Busting The Roofing Material Warranty Myth
What Do Most Shingle Warranties offer?
- A nuts and bolts break down of the average shingle warranty is as follows:
- Limited lifetime warranty: Material defect only warranty that protects against shingle failure created by a manufacturing issue for as long as the original purchasing homeowner lives in the house.
- Typically carry a 10 year non prorated time frame for most manufacturers. This means that the warranty coverage is 100% replacement of materials for the first 10 years. From year 11 and thereafter the value of the warranty reduces every year.
- Most standard material warranties are not transferrable.
- Most warranty issues are discovered in the first few years after the roof is installed and 90% or more of the time the issue is due to improper installation.
- An upgraded system warranty extends the non prorated coverage to a full 50 years. That means if the materials fail on year 22 you will get 100% reimbursement to replace the cost of the roof.
Now here is the crux of the situation, these warranties definitely offer value, especially if you are going to be living in your home for a long time. The warranty game however is banking on very consistent data and statistics. The fact is that the average homeowner only lives in a house for about 7 years. A very very small percentage of them will take the time to fill out the paperwork to transfer the warranty to the next homeowner. Therefore most of the warranties become nearly worthless. That is why they can offer long lifetime warranties, it’s a numbers game. With that being said, you can see why placing your trust in a contractor that has been in business and operating in integrity for along time holds a lot of value.

Contractor Longevity, The Best Protection For Your Home & Family
Now that you have a clear picture of how warranties work and how flimsy they can be lets talk about the type of contractor that can actually protect you. First off, understand that 80% of roofing contractors go out of business within the first two years of opening their doors. That’s right, 8 out of 10 that open their doors and are installing roofs this year will not be here in two years. We are not trying to push fear, these are simply the industry facts and statistics. If you are going to lean on a contractor that has the integrity to not only install a proper roofing system but also backs up their work when it fails, you need to choose a contractor with history in the market. That is why McMains Roofing is one of your very best choices in Tacoma and the Puget Sound region. We have nearly 3 decades of dedicated service under our belts with our original contractor license. Many roofers go out of business and start up over and over again but continue to fail leaving homeowners without protection with something goes wrong or their roof fails. Due to these very real scenarios we can confidently say that your very best and safest choice to protect your home during a reroof is to hire a contractor that has a minimum of 10 years in business. During that time frame they will have established a reputation and a history that will tell you if they are willing to provide customers with the protection and warranty services.

Contractor Workmanship Warranty
Many roofing contractors offer a workmanship warranty, that is how long they are willing to fix or replace the roof at no cost to the homeowner if something fails. This warranty has teeth and value so to speak, as long as the roofer has a history in the market of honoring those warranties. At McMains Roofing we offer a standard 5-year workmanship warranty, but more importantly WE WILL STAND BEHIND OUR WORK FOR THE LIFETIME OF THE ROOF! If your McMains Roofing system fails at any time due to improper installation we are simply going to take care of it, no matter what year it is. That is why we are not only still in business, but have earned the amazing reputation we have in the market.
Because we have been in business for so long our warranty is a bedrock of protection you can count on, and our family name is the seal of our bond.
As a certified roofing contractor with many brands, we are able to offer extended warranties on most shingle products, and in the right situation they have value, but none of them offer what we offer as a family owned business serving the Puget Sound for nearly 3 decades as McMains Roofing.
If you have questions about our roofing services or warranty protection call is today, we would be happy to discuss the McMains Roofing standard for your home or business!