So you’re on the market for a new roof. As anyone who’s ever price shopped a purchase of that magnitude knows, it’s enough of a big ticket item that one feels obligated to shop around. Most people in today’s day and age start that search on the internet, sifting through Justin Bieber fan sites and blog postings regarding the details of the latest Jersey Shore episode to find web pages of roofing companies and private contractors. Maybe you’ve also got friends in the contracting business. After all, everybody knows a guy who knows a guy who has some experience doing random home improvement work.

So you get a few bids from actual roofing shops and a couple of bids from 1-Truck-Larry, everyone’s favorite independent contractor who’ll come throw your roof up with his 2 drinking buddies over the weekend. There’s always one thing in common with this comparison: 1-Truck-Larry’s bid comes in a bit cheaper than any of the certified roofing shops! He’s also willing to offer you a pseudo shake roof from Iko that, while it isn’t quite as pretty as its counterparts from GAF or Certainteed, is still higher profile than a Lady Gaga hat.

So you go with 1-Truck-Larry and save that 500 bucks. Who wouldn’t? The guy seemed to know his stuff, and the wear on his Carhartt jeans coupled with the drippings of random industrial adhesives on his KAT boots suggest that he does this sort of labor pretty frequently. He throws some Iko shakes down on your roof over top of some basic 30 lb felt, and for that first few years, if you’re lucky, your roof looks shinier than T Money’s grill and the Oregon rain doesn’t inadvertently install an indoor swimming pool in your kitchen.

But then you get to year 10, when the basic manufacturer’s warranty on –any– roof (which only covers materials) prorates sharply and, on average, drops immediately from covering about half of your reroofing costs to twenty five percent. Generally, all roofs last until this point: Those warranties are written with the understanding that a modern shingle will remain leak-free for 10 years even if you install the roof with a hot glue gun and a Bedazzler.

So at year 11 the leaks start. Why so soon, you ask? Well, as it turns out 1-Truck-Larry isn’t a roof specialist: he does all sorts of contractor work but isn’t truly an expert at any particular facet of home improvement. His cheap, haphazardly installed flashings begin to rust and give way to the elements, and the cheap felt he laid your shakes on begins to disintegrate under the roof, leaving your roof deck rain-soaked and rotten.

So there you are, at year 11, needing a new roof already, and holding onto a warranty that, by now, will cover just under 25 percent of the total cost of getting it redone. Given the rate of inflation, that job now costs roughly 35 percent more than it did the first time around, and that 500 bucks you saved by going with 1-Truck-Larry and his drinking buddies gets flushed many times over on the replacement roof.

Had you gone with a certified roofer, you would not only have gotten higher quality asphalt and accessories to keep your roof alive for easily 2-4 times as long as Larry’s installation, but you could have sprung for a real warranty. The nice thing about being a certified shop is that said certification implies that, not only can they offer you a 50 year, quality warranty, but their roofing crews are expert enough in their job for the shingle manufacturers to stand behind their work. Between the higher initial bid and the added cost of a 50 year warranty, you’ll be looking at potentially several thousand dollars more out of pocket for that initial roof, but in the long run it saves you that extra couple grand several times over. You see, the 50 year warranties that require manufacturer certification aren’t prorated, and they include tear-off and labor costs as opposed to just materials. Instead of three to five 1-Truck-Larry installations eating away at your budget over 50 years, you drop a little extra the first time around and never have to spend another dime on that roof.

At C.D. Northwest, our expert roofing crew carries that certification from several of the largest and most respected shingle manufacturers in the nation, and we’re proud to be able to offer you quality, 50 year warranties for unbeatable prices. Don’t fall into the cycle of reroofing your house every 10-12 years. . . do it right the first time. Choose C.D. Northwest.