I went with synthetic underlayment when we re-roofed a couple years ago and honestly didn't notice any difference in noise during heavy rains. Still sounds about the same as before. As for architectural shingles, I was skeptical at first, but they're holding up really well—no lost shingles yet, knock on wood. Hard to say if that's luck or the upgrade, but I'm leaning toward it being worth the extra cost.
I've installed plenty of roofs with both synthetic underlayment and architectural shingles, and your experience doesn't surprise me at all. Synthetic underlayment is great for durability and water resistance, but honestly, noise reduction isn't really its strong suit. Most homeowners I've worked with haven't noticed much difference in sound either.
As for the architectural shingles...yeah, they're generally worth the upgrade. A few years back, I reroofed two houses side-by-side—one with standard 3-tab shingles and the other with architectural shingles. After a nasty storm rolled through, the 3-tab roof lost a handful of shingles, while the architectural one stayed intact. Could've been luck or wind direction, sure, but I've seen similar outcomes enough times to think it's more than coincidence.
So your roof surviving a hurricane? Probably not just luck. Those architectural shingles have better wind resistance ratings and hold up better overall. Good call on investing in quality materials—usually pays off in the long run.
Glad to hear your roof held up through the hurricane. I'm a first-time homeowner myself, and when I was researching roofing options, I spent way too many evenings diving into wind resistance ratings and material specs. From what I gathered, architectural shingles consistently outperform standard 3-tab shingles in severe weather conditions. They have multiple layers and a heavier build, which helps them resist wind uplift better.
I also noticed the synthetic underlayment doesn't do much for noise reduction either—had a pretty intense hailstorm last spring, and it sounded like someone was throwing marbles at my roof. But afterward, when I checked everything out, there wasn't a single shingle out of place. So yeah, your experience lines up pretty well with what I've read and seen myself. Seems like investing in quality materials really does make a difference when it counts.
- Good points on architectural shingles—definitely worth the extra cost in storm-prone areas.
- Inspected a house last year after a Category 2 hurricane; standard 3-tab shingles were scattered everywhere, but the neighbor's architectural shingles barely budged.
- Agree synthetic underlayment doesn't help much with noise. Had clients surprised by how loud rain still was after upgrading.
- Bottom line: quality materials aren't foolproof, but they significantly improve your odds.
"quality materials aren't foolproof, but they significantly improve your odds."
Exactly—seen this plenty of times. Architectural shingles definitely hold up better, but installation quality matters too. Even the best shingles won't help much if they're nailed wrong or flashing's sloppy... seen that happen more than once.
