I’m with you on the “boring” roof approach. Mine’s a basic three-tab shingle, nothing fancy, but it’s outlasted some of my friends’ pricier upgrades. Every spring, I just grab a ladder, check for popped nails or cracked shingles, and make sure the gutters aren’t packed with gunk. Tried one of those fancy coatings once—honestly, didn’t see much difference except in my wallet. Sometimes the old-school stuff just works better, especially when you’re watching your budget.
- Same here—three-tab shingles on most of my rentals, and honestly, they hold up fine if you keep an eye on them.
- Main things I check: missing tabs after wind, flashing around chimneys, and any moss starting up.
- Tried those “lifetime” architectural shingles once... didn’t see the value for the extra cost, especially in our climate.
- Coatings are hit or miss. Sometimes more hassle than help.
- Old-school maintenance usually wins out over fancy upgrades, at least for me.
- Three-tabs are fine if you’re on top of them, but I see a lot of folks skip the basics—like checking for cracked tabs or loose nails after a freeze/thaw cycle.
- Flashing’s a big one, especially around skylights and valleys. That’s where most leaks start in my experience.
- Not sold on coatings either. They can trap moisture if not done right... seen more problems than solutions there.
- I get the appeal of architectural shingles, but unless you’re dealing with heavy storms or want curb appeal, three-tabs do the job just fine in most areas.
- Biggest thing: don’t let moss or debris build up. That’s what really shortens roof life around here.
I’m with you on the moss and debris—around here, that stuff just creeps up if you’re not paying attention. I’ve had a couple roofs where the flashing was fine but water still found its way in because of clogged valleys. Curious if anyone’s tried those zinc or copper strips for moss? I keep hearing mixed things about whether they actually help or just look weird after a while.
I’ve actually tried the zinc strips on my north-facing side, and honestly, they didn’t do much. Maybe it’s our damp climate (I’m in western WA), but after a year I still had plenty of moss, just maybe a little less right under the strip. Plus, the streaks from the metal looked pretty odd after a while—kind of like someone spilled something down the shingles.
In my experience, nothing really beats getting up there once a year and brushing the moss off by hand. It’s a pain, but I’d rather do that than mess with chemicals or hope a strip does the trick. I know some folks swear by copper, but I haven’t seen a huge difference between that and zinc, at least not enough to justify the cost.
Clogged valleys are a bigger headache for me anyway. I started putting mesh guards in the worst spots, and that’s helped more than anything else I’ve tried. Just my two cents—sometimes the old-fashioned way is still the best.