Shingle Roofing Types for Southfield Homes
The shingle you pick changes the price per square, how the roof looks from the curb and what it can take from wind and hail. Here are the five choices worth comparing, plus the parts that hold them down.
Architectural (Dimensional) Shingles
Two mats are laminated together, and the bottom layer shows through cutouts in the top one, which gives the roof its shadow lines and hides small waves in an old deck. HomeGuide prices them at $400 to $600 per square installed and gives a 20 to 30 year lifespan. Most manufacturers sell several grades under one name, so compare the exact product, not just the brand.
Three-Tab Shingles
Three-tab shingles are one flat layer with two slots that make three even tabs. They cost the least (HomeGuide lists $200 to $500 per square installed) and look the most uniform. The trade-off is life: HomeGuide puts three-tab at 15 to 20 years. On an older roof, a repair has to match a color that has faded for years, so ask to see a sample shingle against the roof before you pay for a patch.
Designer Shingles (Slate and Shake Look)
Designer or luxury shingles are thicker asphalt shingles cut and colored to read as slate or cedar shake from the ground. They're the middle road for a Tudor or colonial where real slate is out of budget. HomeGuide lists them at $500 to $700 per square installed with a 25 to 40 year lifespan. They're heavy and slower to install, and some need their own matching hip and ridge pieces. If you want the real material instead, see slate, tile and cedar shake roofing.
Class 4 Impact-Resistant Shingles
Class 4 refers to UL 2218, a lab test where steel balls are dropped on a shingle deck. To earn Class 4, the shingle takes a 2-inch steel ball dropped from 20 feet and shows no cracks; dents are allowed. Class 3 is a 1.75-inch ball from 17 feet. Read the fine print on what the rating promises: GAF's own product page says it makes no warranty about how the shingle performs against hail. If you're replacing a roof after hail, hail damage roof repair covers when the upgrade makes sense.
The Shingle System: Starter, Underlayment and Ridge Cap
Shingles depend on what's under and around them. A starter strip along the eaves and rakes gives the first course a sealant line to bond to. Underlayment covers the deck, with an ice barrier at the eaves. Valleys get their lining before any shingle goes on. Hip and ridge cap shingles fold over the peak without cracking. Then there are the nails. The Michigan Residential Code calls for galvanized, stainless, aluminum or copper roofing nails with at least a 12-gauge shank and a 3/8-inch head, long enough to go at least 3/4 inch into the sheathing. On a thin old deck, that last number matters.
Why Southfield homeowners call Southfield Elite Roofing
- Free roof inspection
- Written scope and price before work starts
- One local roofing contractor per request
- Southfield homes and buildings only
- No fee for homeowners
Shingle Roofing Cost in Southfield
HomeGuide's national guide puts an asphalt shingle roof at $3 to $5 per square foot installed. By grade, per square (100 sq ft) installed:
Three-tab
$200 to $500.Architectural
$400 to $600.Designer / luxury
$500 to $700.
These are national estimates, not Southfield quotes. The shingle is only part of the bill. Tear-off, decking, ice barrier, flashing, vents and the permit all sit on top, so when two estimates name different shingles, ask each contractor to price the other's product too. Then you're comparing the shingle and not the whole scope. For the full job, see roof replacement.
Shingle Roofing Rules for Southfield Roofs
Shingles Need at Least a 2:12 Slope
Under the Michigan Residential Code, asphalt shingles go only on slopes of 2:12 or steeper, and slopes from 2:12 to 4:12 need a double layer of underlayment. A back porch or a 1950s addition with a near-flat roof doesn't get shingles at all. It needs a membrane, covered on the flat roofing page.
The Ice Barrier Is Code, Not an Upgrade
A shingle roof in Southfield needs an ice barrier at the eaves (MRC R905.2.7.1): a self-adhering polymer-modified bitumen sheet, or two layers of underlayment cemented together, from the eave edge to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line. Southfield's snow and freeze-thaw winters are why. If an estimate lists it as an option, treat it as a red flag.
What to Check on the Shingle Estimate
- Exact product line. Brand, product name and color, not "architectural shingles".
- Wind rating. The ASTM D3161 or D7158 class printed on the wrapper.
- Impact rating. Class 3, Class 4 or none, if hail is a concern.
- Starter and ridge. Manufacturer starter strip and hip and ridge cap, not cut field shingles.
- Nails. Count per shingle as the wrapper's instructions say, and a length that reaches 3/4 inch into the deck.
- Permit. Southfield requires one for every re-roof, overlays included.