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Dec 02, 2017
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Complete Insight Into GAF’s 50-Year Shingles

Our team answers homeowner questions every weekend on WCCO 830 AM from 9:00 am-10:00 am.  Have your most pressing home improvement questions answered by calling 651-989-9226 or texting 81807.  Here’s the must-know information our COO, Andy Lindus, shared on 12.2.17. 

Here Are the Show’s Top Four Listener Questions, With answers From Our COO, Andy Lindus:

1. Understanding The GAF Roof Warrantying

Q: Rick in Roseville, MN called in with this question, “In 2000, I had a Timberline 40-year roof put on my house.  It failed and I wasn’t compensated the full amount because I still had 14 years of use out of the roof.  What would Lindus do?”

Andy Lindus: “Not all roofing warranties are equal and almost every roofing manufacturer has had some type of issue with their shingle at one point or another.  I’m confident in how well GAF manufactures their shingles and how well the warranty I offer my customers is written.  I’ve had two roofs have warranty issues since I started offering the Golden Pledge warranty.  In both those cases, it was easy as it gets to get the claim process started.  The client contacted me and I went out to take a look.  GAF verified it was in need of replacement and paid for both the shingles and us to do the work. Zero out of pocket expense for the customer.  GAF inspects every roof we install and verifies it was done right so that if there is a warranty claim down the road, they can’t say we didn’t install it right.  Almost no one does it this way because it it’s more expensive to provide the best possible warranty.  That’s why when I pick the manufacturer, I make sure they have a bulletproof warranty.  We don’t want our clients paying out of pocket.”

2. Are Metal Valleys Old School?

Q: “My roofer says metal valleys are old school.  He just overlaps the shingles…thoughts?”

Andy Lindus had this response: “Even if you are utilizing a closed cut valley, we’re going to put metal tin underneath it.  It’s not just going to be the w- flashing.  Now the reason why I like to use a w-flashing inside the valley, yes it may be old school, but how we do it is not.  I’ll explain.  Once the roof is torn off, we’re going to run one row of ice and water shield up the center row of the valley.  Then we’re going to place our w-flashing on top of that one row.  Then on either side of the w-flashing, we’re going to run another row of ice and water shield.

When you do as many roofs as we do, you start to realize the weak points of the roof.  Where does a roof normally get rotten?   In all of those places, we’ve taken extra steps that should the roof fail or water get underneath the shingles, the roof is still protected.  Then, we run shingles onto that w-valley, leaving about a three-inch gap from the actual center of the valley to where the shingles are.  Then, we run a bead of silicone along the entire edge of the shingles to the w- flashing.  Should there be any standing water in this area, it’s going to be really hard to leak.

A drawback of a closed cut valley is there’s a higher volume of water coming down that valley than in any other spot.  This causes the shingles to wear out faster which is why we steer clear of closed cut valleys.  Plus, they tend to hold more roof debris, which lowers the lifespan of a shingle.  We utilize an open valley with w-flashing in order to provide GAF’s 50-year, non-prorated warranty on both labor and materials.”

Learn More About Open Cut Valleys Here:

3. Ridge Vents Vs. Box Vents

Q: Another homeowner texted the following question: “We re-shingled our house about 15 years ago and did not put a ridge vent in.  I used box vents.  Would it be worth it for me, and can it be done to cut the ridge off and put the ridge vent in?

Andy Lindus: “Can it be done?  Yes?  Is it worth it?  I’m not sure.  Your intake is probably going to be more important and it’s probably more feasible to add the box vents than to put a ridge in right now because you can’t have both.

If you were to cut a ridge in, then you would have to seal off every one of the box vents otherwise they will work against each other.  At the very peak of the roof, we’ll actually cut in a space and we’ll put in a vent along the entire peak of a roof.  Then we put a ridge cap over the top.  When we do our roofing, we inspect all of the ventilation and a lot of the times we’re having to add attic chutes to the soffit to make sure that we’re getting the proper intake.  The reason why we like the ridge vents is because that’s naturally where most of the hot air is going to rise to the top of attic.  That gives us the best chance of having the proper air flow because you’re bringing in cool air from the soffit and pushing hot air out of the top which plays into the longevity of the shingle.

Proper ventilation is one of the keys to make sure the shingles we’re giving a 50-year warranty on are lasting the entire 50 years.  Almost every one of our jobs gets a ridge vent.  Some roofs, like hip roofs can be a challenge because there may not be enough roof for the ridge vent to function as it should and that’s why we resort to box vents.

Ridge Vent
Here’s a roof our team installed that utilizes ridge vents.

4. Bathroom Fan In Unheated Garage: Yes Or No?

Q: The next homeowner sent in a text that asked: “Can a bathroom fan be vented into an unheated garage?”

Andy Lindus: “Can it?  We see it all the time.  Should it?  No.  Doing so puts warm air into a cool space, which is going to result in condensation.  This can cause mold.  For what it costs to vent outside, do it the proper way.”

 

Lindus Offers Complimentary Estimates On Our Home Improvement Products.

Listen to the Entire Show Here:

Check Out Some Of Our Favorite GAF Roofing Projects:

Minnesota Roofing Reviews:

"I can highly recommend Lindus Construction for roofing. The crew was fast, careful and produced a stunning end result. Good communication meant we were able to evaluate and implement changes as needed. Very pleased with the services and people involved. Thank you!"

Martin H.
Lake Elmo, MN
June 28, 2022

"My wife and I are so thrilled about the new roof shingles you installed on our home. They are absolutely gorgeous and could not possibly look any more amazing than they are.  The LeafGuard® team also did an outstandingly professional job installing the gutter system and had a couple of recommendations on a gutter and downspout placement that really functions well AND makes the house look astounding."

Joseph R.
Minneapolis, MN
June 27, 2022

"Quality work. Great clean up. Constant updates on progress. Responsive to questions. Great experience from beginning to end."

Andy N.
Oakdale, MN
June 24, 2022

"Everything was great."

David B.
Turtle Lake, WI
June 18, 2022

"I was extremely impressed with Lindus from the very first phone call to get an estimate on a new roof for my home. All of the customer service people, Brittany and Donna, to Jake in sales, Wayne and Brock with carpentry, Hunter on gutters, Tucker as project manager and the entire crew that did the roofing. Everybody was very professional, friendly, and great communication from beginning to end. I have recommended Lindus to others! Thank you so much!"

Pam B.
Vadnais Heights, MN
June 6, 2022

"Lindus Construction replaced the roof on our garage. Lindus used quality roof underlayment and shingles. Lindus also installed LeafGuard® Gutters. The roof is a work of art! Impressive workmanship. We sleep better each night knowing the roof has been given exquisite attention."

Michele E.
Mendota Heights, MN
May 19, 2022
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