Warranties help reassure customers about performance, but they must be compared closely, Headwaters’ Davis adds. “A warranty is important, but they often protect the manufacturer with a lot of smoke and mirrors in the fine print. Many say they’re ‘lifetime’ warranties, but there are a lot of exclusions and a short term of coverage for certain elements. The specifics need to be understood to be able to compare them. It sometimes can be hard to tell what a warranty really covers over time.”
“Most customers don’t take a deep dive into the warranties, but they do ask about them,” says DaVinci’s Hansen. “It helps to have third-party testing on wind, impact and fire.” Warranties are getting longer, he notes. “They used to be for 20 or 30 years, but now they’re 50 years.” Metal Sales’ Davidson agrees. “The primary change in coating warranties for metal roofing has been the migration toward Limited Lifetime Warranties. This hasn’t been widespread, but it’s an effort by metal-roofing manufacturers to offer a warranty to compete with other roofing-material options.”
Ply Gem stresses that its warranty covers labor for the first two years. “We were one of the first to include labor,” says DeRogatis. “Extreme weather has been an influence on roofing choices,” he notes, causing Ply Gem to emphasize resistance to impacts and high winds on its new products. “We have seen some code changes along the coastal areas, specifically with velocity codes as they relate to wind increases. All of our products have a wind rating that meets most of the new building codes.”
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Warranties are important for aesthetics reasons as well as energy efficiency and durability, says EDCO’s Newell. “Customers want to be assured there will be less facing or peeling,” he explains. “They want to know how long it will be before the roof looks worn.”
Other Components Thrive
The other components in the roofing system also are benefiting from increased budgets and higher awareness. Radiant-barrier sheathing, for one, has become popular in the South as builders try to reduce heat gain. “Energy codes are driving people to look at alternatives,” says Jeff Key, senior manager of marketing at Georgia-Pacific. “They are willing to examine a wide range of options as a result. The demand for our radiant-barrier sheathing has picked up as people see its effectiveness, especially in warmer climates.”
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Bobby Byrd, OSB sales manager at RoyOMartin, agrees. “Since its introduction several years ago, radiant-barrier sheathing has continued to gain popularity. As building codes evolve, and as architects and design professionals specify it into projects, awareness among builders and consumers has grown.”