Solid Roof, Solid Investment: Why Architectural Shingles Are the Best Bang for Your Buck

Roofs are expensive. There’s no real way around it. Next to foundation work, repairing or replacing a roof can be one of the most costly parts of home ownership. No matter how many advertisements for “super cheap” and (semi-shady) roofing quotes are out there, the time, materials, and skilled labor always make it a hefty purchase. House ownership isn’t just about having a place to call home, though, it’s also an excellent life investment. Just like the initial investment of purchasing your home, the investment in the materials saves you money and labor over time. Architectural shingles are known for lasting over double the time for 3-ply shingles. Even if the initial price is a little higher, the extra cost is a drop in the bucket compared to having to get your whole roof replaced every single decade. Not only that but if you decide to sell your home, the value skyrockets when the roof is made with architectural shingles over 3-ply.

Serious Materials for Serious Weather: the Heightened Shingle Game for Roofing on the Gulf Coast

Gulf Coast and Houston winds can be wild. During Hurricane Harvey, we saw winds up to 134 miles per hour, and sometimes our wind can get in the 70’s and 80’s even in one of our routine summer thunderstorms. We tend to need houses and roofs that are as rugged as the folks that live here. When it comes to asphalt shingles, there are two common options: architectural shingles, like the ones we use with our homes and customers, and the more basic 3-ply shingles.

Down in our neck of the woods, our houses have a helluva time upkeeping 3-ply shingles because those little flimsy guys are only usually rated to withstand 60 miles per hour, tops. Because of the extreme weather that changes on a dime, we always insist on using our architectural shingles for our clients’ roofs. We’d advise it for most homes, but since we’re based out of the Gulf Coast Area, we know better than to mess around with anything but architectural shingles. Side note: if you’re adding architectural shingles to your house, make sure to use professionals that are Certainteed ShingleMaster certified!

Beauty for Beauty’s Sake: Architectural Shingles Look as Good as They Perform

Sometimes, you’ve just got to take pride in the way your home looks. It might not be the most important thing when it comes to keeping a roof over your head, but it feels pretty damn fine to love the house that you come home to. We love to use architectural shingles not only because they have a longer lifetime, higher durability, and a higher value, but also because they just brighten up the place. They’re overlayed and give a bit of texture to the home, whereas basic 3-ply singles tend to look flat and unappealing.

Architectural shingles seem to be initially more expensive, but they pay for themselves because they last much longer than 3-ply. They also tend to be a little more difficult to install and take a bit more time, so it’s always a good idea to leave roofing to the pros, and the payoff in longevity and pure charm make the initial cost and labor worth it ten times over. If you’re not sure what kind of roof needs you have, contact us or check out our survey that only takes one minute to complete!