Short answer
A workmanship warranty covers leaks and failures caused by how the roof was installed, including nailing, flashing, underlayment, penetrations and ventilation work. It should state a term in years, say plainly that labor and materials for the repair are both included, and name what voids it. If the document does not list the flashing and the penetrations, it is not covering the parts of your roof most likely to leak.
On this page
A workmanship warranty covers leaks and failures that come from how your roof was installed rather than from the shingle itself. That means nailing, underlayment, ice and water shield, flashing at every junction, pipe boots, drip edge, ridge cap and the ventilation that was cut in. If the document in your hand does not name those parts, it is not covering the parts of a New Jersey roof that actually leak.
The roof warranty guide explains how workmanship and manufacturer coverage differ and how the GAF warranty tiers stack. This post goes a level down: what the workmanship document itself needs to say, clause by clause, and how to read the one a salesperson hands you at the kitchen table.
What a workmanship warranty is supposed to cover
A usable workmanship warranty answers five questions in writing.
How long. A term stated in years, with a start date tied to something fixed, usually substantial completion or final payment. A warranty with no term is not a warranty.
What failures. Leaks and defects caused by installation. The strong versions list the components by name: shingle application and nailing, starter course, underlayment, ice and water shield, step and counter flashing, valley construction, chimney and sidewall flashing, skylight flashing, pipe boots, drip edge, ridge cap and ridge vent.
What the contractor does about it. Diagnose, then repair, with both labor and materials included. Watch for a document that covers labor but makes you pay for materials, or one that promises only to "inspect" the condition.
What is excluded. Storm damage, falling trees, ice dam damage, foot traffic by other trades, and anything cut into the roof after the crew left. These exclusions are normal and honest. They should still be printed, not explained verbally and forgotten.
Whether it transfers. If you sell the house, does the next owner get the remaining term, and does the transfer require notice or a fee.
What it does not cover, and why that is reasonable
A workmanship warranty is not a maintenance plan and not an insurance policy. Nobody who installs roofs for a living will warranty a tree limb through your ridge, and you should not trust a contractor who says he will.
The exclusions you will see on nearly every document:
- Damage from wind, hail, falling branches and other storm events. That is a claim against your homeowner's policy, and the storm damage guide walks through what to do in the first 48 hours.
- Damage from ice dams, which are a ventilation and insulation problem in the house as much as a roof problem.
- Leaks at equipment installed by someone else after the roof went on, such as a satellite mount, an antenna, a new exhaust fan or a condenser line punched through the deck.
- Interior finishes. Most workmanship coverage repairs the roof, not the drywall under it. Ask what happens to a stained ceiling and get the answer written in.
- Failure caused by a homeowner walking the roof, pressure washing it, or scraping snow off it with a shovel.
Workmanship coverage and manufacturer coverage side by side
| Workmanship warranty | Manufacturer warranty | |
|---|---|---|
| Who stands behind it | Workmanship warrantyThe contractor who installed the roof | Manufacturer warrantyThe shingle manufacturer |
| What it covers | Workmanship warrantyInstallation errors, including flashing and penetrations | Manufacturer warrantyA defect in the shingle product itself |
| What it typically excludes | Workmanship warrantyStorms, ice dams, other trades on the roof | Manufacturer warrantyAnything to do with how the roof was installed |
| When it matters most | Workmanship warrantyThe first years after installation | Manufacturer warrantyLater in the roof's life, if a product batch fails |
| Who you call | Workmanship warrantyThe contractor's office | Manufacturer warrantyThe contractor files on your behalf, or you file directly |
| How a claim usually starts | Workmanship warrantyA leak or a visible defect | Manufacturer warrantyA widespread granule or mat problem across the roof |
Most of what goes wrong on a roof in the first decade is installation, not product. Nails driven high or overdriven, step flashing reused instead of replaced, a valley shingled wrong, a pipe boot that was never changed. That is why the contractor's document, not the manufacturer's, is the one to read closely.
GAF's higher coverage tiers require the full system from one manufacturer, including starter strip, underlayment, ridge cap and ventilation. The GAF shingles guide explains which components have to match. Lightning Construction is GAF Certified, so those system options are on the table, but the workmanship terms still come from the contractor and still need to be read.
Language that should make you slow down
"Lifetime workmanship warranty"
Ask whose lifetime, then ask for the number of years in writing. If the term is tied to the life of the business, ask how long the business has been operating. Lightning was founded in 2011 and is run by its two owners, Liam Johnson and Nate Zavorek. A company a few months old offering a lifetime labor warranty is offering a promise it has no history behind.
"Covers defects in installation" and nothing else
Too broad to use. The useful documents name the components. Flashing is the test. If chimney, sidewall, valley and skylight flashing are not listed, assume they are not covered.
"At the contractor's sole discretion"
This phrase is common and not always a problem, but pair it with a response commitment. Ask what happens if you report a leak in February.
Coverage that starts at deposit
Irrelevant here, because Lightning takes no deposit. Nothing is due until the work is finished and you have inspected it, which means the warranty clock and your first payment line up with a completed roof.
A warranty attached to an estimate that can change
A price that moves after tear-off tends to come with coverage that moves too. Lightning writes no change orders. Extra shingle layers, damaged decking and inadequate flashing are found at the free inspection and priced into the quote, so the document you sign describes the roof you get.
How to document the job so a claim goes through
- Get the warranty as a separate signed page or a numbered section of the contract, not a line on a brochure.
- Confirm the permit was pulled by the contractor under the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code and that the municipal inspection was passed. Lightning pulls the permit and attends the inspection in every municipality, and you file nothing. The permit guide covers how that record works.
- Ask the crew for photos of the deck after tear-off, the ice and water shield at the eaves and valleys, and the new flashing before the shingles cover it.
- Keep the contract, the warranty page, the permit and inspection record, the manufacturer registration if one was filed, and the final invoice in one folder.
- Check the roof after the first hard nor'easter and after the first spring thaw. Report anything you see while the term is running, in writing, by email, so there is a date on it.
- If you sell, follow the transfer procedure before closing rather than after.
The contractor selection guide covers the other questions worth asking before you sign, including licensing and insurance. Lightning holds New Jersey Home Improvement Contractor registration 13VH12437000 and is licensed and insured.
What to do next
Ask every contractor bidding your roof for the workmanship warranty document in advance, not at signing. Read the term, the components list and the exclusions. Compare those three things across your bids the same way you compare the price, because a lower number with no flashing coverage is not the cheaper roof.
Lightning's inspection and written estimate are free with no obligation, and a salesperson does come to the house. Most asphalt roof replacements are finished in a single day. See the roofing service page for what is included in a replacement, or request a free estimate and have the warranty language in front of you when the estimate is written.
