LESLIE: Donny in Montana, welcome to The Money Pit. What’s going on with your roof?
DONNY: I was interested to know if 50-year shingles are worth the added cost over 25-year shingles.
TOM: They will be if the – depending on the answer to this question: are you going to live in the house for 50 years?
DONNY: Probably not.
TOM: Then I’d say not.
DONNY: OK.
TOM: Because on the resale you generally are not going to get any more money because you have a 50-year roof. If you’re going to live in the house and enjoy all 50 years of those shingles then why not put on the longest possible roof that you could afford? If you’re not going to be enjoying it for 50 years then you may want to use more of a standard shingle which is going to go 20, 25 years.
LESLIE: But Tom, there’s no benefit as far as weather or environmental conditions as far as durability of the shingle itself?
TOM: Well, I mean it depends. Are you talking about an asphalt shingle? If it’s an asphalt shingle I wouldn’t think twice about it. If I wasn’t going to be there for the full time I wouldn’t spend extra money for it. If it was one of the composite shingles that maybe looks like slate and is incredibly attractive and there may be some aesthetic value to it and I might just want to enjoy the roof and the way it looks, then I might consider it.
I mean, metal roofs, for example, are a good example. Metal roofs are gorgeous. Now, there are probably very few of us out there that are going to live in a home for the life of a metal roof which is 100 years and …
LESLIE: But you put that on there because you like the aesthetic of it. That’s a look.
TOM: Exactly. Exactly. So if it’s an economic question the answer is no. If it’s an aesthetic question then the answer is it’s up to you.
DONNY: And I guess the other part of my question was will 50-year shingles really, honestly, last 50 years?
TOM: You know, if they’re properly installed and you have good ventilation then they probably will. What we tend to find is that, you know, a 50-year shingle or a 40-year shingle or 30-year shingle is really dependent on it being installed perfectly.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
TOM: What does that mean? Generally, a single layer because if you have multiple layers the original layer acts as a heat sink; stores heat that accelerates the evaporation of the oil in the shingle and forces it to dry out more quickly. Secondly, you’ve got to have good ventilation in your roof. Good ventilation might be a combination, for example, of a ridge vent that goes down the peak of your roof and a soffit vent at the overhang so that the underside of the roof sheathing is continually cooled, so to speak, in the summer as air moves up under it. So if you have good ventilation and you have a single layer, then I think there’s a real good chance it will last as long as the manufacturer says it will.
DONNY: Cool. Well thanks, guys.
TOM: You’re welcome. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
Hi Tom,
We have solar fans in the roof as well as a ridgevent along the top. I am thinking about the Owens Corning Asphalt Architectural Shingles(Duration Series)for our house. I live in VA and the roof will have a 50 year warranty, it is time to replace the roof, we are in our 50’s and plan to be right here. What would be the typical cost for 2000 square ft roof and is it worth it?
Jaz, couple things: The solar power ventilator combined with a ridge vent is kind of kind of like a dog chasing its tail. If the fan is strong enough, it’ll pull air in from the ridge vent and exhaust it which doesn’t do much for the rest of the attic. Read how to combine ridge vents with soffit vents for the best possible ventilation. Second, cost depends of how difficult the roof is to work on but in VA the average for a roof replacement is $4,419 – $7,322. Check this article out for more info on the variants.
Also, know that with roof shingles, the warranty is for the materials only, not labor, AND it prorated. So if a roof with a 50 year warranty lasts 25 years, and assuming that the installation was perfect (the manufacturer will check!) you’d be entitled to 50% of the original shingle cost, but ZERO for the cost of tearing off and replacing the shingles. So while a “50-year shingle” sounds great — it’s really not what it sounds’ like.
I had a 25-year (30-year rated, at the time) shingle put on my house. This was 19 years ago. The house had gable-end vents. I left them open, installed a ridge vent, and installed round soffit vents on one side of the house. I got lazy and didn’t install the round vents on the other side of the house. The house has, generally, an east-west orientation. Also, the house is located in North Carolina, so it probably gets a little hotter than a Northern roof would. Maybe this is a good test to see if these round soffit vents actually help. I can look at both sides of the roof and see that the shingles look pretty much the same on both sides. Conclusion?
Rob, it sounds like you are doing everything right. My only suggestion is that when it does come time to replace your roof, I’d add a fully vented soffit to both sides. A continuous ridge and soffit vent system is by far the most effective.
Hi Tom,
I live in a 55 community. My neighbor, whose home is attached to mine, is having her 15 year old asphalt roof replaced. Our roofs are joined with no breaks. Are the roofers able to do only hers and leave mine as is without doing any damage or opening it for leaks? I am not comfortable with the contractor – I think he is “milking” the home owners. He says he is putting down a “50” year shingle. Is my section of the roof going to be safe without damage being done?
Hi Sarah. I hear ya. Unfortunately there is a lot of that “milking” going on in adult communities! There is almost NO reason to replace a roof that is only 15 years old. The answer to your question is yes. It is entirely possible to put a new roof on only half the building without impacting your roof. That is IF the job is done correctly. For one thing I would make sure the contractor has a permit for the project and talk to the local building inspector about your concerns before the job is even started. Also, keep in mind that your roofs will no longer match and there will be an obvious seam between the two roofs that will kind of ruin the look of both homes from the street. Is there an owners associating that may have some say in this? Usually there are rules to prevent one neighbor from doing a project like this that impacts the adjoining home.
Thank you very much for answering my question. This helps me a lot and gives me more peace. All the best to you,
Sarah