After the recent hailstorm, my ins co is covering a new roof. the local guy I want to use brought some samples of atlas pinnacle shingles, I've never heard of them, but I'm no roofer. Is this a decent product?

 

How frequent are the hail storms around you? My personal recommendation is Rubber environmentally friendly roofing products! -

Around here we are getting more and more frequent hail storms and these euroshield rubber roofs are the ones being installed more and more as well. You're insurance probably won't cover the complete cost of these as they are more pricey but if you can cover the difference you won't have to re roof after the next hail storms roll through.

 

google "atlas pinnacle shingles complaints" or ".....problems".

This one is a pretty good exchange:

Problems With Atlas Shingles - Roofing/Siding - DIY Home Improvement | DIYChatroom


I was going to talk about my satisfactory roof experience with a roof installed in 2002. Some problems with the install, which I will have to deal with. But the shingles lived through a "100 year" storm here where we had at least 70 mph gusts. So I go to search for problems as I did with the Atlas stuff. Turns out my roof might be the subject of a class action!!!!!

I gotta go dig through all that stuff from the remodel! GAF Timberlines fwiw.

Wouldn't you know if I did have problems I might in line for money or a new roof. Since they are fine.....Oh well.

 

That's what we had installed three years ago. They are good for 50 years if the installer is a certified GAF installer and they can withstand a sustained 125 MPH gust. As for hail protection, I'm not sure.

 

Go with a National brand: CertainTeed, GAF, or Owens Corning.
Regional brands like Atlas, TAMKO, or Malarkey (yes, seriously) are cheaper and use gimmicks like ScotchGard to sell to unwitting customers.

Disclosure: I am a distributor for commercial and residential roofing products.

 

I would second this opinion. I've been in the trades almost 20 years, and I've seen the regional brands come and go, usually on the lower-end tract homes. On the better homes, the national brands he mentioned have always been there.

Jason

 

I will say again though, if you are in a frequent hail storm area I would stay away from ashphalt shingles. Why keep putting the same thing on again if it doesn't hold up.

 

All fine and wonderful if the product was available in the US, he is in the "NW burbs of Chicago".

The product that you have mentioned twice is only available in Canada.

Here is an alternative: Gerard USA Metal Roofing | Premium Stone Coated Steel Roofing Systems

or http://www.davinciroofscapes.com/

Or hail resistant asphalt aka IR = Impact Resistant, available from the national brands mentioned above.

 

I know where he is, I did not endorse anything in my second post bucko. Just recommend not going with ashphalt regardless of its "impact resistant" claims. There must be some company down in the US who makes a product similar to what I "endorsed" in my FIRST post.

 

 

Thanks guys,

As far as hail, we get a decent storm every 3-4 years.

 

The Dude abides!

Mecdac, maybe there is an opportunity for you to become a distributor of the product down in the states? Especially with the current state of the exchange rate could be a good profit margin.

 

Hail storms happen in the Midwest, but it's not like they're often. It takes a pretty serious hail storm to damage a roof (probably at least grape-sized hail stones or larger), and those are quite rare. I'm about 3 hours SE of jake00, and in my almost 20 years of home ownership, I have yet to have hail damage. It's been close a couple times, but the hail portion of a storm tends to be confined to a small area.

Not to mention, there's the cost issue. The average length of ownership of a house is 5 years. A vastly more expensive roof product won't necessarily add enough to the value of the home for the seller to recoup their costs when they sell the home in a few years.

Jason

 

In the case of the GAF Timberlines, the warranty is transferable provided that your installer is GAF certified and you have all the documentation proving when the work was done.

Ridge vents have to be cut in where there were none, ice and water shield must be applied appropriately and the correct number of nails per shingle must have been used and it must be installed over clean roof decking.

 

Dang Tim, I need you to come and do a training for our contractors.