You nailed it about ventilation making the biggest difference. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been called out to “fix” a hot attic, only to find the vents either blocked by insulation or just not enough of them. It’s kind of wild—folks will drop big money on fancy shingles or radiant barriers and still end up with a sauna overhead because the air’s got nowhere to go.
I remember this one job, mid-July, two-story house with south-facing slopes. Homeowner was convinced their old dark shingles were the reason upstairs felt like an oven. We swapped in lighter “cool roof” shingles, but I could tell right away the real issue was the soffit vents were basically painted shut from a previous siding job. Once we opened those up and added a ridge vent, temps in the attic dropped almost 20 degrees. The new shingles looked nice, sure, but it was the airflow that did the heavy lifting.
Malarkey’s a solid brand for durability—I’ve seen their stuff hold up through some nasty hailstorms that shredded other roofs in the same neighborhood. Still, like you said, no shingle is gonna save you from a bad vent setup. The color and brand can take the edge off, but unless you’re going from black to white, it’s not a night-and-day thing.
I’ve had mixed luck with radiant barriers too. Sometimes they help, sometimes they just collect dust and make it harder to find leaks later on. If you’re already re-roofing, it’s worth double-checking the vent layout—sometimes just adding a couple more soffit vents or making sure nothing’s blocked makes a bigger difference than any shingle upgrade.
One thing I’d add: if your attic’s got weird angles or is chopped up with additions, sometimes those “standard” vent packages don’t cut it. Every house is its own beast. Don’t let anyone talk you into a cookie-cutter solution.
Feels good to see folks paying attention to this stuff instead of just picking whatever shingle looks good on the brochure.
Couldn’t agree more about ventilation being the real MVP. I see so many folks obsess over shingle color or brand, but if the attic can’t breathe, it’s just trapping all that heat no matter what’s on top. I’ve actually seen a few houses where people spent extra for “eco” shingles, but then had zero airflow up there—kind of defeats the purpose.
I’m a big fan of Malarkey too, mostly for their recycled content and how they hold up in rough weather. But like you said, even the greenest shingle won’t fix a stifling attic. I do think lighter colors help a bit, especially in places with brutal sun, but it’s not magic. Sometimes people expect a white roof to turn their upstairs into a fridge, and it just doesn’t work that way.
Curious if anyone’s tried adding solar-powered attic fans? I’ve heard mixed things—some say they help pull out hot air, others say they can mess with the pressure balance and actually suck AC out of the house if the attic isn’t sealed right. I’ve only installed one, and it seemed to help, but that attic already had decent soffit and ridge vents.
Also, has anyone here gone with a “cold roof” setup? I’ve read about folks in snowy areas building a vented space above the insulation layer to keep the roof deck cool and prevent ice dams. Seems like overkill for most places, but maybe worth it if you’re already redoing everything.
At the end of the day, I’d rather see someone spend a little extra time making sure the vents are clear and balanced than drop a fortune on fancy shingles or radiant barriers. But hey, if you can do both, even better. Anyone else run into weird attic layouts where standard venting just didn’t cut it?
I tried one of those solar attic fans last summer because my upstairs felt like a toaster oven. It definitely pulled some heat out, but I swear my electric bill didn’t budge, and the thing sounded like a jet engine on windy days. My attic’s got a weird L-shape so airflow’s always been a pain—ridge vents helped more than anything else I’ve tried. I’m with you, though: folks get so hyped about “cool” shingles, but if your vents are blocked by old insulation or bird nests (ask me how I know), it’s game over for comfort.
folks get so hyped about “cool” shingles, but if your vents are blocked by old insulation or bird nests (ask me how I know), it’s game over for comfort.
That’s the truth—ventilation gets ignored way too often. I get why people focus on the shingle brand, but if your airflow’s a mess, even the fanciest “cool” shingles won’t do much. Had a similar issue with blown-in insulation clogging my soffits... took ages to figure out why everything felt like a sauna. Ridge vents were a game changer for me too. Malarkey’s cool roof options are solid, but only if you’ve got the basics dialed in first.
Can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen folks drop a small fortune on “cool roof” shingles, only to end up with an attic that’s still roasting in July. I learned the hard way too—years back, I swapped out my old 3-tabs for a fancy “reflective” shingle, thinking it’d make a night-and-day difference. It helped a bit, but the attic was still miserable. Turns out, the real culprit was a bunch of insulation baffles that had slipped and blocked my soffit vents over time. Didn’t even realize until I crawled up there during a heat wave and just about baked myself.
Once I got those vents cleared and added a proper ridge vent (plus a couple of gable vents for good measure), things finally started to cool off. The shingle color and brand matter, sure, but if the air’s not moving, you’re fighting a losing battle. I do think Malarkey’s cool roof line is legit—my neighbor put them on last year and his attic temps dropped a bit—but he also had his ventilation redone at the same time. Hard to say which made the bigger difference.
One thing I’ll add: in some climates, especially where it’s humid, you have to watch out for over-ventilating too. I had a buddy in Louisiana who went overboard with venting and ended up with condensation issues in winter. Balance is key.
If you’re set on Malarkey, just make sure whoever installs it actually checks your airflow first. Most contractors around here just want to slap shingles on and move to the next job... but getting the basics right will save you way more headaches (and money) down the line than any “cool” shingle ever could.
