When you're looking for a roofing contractor, you probably have a healthy list of minimum requirements. At the very least they should be experienced with your type of roof, have been around a while, and have great customer reviews. While all of those checkboxes are important, one more thing you should take into careful consideration is what kind of warranties they offer.
Roofing warranties are largely undervalued and misunderstood. But, without question, there is a lot of value to be had from a good warranty with a reputable company behind it. To help shed a little light on this critical subject, we've laid out the three key elements you should know when it comes to evaluating a roofing warranty.
Manufacturer Warranties vs. Workmanship Warranties
The difference between manufacturer warranties and workmanship warranties is based on what companies are supplying the materials and work. Manufacturer warranties generally cover only defects and/or issues with the roofing material itself. This can include things like faulty shingles, underlayment that fails prematurely, sealant failures, and similar issues. These problems are typically covered by the manufacturer if it can be proven that the fault lies with their product and not the installation of it.
Most reputable roofing contractors will choose materials that are not only durable under our harsh Arizona sun, but also come with robust manufacturer warranties to protect their customers from premature failures.
A workmanship warranty is offered by the roofing contractor and it's generally designed to cover the labor and installation side of the roofing equation exclusively. So if you just got a new roof installed and you discover a leak that appears to be the result of a sloppy or incorrect installation, that could be covered under your workmanship warranty. At face value, it might be tempting to go with a shorter workmanship warranty to save money, but this could cost you more in the long run as it may take a few years for poor quality installation to deteriorate into a leak -- or worse.
Warranty Minimums
The Arizona Registrar of Contractors requires that every Arizona roofing contractor provide a minimum 2-year workmanship warranty. Some companies, like Azul Roofing Solutions, go well beyond this minimum. If your roofing contractor doesn't offer a warranty, or offers just the minimum ROC-required two years, that might be a sign they aren't licensed, bonded, or insured. And although a cheaper quote with a 2-5 year workmanship warranty might sound appealing, the choice could end up costing you much more if a leak appears after the short warranty period expires. Pick wisely.
Azul Roofing's Workmanship Warranties
We give our customers the choice between different workmanship warranty lengths. At minimum, we include a 15-year workmanship warranty for shingle roofs, and a 10-year workmanship warranty for tile roofs. If the customer wants to choose a longer warranty period, they can upgrade to a 20-year warranty on shingle roofs, and either a 15-year or a 20-year workmanship warranty for tile roofs.
This choose-your-own approach allows our customers to select what warranty and price they are comfortable with for their roofing project. But no matter what product mix and warranty package you choose, you can rest assured that our quality workmanship, along with our extensive workmanship warranties, will ensure your roof can handle whatever's thrown at it.
Whether you're in need of a simple roof repair, or it's time to replace your existing roof, we can help with it all. Contact us today for a free site evaluation to get your project started.
