By Erin Bakker
With the cost of residential roofing, many people start out thinking that it’s a good idea to look for the cheapest possible company. Unfortunately, this typically results in a substandard job that will end up costing more due to the need for repairs or even the premature failure of the entire roof. If the roof lasts less than half as long as it should, the total cost over the years is more than twice as much as a properly-done job would have been.
There are a few reasons cheap roofing doesn’t last. The most obvious is the grade of materials used. A high-quality roofing system with a decades-long warranty will last the longest, but it isn’t cheap. Instead, it is priced as most would expect for things that won’t fall apart soon. Therefore, a roofing company won’t be able to offer a deep discount if they are using materials that will actually stand the test of time and weather.
Next, a high-quality roofing company will use more fasteners to attach shingles and underlayment. While the price of a single nail might be negligible, this adds up when there are thousands of nails involved. Not only that, the labor costs go up significantly when a large number of fasteners are used, because it takes longer to put them all in.
The reason you should care about the number of fasteners is simple: More nails makes your roof more wind-resistant. You definitely want a lot of fasteners so a freak windstorm won’t take your residential roofing into your neighbor’s yard.
For these reasons and more, you should consider your new roof to be an investment in your home. Always for the highest quality you can afford. With the cost of residential roofing, many people start out thinking that it’s a good idea to look for the cheapest possible company. Unfortunately, this typically results in a substandard job that will end up costing more due to the need for repairs or even the premature failure of the entire roof. If the roof lasts less than half as long as it should, the total cost over the years is more than twice as much as a properly-done job would have been.
There are a few reasons cheap roofing doesn’t last. The most obvious is the grade of materials used. A high-quality roofing system with a decades-long warranty will last the longest, but it isn’t cheap. Instead, it is priced as most would expect for things that won’t fall apart soon. Therefore, a roofing company won’t be able to offer a deep discount if they are using materials that will actually stand the test of time and weather.
Next, a high-quality roofing company will use more fasteners to attach shingles and underlayment. While the price of a single nail may be negligible, this adds up when there are thousands of nails involved. Not only that, the labor costs go up significantly when a large number of fasteners are used because it takes longer to put them all in.
The reason you should care about the number of fasteners is simple: More nails makes your roof more wind-resistant. You definitely want a lot of fasteners so a freak windstorm won’t take your residential roofing into your neighbor’s yard.
For these reasons and more, you should consider your new roof to be an investment in your home. Always for the highest quality you can afford.
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