Roof shingle choices

[Skiathos]

I need help picking out a roof shingle for my roof here in coastal SE Mass which needs replacing.

I've gotten quotes from four contractors. 

Three of them are pushing GAF Timberline HD shingles with GAF synthetic roofing felt. The 4th one is offering Owens-Corning TruDefinition Duration shingles with O-C's Deck Defense underlayment. I guess nobody uses 30# felt anymore around here. All the contractors are manufacturer-certified installers. Warranties being offered by all four contractors and both shingle manufacturers are similar.

So, is one shingle better or is there another one I should be considering?

Thanks in advance.

[Bill Wilson]

I just re-roofed my house a week ago.  I used Owens-Corning Oakridge Architectural shingles from Lowes.  I also used the synthetic underlayment stuff.  Old fashioned roofing felt is a thing of the past, apparently.  The claims are that the synthetic underlayment is a much better product.  It will actually hold up and shed water longer than felt, should you not be able to shingle right away.  Another advantage is that it isn't as slippery as felt paper.  Otherwise, I'm not sure what there is to get excited about with it.

I'd be surprised if either brand was significantly better than the other.  I don't live in a coastal area, so I don't get the weather that you do.  Perhaps folks who have tried to make a claim on the warranty can speak to which company is easier to deal with, but I put a roof on figuring I won't have to worry about it for 30 years, so that wasn't a big consideration for me.  Lowes happened to be running a special offer of an extra 5% off with the Lowes card the day I ordered it, so that pretty much sealed the deal for me.  All else being roughly equal, I think it boils down to price.

[woodhead]

I always liked GAF. Put them on my roof.


Al

[Lynden]

We put GAF Timberline Natural Shadow Barkwood shingles on my mother's house nine years ago. No complaints. The contractor used 30 pound felt. The ridge vent brand is Lomanco OR-4.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzYlGwpCzeU

[Cecil]

I need help picking out a roof shingle for my roof here in coastal SE Mass which needs replacing.

I've gotten quotes from four contractors. 

Three of them are pushing GAF Timberline HD shingles with GAF synthetic roofing felt. The 4th one is offering Owens-Corning TruDefinition Duration shingles with O-C's Deck Defense underlayment. I guess nobody uses 30# felt anymore around here. All the contractors are manufacturer-certified installers. Warranties being offered by all four contractors and both shingle manufacturers are similar.

So, is one shingle better or is there another one I should be considering?

Thanks in advance.

I realize the quality of a company's product will change over time, but I put Owens Corning 3 tab on the roof of my house in 1993.  It was still laying flat and looking good when I sold the house last year.  For that reason, I put Owens Corning on the house I just bought, but I used the architectural shingles this time.

How do you know they are manufacturer certified.  Did they tell you or did you look it up.  Having been screwed a time or two, I no longer believe anything I am told.  If the contractor shows me a certificate, it is the same as if they tell me verbally.  I want to hear it from the source.  For Owens Corning, go here https://www.owenscorning.com/roofing/contractors.  I expect GAF has something similar.

[AUswimKC]

Use a good heavy architectural shingle. The three tab aren't worth it to save 20% in material cost only

[Cooler]

Asphalt roof shingles last 15 to 25 years.  Steel roofs, either sheet or shingle form are supposed to last 50+ years but cost about 30% more.  

Some have the same pebbled finish you see on asphalt, but other textures are also available.  If you are planning on living in the house for a long time the steel shingles are cost effective.  I wish I knew that when I had my roof done about 15 years ago.

https://www.interlockroofing.com/

[fixtureman]

Asphalt roof shingles last 15 to 25 years.  Steel roofs, either sheet or shingle form are supposed to last 50+ years but cost about 30% more.  

Some have the same pebbled finish you see on asphalt, but other textures are also available.  If you are planning on living in the house for a long time the steel shingles are cost effective.  I wish I knew that when I had my roof done about 15 years ago.

https://www.interlockroofing.com/

Do they warrant the color on steel. I have seen some that look bad due to fading

[Cooler]

Do they warrant the color on steel. I have seen some that look bad due to fading

I don't know.  You can always check the website.

I do know that the local IHop went out of business and was re-opened as a law office or something.  They did not want the blue roof so they had a contractor spray it a different color.  That's over 15 years ago and it still looks good.  I suppose you could just get up there with some rustoleum and a brush too, but it sounds like a lot of time in the sun.

[whatline]

Funny thing about shingles. Some of the preference is geographic. In S E P A we use a lot of GAF and Certaiteed. There ARE material differences. Set a bundle of timber lines next to the same length i.e. 30 yr bundle of Certainteed and they are thicker than the GAF. There's the fog mat and how much asphalt gets applied to top and bottom of the fog mat. None of the warranties are worth a hoot. Regardless what you read. The 3 advantages to synthetic mat are..... Less slippery, it can stay exposed longer while keeping the building dry and it lays flat. 30 lb felt is organic. When it gets even a little wet it, it buckles and they telegraph thru the shingles. Another nice thing is the rolls are much wider....get to n the dry quicker. A concealed cleat metal standing seam roof is ok. The granular coated metal shingles we've seen fail. The downside to any metal roof you better know how to properly flash everything.. Even the standing seam type have paint issues sometimes. Metal can be noisey. It expands and contracts.....a lot.