Roofing, and the storm work that comes with it
Two-thirds of what we do is ordinary roofing done properly. The other third is what happens after a storm — and that part runs on documentation.
Why the system matters
A GAF Lifetime shingle plus at least three qualifying GAF accessories is what makes a roof a GAF Roofing System — and it is what extends Lifetime coverage to the accessories, not just the shingles. It is also the difference between a roof that carries a real warranty and a pile of shingles.
A synthetic underlayment rolled over the entire deck, under everything else.
It is the backup layer. If wind drives rain up under a shingle — and on a steep roof in a real storm, it will — this is what stops the water reaching your decking. Synthetic outperforms old felt: it does not wrinkle, tear, or rot.
A self-adhering, self-sealing membrane at the eaves, valleys, and around every penetration.
This is the ice-and-water shield. It seals around nail shanks, and it is the only thing standing between an ice dam and your ceiling. In Wisconsin, Connecticut, and western New York winters, this layer is not optional.
A purpose-built first course along the eaves and up the rakes.
Starter provides the sealant strip the first course of shingles bonds to. Crews that skip it and cut up field shingles instead leave your roof edge unsealed — which is exactly where wind gets underneath and peels a roof. Starter at the rakes is also a requirement for the upgraded wind coverage.
The field shingles — the part you actually see.
The visible layer, the wind rating, and the colour. Everything underneath decides whether it lasts.
Thicker, pre-formed caps along the hips and ridges.
The ridge takes the most wind of any part of the roof. Purpose-built cap is thicker than a cut-up field shingle and holds a proper seal — and it finishes the roofline so it reads as intentional rather than patched.
Balanced intake at the soffit and exhaust at the ridge.
In practice this is a continuous ridge vent cut into the peak and capped over, with intake vents at the soffit feeding it. A roof that cannot breathe cooks its own shingles from underneath and grows ice dams in winter. Ventilation has to be balanced — exhaust without intake pulls conditioned air out of your house instead of air from the soffit.
Formed metal set along every eave and rake before the shingles go on. It carries water off the deck edge and into the gutter instead of letting it curl back behind the fascia and rot the sheathing. It is code in most jurisdictions, it is cheap, and it is one of the first things we look for when a roof is failing at the edges — because the crews who skip it usually skipped other things too.
A continuous exhaust vent cut into the ridge and capped over, so hot, moist attic air leaves at the highest point of the roof. Paired with intake at the soffit it is what makes ventilation balanced. Ridge vent replaces the scattered box vents you see on older roofs, moves far more air, and disappears under the ridge cap instead of dotting the roofline.
Timberline HDZ®
GAF's #1-selling shingle — and the one we put on almost every roof we build. Swatches are GAF product photography. Screens still shift colour, so ask us for a physical sample board before you commit.
Warm gray-brown blend — driftwood, taupe and soft charcoal. The most forgiving colour on the board.
Near-black with cool gray highlights. Reads crisp against white and light siding.
Mid gray with a slight blue cast. The safest neutral if the siding is undecided.
Medium warm brown — chocolate, tan and soft amber over a darker base.
Deep reddish-brown. Dark chocolate base with cinnamon and rust through it.
The lightest standard brown. Honey, wheat and tan with a warm cast.
Soft mid-brown taupe — warm brown, tan and gray-beige. Muted rather than saturated.
Mid gray with a distinct green-gray cast. Muted and earthy.
Deep forest green over a green-black base, with mid-green highlights.
Light warm gray with soft beige movement. Brightest of the grays.
Light neutral gray, cleanly balanced with minimal colour cast.
Mid-tone neutral gray with a faint violet cast. Pearl, mid and dark gray.
Mid gray-green with an olive cast. Same family as Slate, but softer and greener.
Slate blue-gray — steel and charcoal with a distinctly cool blue undertone.
Deep brick red — oxblood, brick and dark burgundy with black shadow lines.
Six of these — Birchwood, Fox Hollow Gray, Oyster Gray, Williamsburg Slate, Biscayne Blue and Patriot Red — stock by market rather than nationwide, and what is on the shelf changes. We confirm current availability with the distributor covering Madison, Farmington and Rochester before anything gets ordered, so nobody picks a colour that turns into a six-week wait.
What you are actually covered for
We are a GAF System Plus certified contractor, so these are the coverages we can register on your roof. Anything beyond this requires a certification tier we do not hold — and we would rather tell you that than imply otherwise.
What every GAF roof gets, installed by anyone.
The first real upgrade — 50 years non-prorated instead of 10. This is the tier we are certified to register.
25 years of protection against blue-green algae discolouration.
Those black streaks running down older roofs are not dirt and they do not wash off — they are Gloeocapsa magma, a blue-green algae that feeds on the limestone filler in asphalt shingles. GAF's Time-Release Algae-Fighting Technology answers it with engineered capsules carrying thousands of copper microsites, which release copper steadily as the roof wets and dries rather than washing off early the way older copper-coated granules did.
Worth asking about by name. Plain StainGuard® without the “Plus” is a different, much shorter warranty — 10 years, with a 1-year non-prorated period. The logo on the wrapper is what decides which one you have.
No maximum wind speed. No named-storm exclusion.
Most wind warranties in this industry stop at a stated mph or exclude anything with a name attached to it. This one does neither. It is the single strongest argument for installing the full system rather than shingles alone.
The non-prorated period — GAF calls it the Smart Choice® Protection Period — is the window where an approved claim is paid in full, without deducting for how old the roof is. Once that window closes, coverage continues but the payout is reduced against the age of the roof. It is the number worth comparing between warranty tiers.
Contractors enrolled in GAF certification programs are not employees or agents of GAF, and GAF does not control or otherwise supervise these independent businesses. Visit gaf.com warranties for complete coverage and restrictions, and the GAF Lifetime Roofing System page for qualifying products.
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Every slope, all four elevations, the soft metals, and the attic. You keep the photo report whether you hire us or not.
Eversafe Roofing