I’m back! I can’t believe that is has almost been a year and a half since I last discussed warranties with you! Time sure does fly and every day that goes by is one day closer to you being out of warranty on a product that you own. That is why it is so important to fully understand the warranty that you are purchasing or receiving in case a situation arose and a claim needed to be filed. So you know the drill… I attempt to keep each of my blogs right around 500 words, so let’s see if I can do that today!
In my last blog discussing this topic, I noted that in this blog we would be discussing system components. If you are thinking of having a new roof installed, you need to ask the contractor if they are using all the components by the same manufacturer. This is a very important question to ask. Some companies out there will short cut a little bit and install generic 15 LBS felt paper and also use three tab shingles to cut and use for the hip & ridge shingles and starter strip shingles. This may have been acceptable years ago but we are in the 21st century now and you deserve starter strip shingles that are manufactured exclusively for that purpose and the same goes for hip & ridge shingles.
When it comes to GAF, the world’s largest shingle manufacturer, there are three upgraded warranties that they allow professional roofing contractor to offer when it comes to a shingle roofing system… The Systems Plus Warranty, the Silver Pledge Warranty and the Golden Pledge Warranty. And this is where the components become so important. A GAF Certified Installer or GAF Master Elite Roofing Contractor may upgrade a roofing system to the Systems Plus warranty. Three GAF components must be installed in order to obtain this warranty. So you can have GAF Timberline HDZ Shingles, GAF Cobra Ridge Runner and GAF Seal-A-Ridge installed as the three qualifying components, but have standard accessories such as 15 LBS felt paper and standard leak barrier installed. By choosing to go this route you still get some basic coverage like a lifetime shingle warranty and if any replacement were to happen due to manufacture defect, GAF would pay for the tear off of the roofing system but here’s the catch…. Disposal is not included in the cost of replacement.
As well as offering and installing the Systems Plus Warranty, a GAF Master Elite Roofing Contractor can also provide consumers with the Silver Pledge and the Golden Pledge Warranty. This is where the prominence of manufacture components comes into play when it comes to the warranty that you and your home receive. In order to receive, either, the Golden or Silver Pledge Warranty, all six components of the GAF roofing system must be installed. You did read that correctly, all six components of a GAF roofing system must be installed to be eligible to receive either one of these upgraded warranties. With regards to the details of the Silver Pledge Warranty, like the Systems Plus Warranty, lifetime shingle coverage and tear-off is included if the roof were to be replaced due to defect, but unlike the Systems Plus Warranty, disposal fees are covered 100 percent and a 10 year workmanship warranty is provided. Now the Golden Pledge Warranty is exactly like the Silver Pledge Warranty, but it goes even further by offering a 25 year workmanship warranty instead of 10 years. Now you see why I stress the importance of using all the components that a manufacturer offers for any home improvement project?
Guess what? I went well over 500 words this time! That means that in our next blog discussing warranties we will discuss other key components of home improvement products and their warranties. What is included and what’s not covered if you were to file a claim with the manufacturer. Does the warranty you’re receiving cover flashings’? What about wind exclusions? What is seal failure in relation to replacement windows? These are all key components of a warranty that are crucial if a claim were ever filed and we will be sure to dig into this next time. But until then my friends… keep improving!
