When it’s time to replace instead of repair
Asphalt shingles in Colorado rarely reach the 25 or 30 years printed on the bundle. Our altitude means more UV, our winters mean more freeze-thaw cycles, and our summers mean hail. If your roof is 15 years old and has been through two or three hail events, a repair is often just a down payment on the replacement you’ll need anyway.
Signs we look for on an inspection: granule loss that leaves shingles looking bald, cracked or curling tabs, exposed nail heads, rusted flashing, soft spots in the decking, and daylight visible from the attic. We photograph all of it so you can see what we see.
How we build a Summit roof
Every replacement starts with a complete tear-off. We don’t lay new shingles over old ones, even when a city would allow it, because a second layer traps heat, hides rotten decking and voids most manufacturer warranties.
Once the deck is bare we walk it, replace any soft or delaminated sheathing, and install ice-and-water shield at the eaves, in every valley and around every pipe, vent and chimney. Synthetic underlayment goes over the rest of the deck, then new metal drip edge, then the shingles themselves. We standardize on Class 4 impact-resistant shingles from Owens Corning, GAF and Malarkey because they hold up to hail noticeably better than standard architectural shingles, and because many Colorado insurers discount your premium for them.
Ridge vents, new pipe boots and painted flashing finish the job. Before the crew leaves, a foreman runs rolling magnets across the yard and driveway to pick up nails, and you get a photo report of every stage.
Your warranty, in plain English
Two warranties cover a Summit roof. The manufacturer covers the shingles themselves against defects, typically for 50 years on the products we install. Summit covers the workmanship, meaning the installation, for as long as you own the home. If it leaks because of something we did, we fix it at no charge.