Two crews can nail on the exact same shingle and hand you two completely different roofs — one that leaks in five years and one that outlives its warranty. Here's exactly what separates a bare-minimum job from how we do it, and from the strictest Malarkey-certified system.
When you collect roofing bids, the shingle brand is usually the same. What you can't see on the quote is how it gets installed — and that's where the cheapest bids quietly cut cost. This is the part that decides whether your roof lasts.
| Install step | Typical rooferThe code-minimum bid | Zenith standardValue, done right | Malarkey-certifiedStrictest system |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old roof removal | Roof over the old layer where allowed, to save labor | Full tear-off down to the wood deck, every time | Full tear-off + documented deck inspection |
| Decking / sheathing | Re-cover the existing deck as-is | Replace any rotten or soft sheathing we find | Replace rot + re-secure sheathing to spec |
| Underlayment | Cheapest felt or bargain synthetic | Quality synthetic across the whole deck | Premium Secure Choice® synthetic — a warranty component |
| Ice & water shield | Skipped or code-minimum only | Valleys and every penetration protected | Eaves, valleys, penetrations and wall lines |
| Starter strip | Cut-up field shingles used as starter | Factory starter strip along the eaves | Matched Malarkey starter with rated wind seal |
| Drip edge | Often omitted to save metal | New metal drip edge at eaves and rakes | New drip edge, correct overlap and fastening |
| Flashing | Re-use old flashing, seal it with caulk | New step & pipe flashing where needed | All flashings replaced — no reliance on caulk |
| Nailing | 4 nails, driven fast — overdriven & high nails common | Hand-checked nailing, correct placement | 6-nail pattern to spec for the enhanced wind rating |
| Ventilation | Left as-is, whatever was there | Balanced intake + ridge-vent exhaust | Engineered balanced ventilation system |
| Penetrations / boots | Re-used or caulked over | New boot on every pipe and penetration | Premium long-life boots |
| Hip & ridge | Cut-up field shingles | Manufactured hip & ridge cap | Matched Malarkey hip & ridge (system component) |
| Cleanup | A quick once-over | Full magnetic nail sweep, landscaping tarped | Full sweep + documented property protection |
| Wind performance | Whatever the base rating happens to be | Improved by correct nailing & real starter | Up to 130–140 mph enhanced (system + certified install) |
| Warranty you end up with | Basic material only — no workmanship, prorated | Material + Zenith workmanship warranty | Enhanced Malarkey warranty incl. workmanship |
A roof-over instead of a tear-off hides rotten decking you'll pay for later. Re-used flashing sealed with caulk is a leak on a timer — caulk fails in a few Northwest winters. Overdriven nails cut through the shingle and void wind coverage. None of it shows up on the day the crew leaves; all of it shows up in years three through eight.
Our standard install already does the things a code-minimum bid skips — full tear-off, quality underlayment, ice & water in the valleys, new flashing, real starter and ridge, balanced ventilation, and a workmanship warranty. That's the value tier: not the cheapest bid, but the roof that actually lasts, at a fair price.
Step up to a full Malarkey Secure Choice® system installed to certification standards and you get the strictest install we offer — premium components at every layer, the enhanced wind rating, and a warranty that covers the workmanship itself, not just the shingle. It's the best roof money can buy in our lineup.
Certified-install and enhanced-warranty details reflect Malarkey Roofing Products' published Secure Choice® / certified-contractor program. "Typical roofer" describes common lowest-bid practices, not any specific company.
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