Is It Just Me or Do Underlayments Never Last as Long as Promised?

- Good points, but I wouldn't let underlayment off the hook entirely.
- Had a property where shingles were decent quality, flashing was solid, but the underlayment deteriorated way faster than expected. Manufacturer defect maybe?
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"It's rarely just one thing, more like a combo platter of issues that shortens roof life."

Had a similar issue at my place. Roof was only about 5 years old, shingles looked great, flashing was solid, but started noticing leaks after heavy rains. Roofer came out and showed me the underlayment—it was practically disintegrating. He said he'd seen it before with certain synthetic brands.

"sometimes it really is just one weak link causing most of the trouble."

Exactly this. Everything else can be spot-on, but if the underlayment's junk, you're gonna have problems sooner rather than later...

- Seen this happen a few times myself, especially with certain synthetic brands.
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"if the underlayment's junk, you're gonna have problems sooner rather than later..."

Good point on ventilation—often overlooked. Did the roofer happen to mention if they checked attic airflow or insulation? I've seen moisture buildup cause underlayment issues even with decent materials...

"I've seen moisture buildup cause underlayment issues even with decent materials..."

Yep, you're spot on about moisture. It's surprising how many times I've seen solid materials fail prematurely because attic airflow wasn't properly considered. Last summer, we had a job where the homeowner kept having leaks and blamed the shingles. Turned out, insulation was blocking the soffit vents, trapping moisture—it was basically raining inside the attic. Once we cleared that up and improved ventilation, no more issues. Good underlayment is important, but without proper airflow and insulation checks, even top-tier stuff can fail faster than you'd think. Glad you brought this up—really underrated aspect of roofing jobs.