Consider your needs and preferences

The best roofing shingles for your home will meet your budget, provide the durability your roof needs, and create the curb appeal you want.

Your budget

Your roof may be one of the largest investments you make in your home, and with so many types and styles, you can find shingles that fit a range of budgets.

Great value
Timberline^® Shingles is North America’s #1-selling shingle for a reason. You can enjoy the modern architectural style and dependable performance at a practical price.

Most economical
GAF 3-tab shingles come in a variety of colors adding beauty and protection

Durability

All GAF shingles are designed to help protect your home from the elements.

If wind is a significant part of your area’s weather patterns, our most popular Timberline^® Shingles offer all-around durability and performance.  And now, Timberline® Shingles with LayerLock™ Technology may qualify for WindProven™ Limited Wind Warranty, the industry’s first wind warranty with no maximum speed limitation when installed with the required combination of GAF accessories.1

Concerned about hail? Impact-resistant shingles like Grand Sequoia^® AS and Timberline^® AS II may be good options if your area is impacted by significant hail storms. They have rubber-like flexibility, allowing them to recover from impact.

If heavy sun exposure and energy efficiency are concerns in your area, check out our ENERGY STAR^®-certified GAF Timberline Cool Series Shingles. The highly reflective shingles of these cool roofs can help reduce temperatures in your attic and keep your house cooler.

If you are in a region with high moisture and plagued by blue-green algae discoloration, consider Timberline UHD™ shingles with StainGuard Plus^®.

Understanding the cost of your roof

When preparing your estimate, roofing contractors consider many variables that are specific to your roof, your preferences, your budget and goals, and even where you live.

How roof costs are determined

While you ultimately need to know the overall price of your new roof, roofing contractors get to that estimate by adding up several factors. To deliver accurate cost estimate, roofing contractors do the following:

1. Measure the roof – Most measurements are obtained digitally, using satellite imagery or drone technology, and include the slope, peaks and overall complexity of the roof.
2. Do an inspection – With a thorough roof inspection, contractors are able to assess the condition of your roof and determine the project scope.
3. Recommend products – Next, your contractor will outline the best roofing system materials for your project (shingles, ventilation and accessories) and warranty options.
4. Calculate costs – With the information above, your contractor can bring all the costs together: labor, materials, warranty, and applicable fees and services (permits, preparation, clean up).

Conducting routine inspections of your roof — especially if you live in an area that experiences extreme weather — can help you prevent exterior damage from creating interior problems.

Start inside

• Look around your attic for signs of leaks, dark spots, holes, or sagging sheathing
• Check your ceilings for stains, mold or mildew

Step outside

If you’re comfortable climbing a ladder, you can see your roof up close. If not, you can do a relatively thorough inspection from the ground, using binoculars.

• Clean leaves and debris out of gutters and downspouts, check them for sagging or leaks
• Look in hidden areas, like the underside of eaves and fascia — the board that connects the roof to the outer walls of your house — for rotting or signs of animal infestation

Head to the street

• From this distance, look for dark spots, missing shingles or sagging
• See if the exterior paint is blistering or peeling
• If you live in an area with icy or snowy winters, keep an eye out for ice dams — ridges of ice that form at the edge of your roof — because if water can’t drain off the roof, it may leak into your home

Examine the roof

• Check for cracked, torn, warped or missing shingles and popped or rusted nails
• Look for open seams or joints and make sure roof vents aren’t covered or clogged
• Note areas that sag or appear unsound 
• Make sure pipes and roof penetrations, like your chimney or skylights, are sealed and don’t have any exposed nails 
• Make sure flashing, which is used to seal joints and keep water off of them, is not damaged or providing inadequate coverage

If your roof isn’t very old and you spot a few loose or damaged shingles, you may be able to just replace them. But for broader or more extensive damage, it may be time for a new roof. The key is a regular roof inspection so you know what’s going on up there.

What roof damage looks like

Roof damage comes in all forms. Know what to look for.

Attic leaks – Check your attic after severe weather. A leak could mean some shingles are damaged, the underlayment — a protective barrier between your shingles and the plywood of your roof — has failed, or flashing — the material that seals joints on your roof — has deteriorated.

Blistering or peeling paint – Poor ventilation may cause moisture to get trapped in your house, which may cause exterior paint to peel and blister.

Ceiling and wall stains – Leaks from outside the house or moisture trapped inside it can cause stains and possibly mold or mildew.

Sheathing decay – Another issue with poor ventilation and moisture in your layers of roofing materials is the decay of sheathing — also called decking — which is the layer of plywood that forms the foundation of your roof. If you notice a sagging ceiling, broken gutters, leaks or missing patches of shingles, your sheathing may be damaged.

Shingle damage – When shingles reach the end of their useful life, you may notice they fall off or become cracked, brittle or curled, which means it may be time for a new roof.

Dark streaks – It may look like dirt, but dark stains on your shingles may be moss, lichen, or blue-green algae. This may not require a new roof, but if and when you do replace your shingles, ask for StainGuard® and StainGuard® Plus protection, which are available on many GAF shingles.