Mike Silvers, CPRC, Owner, Silvers Systems Inc. and FRSA Technical Director
From time to time a subject captures the interest of both the roofing industry and the public at large. Most recently, this occurred in a very significant way when Florida Insurance Commissioner, Michael Yaworsky, made several statements concerning the future of the most widely used roof covering in Florida and the rest of the country. These comments were shared in both business and consumer publications that are widely distributed. Some quotes include
the following:
■ It’s time to write asphalt shingles out of the plot in Florida.
■ It’s probably time to look past asphalt shingles.
■ Thousands of claims are the result of wind damage to shingles.
■ You know, these products that are guaranteed to last for 30 years. They don’t last for 30 years in Florida. They just don’t.
If these comments were meant to bring attention to the subject, they certainly did. For many of us this is not a new topic. FRSA has been working with roofing product manufacturers and their representative groups to improve roof covering performance for decades. We are committed to learning from our post-hurricane observations and sharing that information with our members and the public. We build consensus through meetings and discussions with all segments of our industry. We, with our leadership’s approval, then go about implementing changes through participation in the Florida Building Code (FBC) modification process. We also interact closely with legislators and regulators on issues that could have an impact on our trade. The remarks made by such an important player in the property insurance arena have our attention.
I want to share a few insights that my more than 50 years of experience, as a roofing contractor, volunteering as an FRSA member and, more recently, as FRSA’s Technical Director, has taught me. I am often asked “what is the best type of roof?” That is a question that I can’t answer. There are too many variables for one roof covering type to address all of them. Let me list a few of these that impact the best type of roof covering to select.
■ The design of the building, type of construction, roof configuration and the amount of slope it will provide are all critical considerations.
■ The building’s location is also of major importance. Engineering standards dictated by the building code consider both anticipated wind speeds and the surrounding topography. These standards tell us how much resistance to wind uplift we must include in the design of roof coverings and of course, the structure overall. The building's proximity to salt water should also be taken into account.
■ The owner’s circumstances are very relevant. Is the building a condominium where decisions are being made for a larger group? Is it an investment property that you plan to sell soon? Is it your home or business property that you intend to own for decades? In most of these examples, cost is always a consideration. The cost is not only the initial expenditure but the return on that investment based on the roof’s longevity. The amount of maintenance also should be a factor. In our current market, the cost of property insurance also has a major impact. The insurance industry's insistence on the premature roof replacement of viable roofs that are only 15 years old or less has certainly made convincing an owner to invest in high-quality roof coverings that offer resilience and longevity a hard sell. Sometimes the money just isn’t available to buy a better or the best product available; letting your building be ruined, on the other hand, not by a storm but simply by water intrusion, is not a reasonable option either.
■ Personal preference should be considered. Some folks like the aesthetics of a particular roof covering or their HOA deed restrictions only allow certain types. Shouldn’t a group of owners be allowed to have a preference in how their neighborhoods look?
For all the reasons I covered and many more that haven’t been touched on, having a wide variety of roof covering options serves us well. FRSA is dedicated to improving the performance of every roof system and maintaining these choices. From my observations, all roof coverings have their pros and cons. By weighing these options we can make the best choice to protect our buildings. But asphalt shingles are the subject here so let’s address some important considerations and examine some misconceptions.
First, let’s start with an understanding that the primary purpose of a roof system is to keep the water out of the building. If it can’t accomplish this, then it doesn’t matter if it can resist high winds or not. All types of shingles and, for that matter, roof tile, slate and nearly all early metal roofs use fasteners that are overlapped (concealed) by the next higher (up slope) course or row of material, thereby protecting the fasteners below from weather exposure. This
basic approach has proven to be highly effective in providing weather protection for centuries. It doesn’t, however, lend itself to easy verification of the quantity and placement of fasteners during post installation inspections.
Asphalt shingle design has evolved from early strip shingles to today’s most often used laminated shingles, which are commonly referred to as architectural or dimensional shingles. There are also multi-layer laminated shingles often referred to as designer shingles. I have this type of shingle on my home. They are 28 years old and were performing flawlessly until they sustained some aesthetic damage in Hurricane Milton’s 100 mph-plus winds. All modern shingles
incorporate a seal strip that adheres the leading edge of shingle to the layer below. This feature is there to resist wind uplift and its effectiveness is critical. Asphalt roofing manufacturers have been striving to improve the performance of these sealants and are making great strides.
The fasteners are also very important for a wind resistant system. The proper placement and application of the nails are critical. Misplacement of fasteners and fasteners that are driven through the surrounding shingle material are common causes of failure and have little to do with the product itself (see diagram below). The most common application method used for applying shingle fasteners is a pneumatic nailer. The rapid installation made possible by pneumatic nailers unfortunately contribute to nail misplacement. They also lead to overdriven fasteners that weaken the surrounding shingle material. The quality of the installation is of the utmost importance for all roof coverings but, unfortunately, the actual installation results can vary widely. This is particularly true with asphalt shingles. Many assume that shingle applications are simple and nearly foolproof so anyone can do it. Nothing could be further from the truth, particularly when it comes to achieving wind resistance.
In Florida, except during a state of emergency, shingles are the only type of roof covering that can be installed by a contractor (Division 1 contractors: building, general and residential) other than a licensed roofing contractor. This is true unless the building owner decides to self-contract their roof replacement. Asphalt shingles are almost exclusively the roof material used by do-it-yourselfers and other unlicensed installers.
It is difficult to verify the quality of the installation and who did it when observing post-hurricane damage. Conclusions reached during post-hurricane assessments are seldom based on digging deep into the cause of a particular failure, they are usually anecdotal but can still be helpful. Seldom are true forensic investigations done. So, we must be careful about the conclusions that we reach based solely on visual observations and consider all the variables.
This leads us to the important question of what should be considered a roof failure? Is it a small amount of cosmetic damage after a roof system has been exposed to winds approaching or exceeding 100 mph? Or should we consider it a failure when there is water intrusion and interior damage? Going back to the primary purpose of a roof system: if it kept the water out during a hurricane and allowed the building to continue to be occupied shouldn’t that be considered success?
I recently addressed the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) at their Board of Directors meeting in Indianapolis and made a presentation titled Post-Hurricane Perceptions Matter. My goal was to bring them a Florida perspective and to reinforce ARMA’s interest in improving asphalt shingle roof performance after high wind events and how the perception and the narrative in Florida was not favorable to asphalt shingles. They were very receptive to the message and have been forthcoming in sharing the improvements in materials being made by many manufacturers. We will continue to work together through building code changes to improve materials, testing and application methods. ARMA is currently working with FEMA and conferring with FRSA to improve hip and ridge performance. This roof condition is where post-hurricane observations have found many failures in all roof covering types but especially with asphalt shingles. Addressing this issue could go a long way to reducing these failures. It is important to note that most often these hip and ridge failures do not lead to water intrusion. They are a part of a redundant roof system with multiple layers of material in these areas. They do, however, get recorded as damaged and thereby a "failure."
When accessing the amount of damage to asphalt shingles post-storm, one needs to remember that, nationally, asphalt shingles represent approximately 80 percent of residential roof coverings; in Florida it’s closer to 65 percent. Those percentages go up significantly if we look back a decade or two. This makes the large majority of older roof coverings asphalt shingles. In 2024, approximately 1.5 billion square feet of asphalt shingles were shipped into Florida. Because of lower costs, they are the predominant choice for affordable housing. We all want better performing roof systems but for many there are financial limits that we may have already exceeded.
Better quality asphalt shingles are available from nearly all manufacturers. They are, of course, more expensive and thereby seldom used. Shingle manufacturers and roofing contractors need to find ways to demonstrate to those outside the roofing industry that these premium products are available and may be worth a slight price increase when looking at the overall cost of a new roof. When wind ratings and warranties are all the same, it makes it a hard sell.
Insurers should strive to recognize the differences, both during underwriting and claims handling.
As has been reported, Press Secretary for Yaworsky’s office, Shiloh Elliott, wrote in an email, “Florida’s building codes are working and we do not want progress to go backwards,” and FRSA is in complete agreement. We and our industry partners have been working diligently to make sure we can continue that progress. According to nearly all reports and our own observations, we know we are making significant progress. Let’s continue to work through the building code arena and encourage the insurance industry to reward those who can afford to help mitigate their losses by choosing resilient options, without taking a punitive approach against a practical and affordable product that has a very strong history of success. We will be meeting with Commissioner Yaworsky’s office soon to share our mutual interest in providing more resilient roof systems and to bring his team our industry knowledge and perspective on how to best achieve that.
Mike Silvers, CPRC, is owner of Silvers Systems Inc., and is consulting with FRSA as Director of Technical Services. Mike is an FRSA Past President, Life Member and Campanella Award recipient and brings over 50 years of industry knowledge and experience to FRSA’s team.