A new roof is a major investment. Considering the cost of installing one, homeowners naturally expect to get years of use out of a new roof. That’s why understanding exactly what you’re getting from your warranty agreement is important. Being cognizant of the details of your warranty will help save you the money you might otherwise unnecessarily have spent out-of-pocket on repairs, and will also reduce the number of issues you’ll have to deal with on your own should any roof problems pop up unexpectedly.
Two Types of Roof Coverage
The warranty on a new roof will typically provide coverage against one or both of the following: 1) manufacturing defects in the roofing materials themselves; and 2) problems arising from installation. To be more specific, the first type of warranty covers problems having to do with the roofing material itself, while the second covers problems caused during the installation of your new roof, by the people you hired to install the roof.
Warranties and Material Defects
Most manufacturers provide warranties against defects in their roofing products, but the length and exact coverage of the warranty will depend on the brand – on which your mileage may vary. The most important thing to keep in mind is that the manufacturer’s warranty typically covers only the original owner of the new roof. In some cases, the first owner after the original may be covered, too, but only if the warranty allows for it, and only if the manufacturer is notified of the change in ownership.
Note, too, that the different components of your roof may each have a different warranty duration; your roofing shingles might be insured for the shingles’ lifetime, but that warranty won’t necessarily also cover the non-shingle components of your roof. It’s important to know just how long all the parts of your roof are covered.
Covering The Contractor’s Workmanship
Because GAF is confident about the quality of its roofing materials, it is also, under certain circumstances, willing to cover potential problems with the workmanship. GAF’s Golden Pledge® Warranty will cover the workmanship on your roof for up to 25 years, whether or not the original contractor is still in business. A Golden Pledge® Warranty, however, is only available through GAF Master Elite™ Contractors, who are factory-certified by GAF.
The actual specifics of the different GAF warranties will be covered in Part II.