when heated), or have winter condensation ruining the underlayment. Its also a good idea to replace all the 'boots' around pipes and flashing when you re-roof, the old ones are usually worn in 20 years, and even if they are 'servicable', do you want to have to replace them in another few years and risk having to tear up the roof?

[Eddie Watkins]

The 30 year shingles are lucky to last 20 years and proration what it is, you will be very lucky to get any shingle company to pay anything. They will clam they were installed wrong or they don't cover natural disasters, which voids the warranty, or something else. I'm not saying they want cover faulty shingles within the first few years, they just aren't going to replace a 30 year shingle after 20-25 years when it fails. I do know some of the new shingles such as metal will save on home insurance so you might want to check that out. You could pay for any difference in cost with home insurance savings. Around here I'm not sure there is any roof that is going to last due to hail storms and/or tornadoes. Having said that, I still plan on trying to find a (my) lifetime shingle next time I replace my roof.

Eddie

[Tom Godley]

On houses that show a great amount of roof at street level the thicker shingles can make a very big difference in the overall look of the house.

I have installed Presidential shingles on two houses one being an extended cape cod with a large roof area -- it transformed the house. I am currently adding an addition and was shocked when I went to order matching product for the new area -- the roof was twelve years old and looks as new.

I have no idea how long the 50y product will last, but the 25y and 30y products have been around a long time now.

[Chris Padilla]

We also put a 50-year shingle on our house because as Jim pointed out, going from 30 to 40 to 50 was a very small cost and we also liked the look better of the 50-year shingle over the shorter-life one. It was much more textured which suited our house well since our original roof was cedar shakes.

I'd say get the shingle you like...bare minimumn life nowadays is 30 years I think and that should be plenty for most folks.

[Lee Schierer]

We put 30 year shingles on our house 2 years ago when we remodeled. Since I was 56 at the time, if the shingles last 30 years, at my age then, I probably won't be worrying about whether the roof leaks or not! A 50 year shingle for anyone over 30 is probably a waste of money.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I'm happy to say the 25 year shingle I personally put down on my roof 25 years ago is holding up well. It doesn't look new but it's doesn't need replaced yet. I've gotten my money's worth out of it. The next roof someone else will put on. My roofing days are over.

[Chris Damm]

Just remember that the key to long shingle life is to NOT put a new roof over the old one. Atear off is well worth the cost. Good ventilation also helps!

[Jude Tuliszewski]

As mentioned in a previous post to this thread, find out if your roof system is capable of handing the extra load of a 50 year product (if you are looking at asphalt shingles), as there is a big difference in wt. going from a 30 year to a 50 year. I wanted to put a 50 year shingle on my house but was not able to because of the extra wt. as just a re-shingle is allowed and the combined wt. of two layers of shingles (one being a 50 yr.) would over load the roof.
Another thing to consider is how the sheathing is attached. When we did our house we took the time to nail all the sheathing as it was stapled (acceptable when the house was built) and because after looking around in the attic I could see where quite a few of the staples had completely missed or just grazed the rafters. We used hot dipped galvy. ring shank nails.
Also, before you start the job, check with your insurance person for any discounts that are available for structural items. This way you can have any items verified that are eligible for any discounts, or for verification of anything eligible that can only be seen with the tear off done DAMHIKT. I found out after the fact that I could have gotten a further discount for nailing the sheathing if it would have been verified before the roofing when on :eek:.
Here in Fla., just using the architectural shingle was a nice discount off of my home owner policy (at lease with my insurance co.), because they have a much better wind rating than just regular three tab shingle.
A friend of mine worked for GAF (a shingle maker) for a number a years and one of the things he told me about shingles is that the 50 yr. was the best shingle that they made because they used about twice as much asphalt making the 50 as compared to the 30 that they made, as well as the other materials used to make it. He also told me that even the 30 yr. rated 3 tab is not as good as the 25 yr. architectural shingle.
Judge for your shelf and go look at the different types side by side (not necessarily the BORGS, go to a roofing supplier).

[Greg Funk]

Unless you are buying from very large manufacturers I think you're better off comparing roofing products using some metric other than warranty period. There are startup companies making 50 yr 'slate' look shingles made from recycled rubber. They may last 50 yrs but the chances of the company being around that long to honor any warranty are not high.

Greg