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Advice About Choosing a GAF Master EliteTM Roofing Contractor InspectAPedia®  -     Choosing a GAF Master EliteTM Roofing Contractor Roof shingle manufacturer certification programs for roofing contractors How to get the best roofing job on your home

This website discusses how to get the best roofing job.We give an example of a "bad" roofing contractor, discuss roofing contractor certifications such as the GAF Master Elite^TM roofing contractor certification program, and we give some simple tips on how to get a good roofing job.

The photograph above shows a laminate-type roof shingle installed improperly on an irregular dome-shaped roof. (This was job was not done by a GAF Master Elite^TM or Other Certified Roofing Contractor. The roofer who put these shingles in place probably lacked proper training - something which some roof contractor certification programs are trying to address. But don't assume that every "certified" roofer is one you want to do business with.

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Choosing a Reliable, Qualified, Good Roofing Contractor

Questions and Answers about GAF Master Elite Roofers or Other Roofing Contractor Certification Programs - How to Get a Good Roofing Job

Choosing a GAF Master Elite^TM or Other Certified Roofing Contractor - OPINION from DJF

In response to the homeowner question just below, we reply with comments about roofer "certification programs" offered by GAF or other roof shingle manufacturers, about shingle life, about shingle warranties, and about how to get the best roofing job for your home.

As a homeowner here in Michigan, my home now needs a new roof. Well after searching the internet for different brands of shingles we have found that GAF had a class action lawsuit against them for a long period of time involving almost all of their product line. We are in this early failure period.

We had GAF Timberline 30 laminated shingles installed on my roof back in 1994. The cause, premature thermal splitting that was determined in the court of law. Well at this point there is nothing we can do to correct the problem. So much for this part!

Our main concern is that we are currently working with a roofing company on an estimate for a replacement roof. They are a certified Master Elite roofing contractor through GAF. Home building talk show hosts such as Tom Silva, Joanne Liebeler and Ron Hazelton all talked about the quality of GAF products and the importance of having a Master Elite contractor installing them.

Our question is this: To your knowledge, would you possibly choose GAF as a shingle of choice for your home? Have they worked out the problem from the past? What is your opinion on GAF products? If you could please email me back with a personal opinion, It would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

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ROOFING INSPECTION & REPAIR
CERTIFICATIONS for ROOFING CONTRACTORS
  Questions and Answers about GAF Master Elite
  Anecdote of a "Bad" Roofing Contractor
  The GAF Master Elite^TM roofing program
  How to Get the Best Roofing Job
CHOOSING A ROOFING CONTRACTOR
  STEP 1: FINDING A ROOFER
  STEP 2: CHOOSING A ROOFING CONTRACTOR
  STEP 3: CHOOSING ROOF MATERIAL
  STEP 4: NEGOTIATE ROOFING CONTRACT
  STEP 5: LETTING THE ROOFER ROOF
ASBESTOS CEMENT ROOFING
ASPHALT ROOF SHINGLES

• GAF Corporation: www.gaf.com/General/GAFintro_MAIN.asp is the company's website.
• GAF Corporation history and derivation of the GAF name: www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/GAF-Corporation-Company-History.html you can read the history of the company and see the derivation of its name - General Analine and Film - though we doubt it's important in understanding modern roofing materials.
• Consumers shopping for a roofing contractor should not be confused between marketing promise and contractor competence in any building field.
  

The GAF Master Elite^TM roofing program and what it means to consumers

The following opinion based on both having worked as a roofing installer as well as having inspected more than 5,000 residential & commercial roofs for defects.

The GAF Master Elite^TM roofing contractor designation looks to me like a combination of a marketing program that recommends a specific GAF roof shingle product line and which features the requirement for some training by GAF. The training requirement is a great idea, but remember that there can certainly be fully competent roofers who can do a great job but who do not have that title, and a roofer who is NOT a GAF Master Elite^TM contractor may prefer to use a different and equally good or even better roofing product.

The GAF Master Elite^TM name sounds great. What does it actually mean?

• the roofing contractor is licensed [if your state requires licensing]
  
  
• the roofing contractor carries insurance [most likely as required by your state]
  
  
• the roofing contractor has a "proven reputation" [I consider this marketing language since the details of what this means are not specified]
  
  
• the roofer will recommend GAF's "Weather Stopper(R) 5-part roofing system - this roofing choice may offer a more extensive warranty than some other products. (This subtlety may mean that your roofer is specifically pushing GAF products which are easily available at local building supply stores like Home Depot or Loews rather than trekking to an independent building supplier where prices for competing products (Bird/Certainteed™) may be a bit higher).
  
  
• the roofer has taken one or more training courses in roofing from GAF - this is potentially a valuable claim. Some people in construction have not even read the instructions on the package (of shingles in this case). Some roofing contractors are simply folks who own a pickup truck and a hammer, and who view construction more or less like making a sandwich - you go to the store, buy peanut butter, and come to the job and spread the peanut butter (in this case building materials or shingles) over the surface of the building. It's "on there" by hook or crook, with no effort to apply the materials according to the best practices of the industry or according to the specifications of the manufacturer.

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