UPDATED FOR 2026
How Contractors Charge You Premium Prices for Low-Quality Materials
Welcome to County Roofing’s “Roofing Industry Scams Uncovered”, a series designed to shine a light on untrustworthy practices within the roofing industry.
This series is designed to empower consumers by increasing awareness of unlawful or wrongful practices we’ve seen throughout our 35 years serving Long Island and the greater New York area with roofing services based on integrity and trust.
Key Takeaways:
- Vague contract language like “architectural shingles” lets contractors substitute cheap materials while charging premium prices—costing you $2,000-$5,000 per job
- Material substitution remains undetected for years until premature failures appear, forcing you to replace your roof 10-15 years early
- Cheap shingles void manufacturer warranties and increase energy costs by $200-$400 annually due to poor thermal properties
- Contracts must specify exact products—”GAF Timberline HDZ in Weathered Wood”—not generic categories to prevent substitution
- Elite manufacturer certifications create accountability because GAF and Owens Corning verify that certified contractors use their actual products
You pay for what your roofer tells is their, “custom architectural shingle“.
Like nothing else on the market they say. The best.
Your contractor then proceeds to install generic 3-tab shingles that cost half as much and aren’t even good quality.
You won’t notice the difference until five years later when your roof starts deteriorating—and by then, the contractor’s moved on to the next unsuspecting homeowner.
The material substitution scam is a profitable one for less reputable roofers.
There’s no way to know what the quality is like when their product is (supposedly) unique to them.
Big brands- like the ones County Roofing work with- like CertainTeed, GAF, and Owens Corning are public, have been around for years, and have a solid reputation.
When you choose their roofing materials, you know what you’re getting.
When you go with XYZ roofer’s “best roofing shingle on the market”, you get duped by a product with unknown quality as there’s no way to verify any of their claims.
Below, we’ll show you exactly how contractors pull this off, what it costs you in the long run, and how to protect yourself from paying premium prices for bottom-shelf materials.
How the Materials Scam Works
The contract says “our high-quality custom-made architectural shingles.”
Sounds great, right?
It’s not.
All they’re doing is ordering some (typically) generic roofing product from a medium-of-the-pack (or even downright low quality) brand, white labeling it so that it shows their own brand on the packaging, and selling it to you like it’s gold.
Here’s what happens: A contractor quotes you $15,000 for a roof replacement using “premium architectural shingles.” You sign the contract. The materials show up, and everything looks fine because you don’t know what high quality architectural shingles are supposed to look like versus generic architectural shingles that cost $70 less per square.
The contractor just pocketed $2,000 to $5,000 on your job alone.
And you have no idea.
The Contract Language Loophole
Generic terms in roofing contracts create substitution opportunities.
When your contract lists “asphalt shingles” without specifying brand or grade, your contractor can technically fulfill the contract by installing the cheapest shingles available while charging you for premium products.
The same goes for underlayment, flashing, and ventilation components.
A contract that says “ice and water barrier” could mean a premium product like GAF WeatherWatch or a bargain-bin alternative that fails within five years. Both technically satisfy the contract language.
Your contractor knows this. That’s why they keep the language vague.
Why It’s Hard to Spot
Most homeowners can’t distinguish between shingle grades by looking at them.
That’s exactly what contractors count on.
A 30-year architectural shingle and a 50-year architectural shingle look nearly identical when they’re sitting in bundles on your roof. The difference is in the thickness, the asphalt quality, and the manufacturing standards—none of which you can verify by visual inspection.
By the time you notice the difference, it’s years later when your “premium” roof starts failing prematurely.
The contractor who installed it? Long gone.
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When you work with County Roofing, you get only the best. As little as 0% interest on approval for 5 years, quick approval, easy pay, and all backed by the best guarantees in the industry.
What This Actually Costs You
The immediate cost is obvious—you’re paying premium prices for budget materials.
But the real financial damage happens later.
Shorter Lifespan Means Replacement Sooner
Quality shingles from manufacturers like GAF or Owens Corning are engineered to last 25-30 years when properly installed.
Cheap alternatives might look fine for 5-10 years. Then the problems start.
Granule loss accelerates. Shingles crack and curl. Adhesive strips fail prematurely. What should have been a roof that lasted three decades needs replacement after fifteen years.
That’s an entire roof replacement you’re paying for ahead of schedule.
On a typical Long Island home, that’s $12,000-$18,000 you shouldn’t have needed to spend for another ten to fifteen years.
Voided Warranties
Here’s something most homeowners don’t realize: Manufacturer warranties only cover their actual products.
If your contractor installed bargain shingles but your paperwork says you have a GAF warranty, that warranty is worthless. The manufacturer will reject any claim because their products were never actually on your roof.
You have no coverage. No protection. No recourse.
Energy Costs Keep Climbing
Premium shingles have better thermal properties and reflective coatings that help regulate your home’s temperature.
Cheap shingles absorb more heat. They transfer more thermal energy into your attic. Your air conditioning works harder all summer long.
That’s an extra $200-$400 per year in energy costs that compounds over the lifetime of your roof.
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CertainTeed’s lifetime-limited transferable warranty is a true industry standout. Whereas other manufacturers only warrant against defects that cause leaks, CertainTeed protects your investment against all manufacturing defects, including aesthetic defects.
County Roofing Systems can offer you the longest warranties available because we’re a CertainTeed SELECT ShingleMaster, a certification only 1% of contractors qualify for.
We have over 35 years of experience living up to CertainTeed’s tough standards. That means CertainTeed trusts our home improvement work enough to stand behind it with their best guarantees.
To learn more about the industry-leading LIFETIME material, LIFETIME workmanship warranty, click the button below to call us today:
The “Leftover Materials” Pitch
After finishing a roofing job, some contractors offer to use “leftover materials from another project” at a discount.
Sounds like a good deal.
It’s not.
These “leftovers” are often unsuitable materials, products that didn’t meet specifications on the original job, or materials that have been sitting exposed to the elements for months. Sometimes they’re materials the contractor purchased specifically to flip to unsuspecting homeowners at bargain prices.
In other cases, there are no materials at all—the contractor just pockets your deposit and disappears.
A legitimate roofing company purchases materials specifically for your project. They don’t have “extras” sitting around, and if they did, professional contractors return unused materials to suppliers for credit.
County Roofing Systems: We Don’t Play the Substitution Game
Other contractors keep contracts vague so they can swap premium materials for cheap alternatives.
We do the opposite.
Every County Roofing Systems contract specifies exact products—not generic categories. Your contract doesn’t say “architectural shingles.” It says “GAF Timberline HDZ Architectural Shingles in Weathered Wood” or “Owens Corning Duration Shingles in Teak.”
Same with underlayment, flashing, ventilation components, and every other material that goes on your roof.
We’ve been doing this for 35+ years because we know exactly how material substitution scams work. We’ve seen the damage they cause. We’ve replaced roofs that failed prematurely because the original contractor cut corners on materials.
We refuse to be that contractor.
Elite Certifications Create Manufacturer Accountability
County Roofing Systems holds elite certifications from both GAF and Owens Corning.
Other contractors might claim they use premium materials, but they have no manufacturer oversight to verify it.
Our certifications aren’t participation trophies. They’re manufacturer partnerships that come with strict installation standards and quality requirements.
When we install a GAF system, GAF knows about it. When we install an Owens Corning system, Owens Corning tracks it. The manufacturers verify that we’re using their actual products—not substitutes—and installing them according to their specifications.
That creates accountability that protects you.
Click the button below to give us a call today:
You See Exactly What Goes on Your Roof
On every County Roofing Systems project, materials are delivered directly from the manufacturer’s authorized distributor to your property.
Other contractors don’t want you seeing the packaging because they don’t want you verifying what they’re actually installing.
We do the opposite. You see the packaging. You see the brand names. You can verify exactly what’s going on your roof before installation begins.
We’re not hiding anything because we have nothing to hide.
Our Team Knows the Difference Because They’re Trained to Know
Every installer on our crew is home-grown and NRCA-trained.
Other contractors hire whoever showed up with a truck last week. Those crews don’t know what premium materials look like or how to install them correctly.
Our professionals have been trained in proper roofing techniques by the National Roofing Contractors Association—the industry’s gold standard for roofing education. They know what premium materials look like, how they perform, and how to install them correctly.
When you’re working with people who actually know what they’re doing, material quality matters. Shortcuts become obvious. Substitutions don’t happen.
Nearly Four Decades of Being Here When It Matters
The contractors who play the material substitution game count on being gone in five years.
We’re still here after nearly four decades serving Long Island and Westchester.
We use only premium materials from GAF and Owens Corning because we know we’ll be here in five years, ten years, twenty years when that roof is still performing exactly as it should.
We specify exact products in every contract. We deliver materials straight from authorized distributors. Our home-grown, NRCA-trained team installs everything according to manufacturer specifications.
Because the next time you need roofing work—from a simple roof repair to a complete roof replacement—you shouldn’t have to wonder what materials are actually going on your roof.
You should know. Exactly.
Call County Roofing Systems today at (631) 400-7663 for a free estimate.
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