L6Ridge cap shingle
WhatProfile-cut hip-and-ridge shingle, sealed at every nail.
WhyCloses the ridge vent slot and keeps wind-driven rain from entering at the peak.
CutField shingle cut down and bent — splits in the first cold snap.
§ 01.01Asphalt-shingle install — Texas + Ohio
The shingle is the easy part. The six layers under it are the roof.
Architectural asphalt with the same six-layer stack on each reroof. Synthetic underlayment. Ice-and-water shield to code. Balanced vent. Tear-off only. The cheap bid wins by skipping one of those. We won't.
25 yrsworkmanship in writing
§ 016-layerinstall stack
§ 02GAF / OwensMfr-certified
§ 03Tear-offNo overlay
§ 04SyntheticUnderlayment
§ 05DFW + OhioBoth states
§ 06In-houseW-2 crew
What we install on every reroofSix layers, top to deck.
Six layers, top to deck.
The cheap bid skips one.
The wrapper says 22 years. The shingle only delivers 22 if the five layers under it are right — synthetic underlayment, ice-and-water shield, starter strip, balanced ventilation, and a clean deck. The stack below is what we install on every reroof, both states. Each band: what the layer is, why it earns its place, and the corner the cheap bid cuts.
- WHAT
- The piece, by name and by spec.
- WHY
- The job it does on a real Texas or Ohio roof.
- CUT
- What a low bid quietly leaves out.
L5Field shingle
WhatArchitectural laminate — Owens Corning Duration, GAF Timberline HDZ, or Malarkey Vista AR.
WhyThe visible roof. Wind-uplift rating, hail rating, paint cycle, warranty all live here.
CutBuilder-grade 3-tab on a re-roof bid — twelve years of life on a comp that says twenty-two.
L4Starter strip
WhatPre-sealed strip at every eave and rake, before the first field course.
WhyThe first wind seal. Without it, the eave course can lift in a 50-mph gust.
CutReverse-laid field shingle as a starter — no factory seal, no warranty support.
L3Synthetic underlayment
WhatEngineered woven sheet under the entire field. Tear-resistant, walkable, UV-stable.
WhyBackup waterproofing if a shingle ever fails. Lays flat — no buckling under heat.
Cut15-pound felt and staples — a 1990s spec that still wins low bids.
L2Ice-and-water shield
WhatSelf-adhering rubberized membrane. TX: eaves and valleys. OH: past the warm-wall line.
WhyThe only layer that blocks wind-driven rain at the eave — and ice-dam backflow in Ohio.
CutSkipped at valleys, or pulled short of the warm-wall line in Ohio. Code-violation territory.
L1Roof deck
WhatOSB or plywood sheathing. Inspected sheet-by-sheet during tear-off.
WhyThe substrate everything else lives on. Soft spots, split sheets, rotted edges all show themselves here.
CutOverlay (re-cover) — leaves the deck unseen. Hides every problem that matters.
Three tiers, six axes, one decision
The shingle aisle, on one page. No buzzwords, real ranges.
Field-observed ranges for an installed-to-spec asphalt roof in DFW heat-cycling and northeast Ohio freeze-thaw, holding hail events out of the picture. Read across to compare what you actually buy at each tier, then compare the brands at the architectural and Class 4 tiers below.
AxisTier 13-tabEntry / 1990s tractTier 2ArchitecturalThe default we installTier 3Class 4 (impact)Hail-belt upgrade
Lifespan (no hail event)3-tab12–15 yrsArchitectural18–22 yrsClass 425–30 yrs
Wind-uplift rating3-tab60 mphArchitectural110–130 mphClass 4130 mph + reinforced nail zone
Hail rating3-tabNoneArchitecturalNone to Class 3Class 4Class 4 (top tier)
Roughly per square installed3-tab$425 – 525Architectural$525 – 675Class 4$650 – 850
Manufacturer warranty3-tab25 yrs limitedArchitectural30 yrs / lifetime ltd.Class 4Lifetime + system upgrades
Paint-cycle anchor3-tabOutlives 1 paintArchitecturalOutlives 1–2 paintsClass 4Outlives 2 paints
On a real Texas hail belt3-tabResets to whatever the carrier fundsArchitecturalResets — same mathClass 4Carrier discount 10 – 35%, often pays for itself in 4 – 6 yrs
What we install at Tier 2 + Tier 3
The three lines that earn the spec.
- Owens CorningArchitectural
Duration · Duration Storm
Reinforced nailing zone — better wind-uplift in storm country.
Texas — DFW + Houston wind belts
- GAFArchitectural
Timberline HDZ · Timberline HDZ RS
Wider nailing surface, longest field-tested track record across both states.
Texas + Ohio — broadest spec match
- MalarkeyClass 4
Vista AR · Legacy SBS
Polymer-modified asphalt — flexes in cold without cracking.
Ohio — freeze-thaw country
The shingle aisle won't tell you thisA 22-year roof
A 22-year roof
is a 22-year roof until it is not.
Four truths most contractors skip in the bid talk. Each one decides whether the shingle lasts the years on the wrapper — or fails by year eight.
01
A hail event resets the lifespan to whatever the carrier funds.
A 22-year shingle in the DFW hail belt rarely lasts 22 years. If a covered storm hits in year 8, it lasts until that storm. The Class 4 upgrade is a different math. The shingle survives the storm. The carrier discount most often pays for the upgrade in 4 to 6 years.
02
Ventilation is the silent killer of asphalt roofs in Texas.
A 150°F attic bakes the underside of the shingles. The asphalt mat goes brittle. Roof life drops by years. Most early shingle failures we see in DFW are not the shingle. They are blocked soffits, missing ridge vent, or bath fans dumping moisture into the attic. The shingle takes the blame.
03
A material warranty without workmanship is half a warranty.
Manufacturer warranties cover the shingle. They do not cover the install. If the underlayment is wrong, the flashing is face-nailed, or the ventilation is unbalanced, the maker will deny the claim. They will point at the contractor. We sign the workmanship warranty for both — 25 years, in writing, on every job we close.
04
Ohio failures and Texas failures are different.
Ohio shingle failures are usually the eave. Ice-dam backflow past missing ice-and-water shield. Freeze-thaw at unsealed nail holes. Or kickout-flashing failures at roof-wall joints. Texas failures are usually the field: heat-cycling, hail, and UV. Same shingle, two different install plans.
§ 12Continue the manual — related to this page
§ 01.08Roofing
Roof replacement
One day on the roof. Twelve lines in writing.
Tear-off, no overlay. Twelve-line written spec on every contract. Balanced ventilation measured before bid. 25-year transferable workmanship warranty. Both states.
Read →
§ 01.06Roofing
Roof inspection
A second opinion you can audit.
Seven-checkpoint walk, photos with the report, severity 1–5 on each finding, plain-language scope. Written PDF inside 24 hours. We won't turn the report into a sales call.
Read →
§ 01.04Roofing
Storm-damage roof
Tarp first. Photo second. Walk the roof with the adjuster.
Same-day tarping if water is moving. Drone photo of every elevation. Soft-metal scale shots. We stand on the roof beside the adjuster — not in the parking lot afterward. 24/7 storm line.
Read →§ 01.09Roofing
Gutters
Sized to the roof. Not the curb.
Seamless on-site fabrication, hangers spaced for snow load on the Ohio side, downspouts routed six feet off the foundation. Micro-mesh leaf guards by default.
Read →
§ 04.01Programs
Insurance claims
Your storm. Your scope. Your carrier's check.
Fifteen years on the carrier side. Documented loss, written scope, adjuster meeting on-site. Out-of-pocket: deductible only.
Read →§ 06Reach the dispatch desk
Same shingle, two states, one workmanship warranty.
A senior estimator on the roof, in the attic, and at the kitchen table. We bring the underlayment grade, the vent calc, the warranty terms, and the county hail math in writing. The number is the number. The spec is the spec.
(214) 578-9961