# Shingles: GAF Timberline HDZ vs IKO Cambridge + where to buy



## BreezyPoint (Jul 4, 2021)

Homeowner here. I have a roofer I trust as I know him personally and he's done other work for me. He wants to install IKO Cambridge shingles purchased from a contractor supplier. My preference is GAF Timerline HDZ bought from Home Depot. The price is about the same.

QUESTION 1: Any thoughts about the quality of these two shingles, especially the longevity? I believe both of these companies have had serious warranty problems over the years. Supposedly IKO has fixed the quality problem with the Cambridge shingles, but it seems they didn't treat homeowners very well.

QUESTION 2: My thinking: I would do the purchase from Home Depot myself. If I have a problem with the GAF shingles, I can go directly to my local Home Depot to discuss. If there's a problem with the IKO shingles, the contractor's supplier wouldn't talk to me as I would not be the purchaser. I would have to rely on my roofer to work it out. I know the supplier and he's a bit quirky/temperamental. Any thoughts about buying from Home Depot? (Yes, I realize that I would have to go to the manufacturer for a warranty issue, but I figure a first stop at Home Depot might help.)

QUESTION 3: My roofer doesn't have time to do the job until October. I'm thinking of buying the shingles right now in case there's a shortage or prices go up. Any thoughts about this or advice about storing the shingles?

Thanks for you time!


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## Roofing Geek (Jun 23, 2021)

Did you ever get a reply from this post?
Very valid questions and I'm curious what the experience has been for others.
I know this reply is much later in the year, how did the job turn out?


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## BreezyPoint (Jul 4, 2021)

Roofing Geek said:


> Did you ever get a reply from this post?
> Very valid questions and I'm curious what the experience has been for others.
> I know this reply is much later in the year, how did the job turn out?


I never did get a reply, so I had to use my best judgment. However, I chose my materials and procedures very carefully with a ton of research. Here are the answers to my own questions:

(1) I went with GAF Timberline HDZ. They look great and there were no installation problems at all. I relied on some excellent professional reviews of shingles at YouTube.

(2) I bought the shingles from Home Depot for the reasons stated and am glad I did. Ultimately the first contractor did not work out and I hired someone else. Had I bought from the first guy's supplier I would have been in trouble when we parted ways. There were some delivery issues with Home Depot and those were easily worked out because *I,* not the contractor, was the customer, and Home Depot was motivated to talk with me about this large purchase.

(3) I did buy the shingles in advance and again am glad I did. It appears that indeed there is a shingle shortage now, in part due to hurricanes and tornadoes, but Home Depot has plenty of GAF Timberline HDZs in stock---perhaps another advantage of buying a popular shingle from a large retailer, rather than a less common shingle from a small supplier. These shingles have gone up by $5.45 a bundle at Home Depot, or $194 for the 36 bundles I used. 

I bought all of the materials for the job myself and they all worked out great. Specifically GAF Royal Soveign ridge caps, GAF StormGuard Leak Barrier for the edge of the roof, GAF Felt Buster synthetic roofing felt for the main and porch roof, and ridge vents. There was a lot of disagreement about those materials among the contractors who gave me estimates. Again I did a lot of research and made my own decisions. I was willing to accept the risk of choosing my own materials. I chose a contractor who was flexible about the materials. In the end I feel like a got a high-quality roof at an excellent price. Contractors can't afford to put this much time and research into finding good materials at the best price, tailored to each customer. Home owners can do this if they're smart and accept the risk and the headaches.


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