Have you ever worried that your roof might not have been installed correctly, even though you paid for premium materials? Are you seeing signs of premature wear, sagging, or leaks and questioning whether it’s the shingles or the workmanship?
You’re not alone. Many Seattle homeowners assume that if they invest in a high-end roofing product like Euroshield or metal panels, their roof is guaranteed to last. But here’s the harsh truth: Even the best roofing materials in the world will fail if they’re not installed correctly.
At RoofSmart, we’ve inspected, repaired, and replaced thousands of roofs that failed because of poor workmanship. Job after job, we see it firsthand: beautiful, expensive roofs that rot from the inside out due to corners being cut during installation.
In this article, we’ll break down:
- Why improper installation causes even the best roofs to fail in Seattle weather
- What happened to one Seattle homeowner who had a Euroshield roof installed incorrectly
- How you can protect yourself from poor workmanship (even from contractors with good reputations)
Does a premium roofing material still work if it’s installed improperly?
In short, the answer is no. Your roof will fail (in any number of ways) if it is not installed properly. We tell as many people as possible that finding a reliable, experienced roofing contractor is more important than choosing a roofing material.
The key is making sure that there are no holes, gaps, dents, or other issues that will impede your roof’s ability to provide a protective barrier for your home.
For most of the year, the Seattle area is drenched in rain. So, if your roof has holes or other areas where water can get in, then it’s going to leak and potentially cause thousands of dollars in damage:
This is what your roof deck could end up looking like. We’ve seen it happen on countless roofs across the Greater Seattle area.
Leaks are one of the most common issues we see with improper installation. But another big problem that not many roofers address is poor attic ventilation.
All roofing materials require quality ventilation to work properly. Without it, the shingles can warp and roast, causing the roof to fail prematurely. This can also lead to leaks sometimes.
Most Seattle homeowners have asphalt shingles, and they will work just fine (unless their installation was messed up). This is expected from basic roofing materials.
However, even if you upgrade to premium materials like 24-gauge steel panels or Euroshield, you still need to make sure that your roofer knows how to install them properly. Otherwise, your roof could end up failing completely and require a full repair.
What happens if Euroshield isn’t installed properly in Seattle?
To help you understand what can happen to more expensive products like Euroshield if they don’t get installed properly, we’re going to share the story of Scott Simmons.
He is a recent customer we helped who had a completely messed-up Euroshield roof (because it was installed incorrectly).
Scott had his Euroshield roof installed 17 years ago by a local roofing company in the Seattle area.
Here’s what they messed up during installation on Scott’s roof:
- Used the wrong roof sheathing: Scott’s roof had skip sheathing, which is only supposed to be used with shake. For whatever reason, they did not install OSB or plywood before installing the Euroshield. This means that Scott’s roof was not only not installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions, it also didn’t meet building code requirements.
- Did not fix attic ventilation: Scott’s attic wasn’t properly ventilated. It had a severe lack of intake ventilation, and some of the intake vents present in the roof were blocked by insulation. Either the previous company didn’t check the ventilation, or saw it and did not fix it.
Basically, the Eurshield shingles were installed on a sauna. So, over the course of time the shingles started looking like they were warping. They were starting to cup and become unattached, creating sections of the roof that were just loose and floppy.
And the worst part was that even though Scott had a warranty with the roofing company, they insisted it was a problem with the Euroshield shingles. But, it was clearly a problem with the installation, so Scott was unable to use his warranty with Euroshield.
Scott wasn’t sure what to do, so he called up some other roofers to inspect the roof. We checked out the attic and noticed all of the problems, helping him understand that it was an installation problem, not an issue with the roofing material.
How do I avoid poor workmanship on my roof?
Here’s the really concerning part of Scott’s story: the roofing company he hired has been around for decades and has a good reputation, but they still didn't do the roof to code.
So, what are you supposed to do? That's really hard, because a big proxy for who you can trust is how long they have been in business, and what their reputation is in the community.
A company might have a decades-long track record, but how likely is it that the people who built that reputation are still there? There is a surprising amount of turnover in roofing companies (this includes roofers, salespeople, and even owners).
This is why it’s important to thoroughly research your roofing company options to make sure that they have experience doing whatever kind of roof you want.
Make sure to ask your roofer questions that dig deeper than how long they’ve been in business or if they’re licensed and qualified. Check out this quick video to learn 5 questions you should ask your roofer and what insights they can give you about that company:
How can you tell if a roofing contractor is actually qualified?
Even if you’ve chosen high-quality roofing materials and know what you want, none of it matters if the installer isn’t qualified. In fact, most roof failures we see in the Seattle area aren’t caused by the shingles themselves; they’re caused by poor workmanship from underqualified contractors.
The problem? Many homeowners assume a licensed, well-reviewed, long-established roofer must be qualified. But that’s not always the case.
So how can you tell who’s truly qualified and who just looks good on paper?
Read our article “Is Your Seattle Roofer Actually Good? Here’s How to Tell Before It’s Too Late” to learn what real qualifications look like beyond licenses and years in business, and the red flags to watch for during your contractor search.
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