CertainTeed is the manufacturer of the roof shingles on our home, purchased newly-built in November 2005 and warranteed for 50 years. The roofing shingles failed to seal, and began blowing off during the very first storm season in 2005. This particular roof was selected for its claims to withstand severe weather. I have worked closely with our roofer and it has been demonstrated to me by him that the roof was installed correctly and according to the CertainTeed's specifications.

Each winter since, we continued to experience shingles blowing off and flapping loosely in the wind. Eventually, the costs of repairing blow-offs year after year convinced us that CertainTeed must be held accountable. We went through their claim procedure and were told the roof wasn't nailed down properly. The photocopy of what was "wrong" was demonstrated to me by my roof installer to be untrue - the nails were placed exactly as required. Furthermore, the nail placement will not hold down a shingle that is not sealed, no matter where it is. The type of roof we purchased has a self-sealant on it.

I pointed this out to CertainTeed and reminded them that even additional nails that my roofer added were not successful in holding down shingles because the shingles had not sealed! I then got a letter - completely separate from the "official" results of the lab test on our shingles - saying that the shingles were "not applied" properly. This type of shingle is self-sealing; the roofer does not apply a seal at all. My warranty claim is being blown off as surely as my roof is. We paid $1120 to have our roofer hand seal the shingles so that we may stay dry this winter. Hand sealing is not a requirement for installation of these shingles, but rather a remedial measure. Our request for CertainTeed to reimburse us for the cost of hand sealing was denied.