Ridge · Shingle Roofing
Owens Corning shingles, and an honest account of Class 4
Architectural shingles for most Valley roofs, and impact-rated Class 4 (UL 2218) where the numbers justify it, explained before you sign.
What wears out a shingle roof in the Valley
Sun does most of the damage. Granules wear off the surface over the summers, the asphalt underneath dries out, and a three-tab shingle starts to lift at the tabs in the first hard gust. Architectural laminates resist that better because the doubled mat holds the shingle down.
Hail is the rarer problem. The Rio Grande Valley is not the hail belt: the National Weather Service describes severe thunderstorms here as relatively infrequent. Infrequent is not never, though, and the March 2012 hailstorm across McAllen, Edinburg and Mission is still the local reference point.
A hail bruise is a spot where the impact has fractured the mat under the granules. It may not leak this year, which is why it is easy to miss from the ground.
Stripped roof deck ready for underlayment and a new shingle course
What UL 2218 tests, and what Class 4 does not mean
UL 2218 drops a steel ball onto the shingle from a set height, twice in the same location, then inspects the shingle from the back. No crack or tear through to the back is a pass. Results are graded Class 1 through Class 4, and Class 4, tested with a two-inch ball, is the most demanding.
The standard measures whether the shingle is breached. It does not measure denting, granule loss or other cosmetic marks, so a Class 4 roof can take hail, perform as intended and still look marked afterwards. Class 4 is not hail-proof, and no roof covering is.
Ariston installs Owens Corning shingles, standard architectural and impact-rated, with the underlayment, flashing, ventilation and ridge done as one system. Texas requires each shingle to carry the Underwriters Laboratories label showing its classification, and a product without it can miss the TWIA credit even when it meets the standard. We confirm the label before the bundles go on the roof.
Ask your carrier before you order anything
The Texas Department of Insurance states that roofing materials may be eligible for discounts, and that each insurance company sets the amount company by company. Some Texas homeowners may qualify for a premium credit when an eligible roof is installed and documented the way their carrier requires. The only way to learn your number is to ask your own carrier before you buy.
If your windstorm coverage runs through TWIA, the first-tier coastal counties include Cameron and Willacy, which takes in Harlingen and Brownsville. Hidalgo County, which covers McAllen, Edinburg, Mission and Weslaco, is not TWIA territory. Many Valley homeowners are with standard carriers, so check your own policy. Where TWIA applies, the installer completes TDI form PC068, and we can tell you what a roof was built with, not what your insurer will accept.
Ask your agent what credit your carrier offers and what paperwork it needs, get that in writing, then ask us what Class 4 costs against the same roof in standard architectural. Ariston Construction is bonded and general-liability insured, licensed through TDHCA as a manufactured housing installer (MHDINS00004804). Call (956) 345-7700 from La Feria, Weslaco or Brownsville and we will quote both.
TDHCA license MHDINS00004804 · Bonded and general-liability insured · Owens Corning roofing · Free inspection
Ridge
Standard or Class 4, side by side
Two ways to roof the same house. For the cost difference, we quote both on your roof.
| Architectural | Impact-rated Class 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Chosen for | Most Valley rooflines: the doubled mat handles gusts better than a three-tab. | Resistance to being punctured by hail, tested under UL 2218. |
| The test | Judged as part of the whole system: underlayment, flashing, ventilation, ridge. | Two-inch steel ball dropped twice in one spot, then inspected from the back. |
| What it will not do | Hail can bruise it or strip granules from the surface. | Does not stop denting or granule loss. Not hail-proof. |
| Premium credit | None assumed in the quote. | Set by your carrier, company by company. Ask in writing first. |
| Paperwork | Certificate in your name and a photo record of underlayment, flashing and ridge. | The same record, a label on every shingle, and form PC068 where TWIA applies. |