A Word on Both Warranties

You’re going to have to read some small print on this one. Many a sadder but wiser homeowner has learned the hard way that the most important thing to know about a warranty is what you are not getting.

First, you should know that your job will entail two separate warranties: one from the manufacturer on the roofing material, the other from the contractor on his workmanship.

The stated duration of a material warranty can be misleading because the warranty is usually pro-rated. Simply put, this means that if you have a 20-year warranty and the roof has a major problem in 10 years, you only get half the value of the original cost.

You should also know that the material warranty is generally dependent on installation being done according to the manufacturer’s specifications. Many contractors don’t even read the specs, said Mark Vanderslice of Roofing Forensics in Yorba Linda, an independent consulting firm.

While material warranties are set by the manufacturer and are not usually negotiable, the warranty from your contractor very likely can be. For one thing, often the labor warranty is not well spelled out. Some contractors won’t even volunteer one. Others will only offer language that vaguely guarantees labor for a certain number of years. But it may not cover the cost of the materials he’ll need--even if he’s at fault in the installation.

Protect yourself by specifying in writing that the contractor will bear the cost of labor and materials to eliminate all leaks if a problem other than accidental damage results within X number of years. Typically contractor warranties are for anywhere from one to five years. But don’t be snowed by a long labor warranty, warned Vanderslice.

“Generally if something’s going to go wrong, it’s going to happen in the first two to three years,” he said.