Shingles are kind of the “default” for a reason, right? I mean, I get the appeal of metal or those fancy tiles, but for most folks—especially if you’re not planning to hang onto the place for 30 years—shingles just make sense. I’ve seen a lot of roofs in my short time on the job, and honestly, most homeowners just want something that keeps the rain out and doesn’t need babysitting.
I’ve worked on a couple green roofs too, and yeah, they look cool in the brochures, but in real life? They’re a whole other pet to take care of. Saw one where the drainage got clogged and it basically turned into a swamp up there. Not fun. And metal’s slick, but the price tag is a whole different ballgame. One guy I helped out was all-in on metal until he saw the quote, then he was like, “Guess I’ll stick with shingles after all.”
One thing I will say—shingles aren’t totally “set it and forget it.” I’ve seen plenty blow off in a bad windstorm, especially if they’re older or weren’t nailed down right. And if you’re somewhere with crazy hail (like where I’m at), you might be patching or replacing sooner than you’d like. But the upside is, repairs are usually quick and don’t break the bank.
If you’re not looking for a forever roof and just want something that works without a lot of fuss, shingles are hard to beat. Just don’t expect them to be bulletproof. And yeah, you probably won’t win any eco points, but at least you won’t be pulling weeds off your roof every spring...
- Seen a lot of folks regret going cheap on shingles, especially with the wind we get here. Had a job last spring—brand new roof, but the installer skimped on nails. Half the ridge cap was in the neighbor’s yard after the first storm.
- Metal’s great, but like you said, most people bail when they see the price. Did one estimate last month—metal was almost double what architectural shingles cost. Hard sell unless you’re planning to stay put.
- Green roofs? Cool idea, but I’ve never seen one that didn’t turn into a maintenance headache. One client had mushrooms growing up there... not exactly what they pictured.
- Shingles are fine if you’re realistic. They’ll do the job, just don’t expect miracles—especially if you’re in hail country or get those sideways rains. At least you can patch them up quick when stuff goes sideways.
Shingles are fine if you’re realistic. They’ll do the job, just don’t expect miracles—especially if you’re in hail country or get those sideways rains.
That pretty much sums up my experience so far. I went with architectural shingles last year—mainly because of cost—and honestly, they’ve held up okay, but I’m already seeing a few granules in the gutters after some heavy wind. Has anyone noticed if adding more nails (or using better fasteners) actually makes a difference? I keep hearing stories about “skimped on nails” being the real problem, not just the shingle quality. Wondering if that’s something worth pushing for when hiring someone.
Extra nails can help, but honestly, placement matters more than just the count. If a crew’s rushing and missing the nail strip, you’ll get blow-offs no matter how many they use. I’ve seen some guys use ring shank nails for extra grip, but that’s not always standard. Curious—did your installer use a nail gun or hand-nail? Sometimes the pressure settings on guns are off and that can mess things up too...
I watched my last crew use nail guns, and I’ll tell you, they flew through it. But later, I found a few spots where the nails barely caught the shingle—guessing the pressure was too high. Hand-nailing’s slower but I’ve seen fewer problems with it over the years. Placement’s everything, though... doesn’t matter how many nails if they’re not hitting the right spot.
