People just keep putting asphalt shingles on their roof. I have a friend who works for an asphalt manufacturer and he told me a couple years ago that they used to use 70% oil and 30% filler. Now they are using 70% filler and 30% oil, so the shingles are thicker but they just don’t hold up like they used to. In fact, according to Roy Bolt, Chairman of the Western States Roofing Contractors Association, 20-year asphalt shingles are posing problems. “Recently, our company had a roof fail in less than 8 years. While removing shingles in the leaky areas, it became apparent that the water was going right through the shingles, and had been for some time. How can anyone sell a 20-year roof with confidence today?”
Most roof warranty failures go unclaimed. The average homeowner moves every seven years, and most warranties are not transferable, so how often do homeowners really track their records and hand them off to the next homeowner? In the hot dry climates of St George, Utah, asphalt shingles do not stand up to the elements. A notable sign of poor performance is evidence of shingles flying off homes, pealing up in the heat, and lately we are seeing more and more shingles losing their grit before their time.
The truth is, there is a better roofing product, even far superior to tile roofs. It is the interlocking aluminum shingle. It is a lifetime roof, lightweight, and able to withstand the weathering of a human life, which is often greater than four layers (or eighty years) of 20-year asphalt shingles.
Aluminum Shingles are made of 95% recycled material and they are one of the greenest roofs on the market. Weighing only 40 lbs per square (10X10 section), you will never fill up landfills with our roofs. The biggest hurdle in the past has always been the cost comparison to asphalt. Aluminum shingles are finally gaining ground on this because they have not raised prices in over 9 years while asphalt shingles will never be able to improve their quality.
Aluminum shingles really do sell themselves. A client in Brigham City had us install the aluminum roof system on their 6500 square foot home and they saved $130 per month on their cooling costs in the summer months. The shingles can withstand 165 MPH wind gusts and they will stay the same over time, so it is basically selling the customer an upgrade that will pay for itself over time. With asphalt shingles you loose value every day, and with tile roofs it’s like putting a concrete on your roof that stays hot late into the night.
Aluminum shingle roofs act as a radiant barrier in your roofing system, they keep the heat out in the summer and they preserve the heat inside in the winter. For the greenest, most permanent roofing solution on the market, with absolutely no maintenance, and yes you can walk on them, the interlocking aluminum roofing system is superior to all other roofing systems. And did I mention they are energy Star Rated, they qualify for tax federal credits and you can save up to 30% on cooling costs in the summer.
For information on getting an aluminum shingle roof on your home, contact Kelsch Construction today.
See kelschconstruction.com for more or see our facebook page under Kelsch Construction. Also, click on this link for a side-by-side comparison.
