Roofing

Homeowners today are faced with more options than ever before when it comes to home remodeling. You used to be able to call a plumber and tell him you needed a new lavatory faucet and he would bring you a chrome two-handled faucet-no big deal. These days if you were to call me and say, “Eric, I need a new lavatory faucet.” I would in turn say something to the effect, “Do you know what kind? What color? Is it a 4” spread or 8”? Single lever or two-handle?  Just go to your local home improvement store and venture down the plumbing aisle. The choices seem almost limitless, and if you can’t find what you’re looking for, they can order it! You can get a variety of finishes such as, Oil-rubbed bronze, Venetian bronze, nickel, satin nickel, stainless, aged pewter, brass-I think you get the point. The same goes for roofing. So you want a new roof? Do you want asphalt shingles-three tab or architectural? Metal? Standing seam or ribbed? Cedar shakes? Tile? Oh, and by the way, what color, finish and warranty?

Suddenly you realize that simply calling a roofer and telling him you need a new roof isn’t all that simple. I am going to try to focus on the mainstream choice for our area, which is asphalt shingles. Asphalt shingles are a great choice and offer an economical way to get the job done. Asphalt shingles come in basically two styles; 3- tab and architectural.

3-tab:

3-tab shingles are the old standby. They have been given the name 3-tab because each individual shingle has three “tabs” separated by rain grooves. They have been around for years and will continue to be a good choice for the checkbook conscience consumer. Offering a 20-30 year warranty (always check the details and coverage of the warranty from the shingle manufacturer) and many color selections, 3-tab shingles have been the standard issue for your basic roofing needs for many years. 

Architectural:

Architectural shingles are an upgrade from the standard 3-tab. If you compare a 3-tab against an architectural shingle here are a few things you will notice. First, the architectural shingles does not have any rain grooves. It is a solid shingle all the way across. Secondly, you will notice that the architectural shingles is laminated-meaning that there are typically two layers of asphalt shingle laminated together to give the roof a dimensional look, similar to a slate or cedar shake roof. To further add to the dimensional look, many manufacturers have a “shadow” line to make the shingle look like it’s thicker than it really is. These features, along with a 40 year to lifetime warranty, make the architectural shingle most desirable if going with an asphalt shingle. The price difference of course will vary on your selection, but a basic architectural shingle will run about 20-30% more than a 3-tab for materials only. The price gap can increase if you choose a designer type shingle. 

View this photo comparison of shingles. 

I am asked quite often what the differences are between these two shingles and hopefully you have found this to be helpful. Of course the staff and I at Mike Wood Builders will be happy to help if you have any further questions.