# 40 yr workmanship warranty



## cavesrus

Ther is a larger roofing company in my area offering a workmanship warranty as long as shingle life. 30 yr workmanship and 30 yr product 40/40 and 50/50 Ie to off set our certain. Gaf or oc warranty? How are we to off set with a guy offering that kind of warranty? Anne else have this kind of problem.


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## Slyfox

You could explain how that companies warranty is as worthless as the manufacturers due to the fact that 10 years after install any and all problems that occur can/will be excused as an act of nature 'storm damage' and only be covered fully in minor issue situations, partially in high volume circumstances and not at all in cases were fraudulent issues are found in the contractors installation practices.....

Both workmanship and material failure will show up with in the first few years after completion, even in the few cases that takes longer it will do so inside a decades time frame or so.


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## dougger222

I warrant the labor on my roofs for 30 years. Of course I know darn well right that a few things will happen.

1. The house will be sold rendering the warranty useless.
2. Hail, sraightline winds, or tornado will come through rendering the warranty useless.
3. The shingles will fail rendering the warranty useless.

I stand behind my work though... A wise man once said if you have a call back go next morning or if on the weekend first thing Monday morning. The wise man used to own an exterior company for over 30 years.

BTW, if you don't have call backs you don't roof many houses...


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## cavesrus

Lol I like how u say if you don't have call backs u don't do much work well put. We r all human and error is a given. 

How long u n biz ? 
Over 34 hrs here what will u say to customer that has 25 yr roof with that is due to replace on age free labor or what 

We all know a 50 yr roof will not last 50 yrs


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## Slyfox

cavesrus said:


> Lol I like how u say if you don't have call backs u don't do much work well put. We r all human and error is a given.
> 
> How long u n biz ?
> Over 34 hrs here what will u say to customer that has 25 yr roof with that is due to replace on age free labor or what
> 
> We all know a 50 yr roof will not last 50 yrs



I been self employed since 94', roofing since 79'.

Most roofs will begin experiencing minor issue prior to the end of the expected life span and than roofers/contractors/manufacturers with the 30yr, 40yr and life time warranties will use a host of excuses for why they are not responsible for those issues "a few, such as those listed above by douger", therefore the home owner pays for the repairs anyhow.

We don't all know a 50 yr roof won't last 50 years.


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## dougger222

cavesrus said:


> Lol I like how u say if you don't have call backs u don't do much work well put. We r all human and error is a given.
> 
> How long u n biz ?
> Over 34 hrs here what will u say to customer that has 25 yr roof with that is due to replace on age free labor or what
> 
> We all know a 50 yr roof will not last 50 yrs


Biz? I have had my company for almost 10 years. Before that I was partners with my dad for 3 years. Been licensed for almost 8 years. Each year the company grows. My father is a full time sub as is my one brother and my other brother is a part time sub. Have several uncles and cousins in the roofing business. My grandpa and great uncles were all roofers. Starting working for my dad in the summers at the age of 13. The summer before worked as clean up boy for a large building company. Got fired when the owners wife got nervous about all the child labor laws, was working 40 hour weeks at $4.25 an hour.

As far as a warranty on any roof it's labor only. If the shingles fail that would be the manufacturers material warranty. I stand behind things like nail pops, blow offs under the wind wating (none in 7 years w/Landmark), and of course a leak. That being said I may not be the most expensive roofer but definetely not the cheapest.

My father has been a roofer for about 39 years and much like Slyfox he got self employed in the late 70's. Before that he was union for a few years. Two of my cousins have been roofing for around 40 years.


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## Grumpy

30 year manufacturer no dollar limit warranty is a common thing on 90 mil EPDM roofs, double seamed. You can offer up to 20 year no dollar limit on modified bitumen, tpo, pvc and epdm if adhering to the proper specification. No dollar Limit workmanship warrantys are extremely common on commercial. I have never heard of a 40 year warranty however.


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## Grumpy

Wow I thought this post was about commercial. Woops, as I was re-reading I realized it has nothing to do with commercial. Woops again.

As a certified roofing contractor through certainteed I give my customers the option to buy a 25 year workmanship warranty/insurance policy. Some do some don't. 

I disagree that all flaws of workmanship will occur within the first few years. I find 7 years to be the magic number. A minimum code roof will last 7 years before needing repair. Guys who do surface mounted and caulked flashings around ther chimneys, the caulk will crack in about 7 years. That right there is a big money maker for us. 

Therefore based on this experience that most shingle roofs in my area will fail just outside the common 5 year warranty/guarantee period, I will guarantee my shingle roofs for 10 years when I am allowed to write the specification. Again as stated I also give the 25 year optional upgrade as well. 



Truth be told, DOugger can warrant his roofs for 30 years and even if he does a half assed job, which I am sure he does not, most people will have absolutely no clue who installed their roof in 20 years. The average family was moving every 5-7 years during the real estate boom and I once read before the boom the average was 15 years. Tell me who has bought a house and knows who the contractors were that did the repair and maintenance work? Maybe 1 out of every 50 buyers will be saavy enough to ask for this documentation, and maybe 1 out of 20 consumers actually keep good enough records to provide this information if asked. These are numbers just plucked from thin air, but you get my point.

When I go to friends of friends and aquanitences houses and they are showing off what ever improvement they are showing off, I usually ask who did the work. Unless it is real recent, they almost never remember who did the work.

LOL I have had multiple people call me since I started answering the phones (after I got off the roof) and trying to make warranty claims on roofs we did not install. This is not a phenomnia unique to my company as I have been asnwering the phones at 3 companies, mine included. After being unable to find their information they say something like "we thought it was you." or "we were able to dig up your business card." or "we had a brochure with your sticker on it." I tell them if they can provide me with an invoice or cancelled check or something I would be happy to repair the roof, however in these cases nobody ever has.


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## charlotteroofers

These Guys offering 40 year workmanship warranties are usually the same b.s. artists that give the customer half of what they're paying for or the Storm chasers that ride into town when hail hits the area. There are alot of Storm chasers popping up around here since we've had a few Hail storms and I look them all up to let my customers know about them and which companies they are and where they're from.

A Warranty means nothing if the Contractor isn't there to stand behind it....Who can honestly look a customer in the eye and say I'll be around in 40years?? The most I give is 10 years which is much more realistic and my Warranty documentation has alot of information to let customers know and to c.m.a....Even the Direct TV guy can void your Warranty if you have him Drilling holes in the Roof to install a dish.


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## RooferJim

I think you make yourself look like an idiot if you actually offer a 40 year workmanship warranty. heck why not 100 year one


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## English Roofer

I lost a job recently to a guy who offered a 25yr warranty to my 10yr one, we were both around the same ball park figure with the price, they checked out his reference and mine and both came back good.
He lived 35 miles from the job and i lived 1 mile away, the customer asked if i would match the warranty to get the job which i declined telling him no one in this industry give more than a 10 yr warranty! (over here anyway).
I also asked him how old the guy was to which he replyed 'oh he is older than you'(im 47) he is about 55,so i wished him good luck and asked him if he thought the guy would come back when he was 80yrs to come and fix his roof!!!
Regards
Dave


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## jimsonburg

A workmanship warranty guarantees the contractor's "work" performed, not the materials. Usually there is a certain amount of time given that the contractor will guarantee his/her work for.


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## danielbyrne

Sounds like a marketing ploy to me, but hey if it makes your customers feel good, and you are confident, then go for it.
www.smarthomesllc.net


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## dougger222

Thomas,

I think you hit some key points on home owners moving and forgeting things. 

However, both of my main builders build homes that a large percent stay in for several years. It would be safe to say that well over half are still in homes I roofed 10 years ago. Several times a year get calls from home owners I did roofs for several years ago. The most common saying is, "Hi Doug, are you still in roofing?"

I get a lot of repeat customers from hail/high wind claims.

Got a funny story. Last week my father got a call from a home owner who's house he shingled back in 97. Right away he went on the attack saying he wanted an invoice for the garbage CT organic shingles he put on. He got a little testy so my father politely said his warranty was labor only and not materials and he had no controll over a defecting product. After cooling down the home owner asked for my fathers help filing a claim with CT. On Monday we were doing a roof and the neighor next door looked up and asked my father, "Do I know you, you look familiar?" It was the guy who called the week before! Now he wants an estimate...


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## vtroofing

Can anybody here say good or bad about the GAF Golden Pledge materials and GAF backed warranty?


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## Tom Runyon

We sell alot of the gold pledge warrantys, have been involved since 1998, we have just one claim gaf paid full replacement, inclueding all the copper flashing it was mat. failure on 50 t/l. Have thought about issuesing my own extended warranty, and setting the money aside we sold about $40,000.00 in warrantys this year. That adds up over the years.


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## buildpinnacle

How can a company that has only been in business a few years offer a warranty that is longer than any roof they have installed. If you've been in business 5 years and are offering 10 year warranties.........you don't even know if your roof will last that long. So how can you say that to a client with a straight face. I know the answer to these hypothetical questions, of course, and someone already mentioned it. It is marketing. Good or bad, agree or don't agree, it is a manner of marketing. I believe only a fool would really buy into the concept that you are really going to be around in 38 years to march on over and fix a leak for free. Of course, most consumers fall for just about anything and believe most ploys tossed out in this business. In my opinion, we all should have stopped after two years. That is usual and customary in just about all industries. Through absolute clenched teeth, we offer a 5 year warranty but only if we water shiled the valleys, penetration, chimneys re-flashed, etc. A 3 tab cheap mobile home type job gets 2 years....period. I think the warranites started getting out of hand when salesmen started becoming give-away artists instead of better salesmen. When you can't sell, you give. Your selling a guarantee......a guarantee piece of B.S. in my opinion. I'm not throwing darts at anyone who has commented, just stating my opinion. However, most people who offer these warranties gave several reasons as to why they will never have to honor them. I know some of these posters from previous posts on here and CT and they seem to be professional and honest. However, that seems like premeditation to me and it just doesn't feel right. Personally, if I ever go up against someone who pulls a 30 year labor warranty out of thier hat I'll have them looking so shady before it's over that the next thing they'll have to pull out of their arse is a flashlight to see.


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## MrConcepts

vtroofing said:


> Can anybody here say good or bad about the GAF Golden Pledge materials and GAF backed warranty?


I don't think GAF should charge a customer to be a Golden Pledge. If you're buying their shingles, they should give their 'best' contractors a Golden Pledge badge. I think that if you are loyal to them, buying their shingles should be good enough.

That being said...I've had pretty good service over the years from GAF.


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## RooferJim

IB roof systems is the only one that has a lifetime written warranty on residential , 25 year on commercial .


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## kimboy

30 year manufacturer no dollar limit warranty is a common thing on 90 mil EPDM roofs, double seamed. You can offer up to 20 year no dollar limit on modified bitumen, tpo, pvc and epdm if adhering to the proper specification. No dollar Limit workmanship warrantys are extremely common on commercial. I have never heard of a 40 year warranty however.


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## Acubis

*There are legitimate long warranty's*

Depending on your level of certification with a particular manufacturer there are extended warranties available covering workmanship.

One of my clients is a PLATINUM contractor with Owens Corning only a little over 100 of them in the nation.

They will offer a 50 Year NON pro rated labor and material warranty that covers defects in workmanship even if the original installer goes out of business. It is a no out of pocket program for customers. Of course its more like an insurance policy you have to pay OC to get it , and most people don't live in a home that long. But it is real.

www.researchroofing.com


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