It’s wild how many people just focus on the shingle itself and totally forget that what’s underneath (flashing, underlayment, etc.) is just as important.
You’re spot on there. I’ve seen a few neighbors blame the shingles when it was actually bad flashing or even missing ice/water shield causing the leaks. The shingle is just the “face” of the roof, but what’s underneath is doing a ton of heavy lifting.
On the metal roof noise—yeah, it’s real. We almost went with metal ourselves, but after hearing how loud hail was at my cousin’s place, we stuck with architectural shingles. I did look into those sound-dampening options you mentioned, but from what I gathered, unless you’re adding a solid deck or insulation layer underneath, it only helps so much. Maybe someone else has had better luck?
As for cool roof shingles, I put them on our garage as a test run. They definitely keep it cooler in summer, but I haven’t had a big storm hit them yet to see how they hold up. No regrets so far though.
Honestly, I think you’re asking all the right questions. There’s no perfect answer—it really does come down to install quality and what you can live with day-to-day. Finding a contractor who cares is half the battle... I wish there was an easy way to spot them too.
The shingle is just the “face” of the roof, but what’s underneath is doing a ton of heavy lifting.
That’s exactly it. I’ve seen roofs with premium shingles fail early just because the underlayment or flashing was skipped or done sloppy. It’s wild how much difference a good ice/water shield makes, especially in places with freeze-thaw cycles. On the noise front, metal can be brutal in hail unless you’ve got solid decking and insulation—otherwise, it’s like living inside a drum. I do think install quality matters more than most people realize... even the best materials won’t save you from a bad job.
Yeah, I’ve noticed the same thing—people focus on shingle brands but forget about what’s underneath. When I was helping tear off an old roof last summer, the shingles looked fine but the plywood was rotted because the underlayment was basically dust. One thing I’m still figuring out is how much difference the type of underlayment makes—like, is synthetic always better than felt? And flashing... it’s such a pain to get right, but if you skip it, you’re just asking for leaks. I guess it’s like, the “invisible” parts matter way more than most folks think.
One thing I’m still figuring out is how much difference the type of underlayment makes—like, is synthetic always better than felt?
Honestly, I wouldn’t say synthetic is always the winner. I’ve seen felt hold up just fine on older homes, especially if it’s installed right and you’re not in a super wet climate. Synthetic’s great for tear resistance and it’s lighter, but it can get slippery to walk on and sometimes doesn’t “breathe” as well. Flashing though... yeah, that’s where most leaks start. But don’t sleep on good old-fashioned felt if you’re on a budget or have a lower slope roof.
I get where you’re coming from—felt’s been around forever and still does the job on a lot of roofs. But here’s my thing: if you’re already thinking about swapping shingles, have you looked into underlayments that are more eco-friendly? Some of the newer recycled synthetics are supposed to last longer and cut down on landfill waste, though they do cost a bit more upfront. Curious if anyone’s tried those or if it’s mostly just marketing hype... Also, has anyone noticed a difference in attic temps depending on the underlayment type? That’s something I’ve wondered about, especially with all the talk around energy efficiency lately.
