As you begin your search for a roofing contractor, you might encounter roofers that are GAF certified and those that are not. Really, what’s the difference if your roof is installed? Well, if you’re paying for a GAF roof to be installed, you can’t hire just any old roofer, especially if you want the generous warranty that comes with a GAF roof. There are a lot of unpleasant ramifications that come with hiring an uncertified roofer.
Ramifications to the Warranty
A GAF roof comes with a very generous warranty. Depending on which level of warranty you purchase with the roofing materials, you could have protection for that roof and your home for decades to come. Of course, that only holds up if you hire a GAF-Certified Elite roofing contractor. If you don’t, the ramifications are unpleasant at best.
For example, let’s say you hire that cheaper, uncertified roofer. He doesn’t really know how GAF roofs are installed, but installs it anyway. If he doesn’t install all of the layers of materials associated with a properly installed certified GAF roofer, you might experience failure of some of those roofing materials. Failure of roofing materials or general failure of a section of your roof gives you cause to file a claim on the warranty.
The trouble is, the first thing GAF is going to ask you is the name of the GAF-certified roofer. They will check the name against their national database of certified roofers. If the name you give isn’t a certified roofer, your claim will be denied. Then your damaged roof is your responsibility to fix, and at a cost you probably can’t afford.
The fact that the materials are GAF materials doesn’t change, but the uncertified roofer does void the warranty. Simply put, that warranty you expected to have to protect your roof for many years no longer exists. Your roof isn’t protected, and neither is the future well-being of your home.
Ramifications to Your Homeowner’s Insurance
If your homeowner’s Insurance receives a claim for the roof from you, they are going to want to know why you didn’t go through GAF to get it. Upon hearing that you hired an uncertified roofer to install the roof, your homeowner’s insurance may back down from accepting your claim. They may even cancel your policy for the damaged roof and failure to have it installed properly per GAF rules and restrictions. Your entire home could be at risk if that happens.
Ramifications to Your Finances
In this example, you paid for the GAF materials. They were not cheap, but you were content in the knowledge that there was some sort of warranty attached to them. You hired a less expensive uncertified roofer to save money, and then something went wrong with the roofer. The roofer should return to fix it, but doesn’t necessarily have to. If you had hired a GAF Master Elite contractor, the contractor does have to return to inspect and repair the roof.
At this point, you bought the pricier materials and the uncertified roofer whose work will nullify the warranty. When something goes wrong and GAF and your homeowner’s insurance won’t cover it, you are forced to dig deep into your pockets to pay another contractor to come fix the roof. That’s more expense for the materials and the contractor willing to fix something another contractor did not do well. When you have already financed or borrowed money to pay for the roof, this may not be an expense you can afford to cover.
The Takeaway
Now that you can see why hiring a GAF-certified roofing contractor is so important, be sure to hire a contractor that is fully certified by GAF. You may pay a little more, but what you get out of it is well worth it in the long run.
Your roof will be installed properly, defects in materials and/or defects in installation are covered depending on the warranty level you purchased, and if something does go wrong, your GAF roofer will return to check it out and fix it. Be sure to ask a roofer for the GAF-Certified Master Elite credentials before agreeing to hire him, or consult GAF’s website for a list of certified roofers in your area.
