What is the best shingle for my home?
What is the best asphalt shingle for my home?
If you’ve been reading about different types of shingles, the amount of information out there can be overwhelming.
You’re in luck - this post will quickly guide you through your options and make sure you can make a smart decision that works for you.
What shingles should I use on my pitched roof?
1. The first thing to consider is the average weather and wind your roof needs to protect your house from.
Here on the Palouse we have high winds throughout the year, snow and ice that melts and freezes several times during the winter, and high temperatures in the summer.
Because of this, your roofing material needs to do several things:
It needs to be securely fastened to the roof so that high winds don’t blow shingles off and expose the underlayment beneath.
It needs to allow water to flow off quickly without pooling on the roof. Spring rains in Moscow & Pullman can dump more water on your roof than you’d think, so a leak-proof roof is really important.
It needs to protect against ice dams that are common here on the Palouse. We do this with a layer of ice and water shield at the eaves.
It needs to be able to withstand high temperatures. Your roof absorbs a lot of heat from sunshine, which affects the life of your shingles.
It needs to be able to withstand freezing and thawing cycles. Water seeps into cracks and expands when it freezes, widening the cracks and creating entries for water into your home.
2. The second thing to consider is the aesthetics of your home.
Shingles come in many different colors to complement different styles of homes and exterior colors. You can also choose between old school 3-tab shingles or newer architectural shingles. We prefer architectural shingles as they provide a higher quality finish and just plain look better. They can actually be cheaper than 3-tab as fewer 3-tab shingles are being manufactured nowadays.
Above: Old and worn 3-tab shingles before a roof replacement.
Above: New architectural shingles we installed on the same home.
With those 2 things in mind, we recommend GAF Timberline HD shingles. They’re beautiful and can hold up well to the weather in our area.
As a GAF Certified Contractor, we’re also able to provide a manufacturers warranty on our roofs using these shingles along with the complete GAF roofing system. We’ll be happy to show you samples and color options when we meet to talk about your roof replacement.
Are you able to use these shingles on my home?
Yes we can! If you’ve been thinking about replacing the roof on your home, you can schedule an inspection in under 60 seconds here.
Or, give us a call at (208) 301-6173 for a quick chat about your situation. We’re always happy to talk with homeowners in Moscow & Pullman!