Short answer
A workmanship warranty covers the installation itself, meaning the labor and the details the crew is responsible for, which is separate from the shingles and their manufacturer warranty. Before you sign, pin down the term, the start date, whether it transfers to a buyer, what counts as a covered defect and what is excluded. Ask for all of it in writing inside the contract rather than described out loud at the kitchen table.
On this page
A workmanship warranty is the part of a roofing contract that most homeowners nod at and almost nobody reads. It is also the only document that speaks to the part of the job you cannot inspect: the flashing behind the chimney, the nail pattern under the shingle tab, the ice and water shield at the eave. The shingles have their own warranty from the factory. The workmanship warranty is about the house.
This post is a list of questions to ask before you sign, and what a useful answer to each one sounds like.
The two warranties are not the same document
Every roof replacement comes with at least two separate pieces of coverage, issued by two different parties, for two different kinds of problem.
| Workmanship warranty | Manufacturer warranty | |
|---|---|---|
| Issued by | Workmanship warrantyThe contractor | Manufacturer warrantyThe shingle manufacturer |
| Covers | Workmanship warrantyInstallation defects and labor issues | Manufacturer warrantyThe product itself |
| Typical trigger | Workmanship warrantyA leak traced to how something was installed | Manufacturer warrantyShingles that do not perform as specified |
| Examples of scope | Workmanship warrantyFlashing, fastening, underlayment, penetrations | Manufacturer warrantyGranule loss, premature failure, rated wind resistance |
GAF roofing carries up to a 50-year limited lifetime warranty on qualifying systems. James Hardie siding carries a 30-year non-prorated warranty. Those numbers are real and they are about materials. Neither one says anything about whether the step flashing at your dormer was woven in course by course. That is what the workmanship warranty is for, and it is the one you should read line by line.
We have written separately about what a lifetime shingle warranty actually covers, which is the manufacturer side of this. Here the focus is the contractor side.
The questions to ask
How long is the term, and when does it start
Terms vary widely across the industry. What matters as much as the number is the start date. Ask whether the clock starts at substantial completion, at final payment, or at the date of the town's final inspection. Those can be weeks apart, and on a job that stretches into a Connecticut November they can be longer than that.
Also ask whether the term is flat or prorated. A flat term pays the same in year nine as in year one. A prorated term reduces what is covered as the years pass. Neither is improper. You simply need to know which one you bought.
Is it transferable, and on what conditions
If you may sell the house inside the term, this clause has cash value at closing. Some workmanship warranties transfer once to the first buyer. Some require written notice to the contractor within a set window after the closing date. Some do not transfer. Ask, and ask for the answer in the contract.
What counts as a covered defect
The strongest answer is specific. Vague coverage of "defects in workmanship" is standard language, but it helps to know whether the document names the components: flashing at walls and chimneys, valleys, pipe boots, drip edge, ridge and vent installation, fastener placement. A warranty that lists what it covers is easier to make a claim against than one that gestures at the idea.
What is excluded
Every warranty has exclusions and there is nothing suspicious about them. The common and legitimate ones include:
- Damage from storms, falling trees and impact, which is an insurance matter rather than a workmanship matter
- Ice dam damage, which usually originates in attic insulation and ventilation rather than in the roof covering
- Work performed by others after the installation, including satellite dish mounts, antenna brackets and new penetrations
- Pre-existing structural conditions such as a sagging ridge or a deck that was already deflecting
- Interior finishes, which are generally handled through your homeowners policy rather than the roofing warranty
Ice dams are worth a particular question because Connecticut produces a lot of them. The roof covering and the attic are two different systems, and our post on winter leaks and ice dams explains why the permanent fix is usually above the ceiling rather than on the shingles.
What happens during a claim
Ask three practical things. Who do you call, and is there a written phone number or email in the document. Is there a charge for the diagnostic visit. Does the coverage include the labor and the replacement materials for the repaired area, or labor only.
What voids it
The honest list is short. Non-payment of the contract balance is the usual one. Unauthorized alteration of the roof system is another. Be wary of a document with a long and open-ended voiding clause, because it is the part of the warranty that does the most work in a dispute.
The nail count is a warranty question, not a preference
A shingle's wind rating is only valid when it is fastened the way the manufacturer requires to earn that rating. For high-wind coverage most manufacturers specify six nails per shingle, placed inside a defined nail zone, rather than four. That is extra labor and extra material, and it belongs on the written scope where you can see it.
This matters in Connecticut because every town we serve sits inside a designated hurricane-prone region under Appendix AY of the 2022 state building code. Guilford, Madison and New Haven carry an ultimate design wind speed of 125 mph, higher than Greenwich, Stamford, Westport and Fairfield at 120 mph. Exposure to open water along the central shoreline drives that figure, not distance from New York. A quote with no nail count on it is not a quote you can compare, which is the larger point we make in our guide to reading a roofing quote.
Where extended manufacturer-backed coverage fits
The GAF Golden Pledge warranty is available for qualifying roofing projects and covers both material and installation. Because it is administered by the manufacturer, it adds a second party to the coverage rather than relying on one.
The case for it: you intend to stay in the house for a long time, the roof is large or complex, and you want installation coverage that is not tied to a single company's paperwork.
The case against it: it costs more, it requires a specific set of system components rather than a mixed bag of whatever is cheapest, and certification requirements mean not every project qualifies. If you expect to sell inside a few years, or the roof is a simple gable on a modest Cape, the standard manufacturer warranty plus a clearly written workmanship warranty may be all the coverage the house justifies. Paying for a longer term than you plan to own is a real expense with no return.
Things that are not warranty problems
Setting expectations saves arguments later.
- Granules in the gutter during the first season. New shingles shed loose surface granules. Continuous heavy loss years later is a different conversation.
- Algae streaking. It is a cosmetic organism issue on the shingle surface and is usually addressed by the manufacturer's algae-resistance coverage when it applies.
- Condensation stains on a ceiling. These can look exactly like a roof leak and originate from warm moist air reaching a cold surface in the attic.
- Normal thermal movement noise. Decking and framing move with temperature.
Before you sign
Read the warranty document at the table, not after. Confirm the term, the start date, the transfer clause, the exclusions and the claim contact. Confirm the nail count, the underlayment and the flashing scope in the contract itself, since those are the installation items the warranty is supposed to stand behind. Confirm that the contractor is registered as a Home Improvement Contractor and carries general liability and workers compensation coverage, and that the building permit, which every town we serve requires for a roof replacement, is included.
If you want our scope and warranty language in front of you to compare against anything else you have been given, you can see how we build a project on the roofing page and what the installation sequence covers under our roofing process. When you are ready, request an estimate: someone comes out, measures the roof, inspects what is there, and sends back a written itemized price you can read against this list.
