TRULY TOUGH: Which Shingles Remained Steadfast?

The devastating power of Hurricane Ian provided a test that most asphalt shingles could not hope to pass last summer. However, roofing contractors working through the storm's devastation could easily tell which roofs had shingles that outperformed even high expectations.

"I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself," said Mike Logan, Universal Contracting & Solar production manager in Fort Myers, Fla., of TAMKO's Titan XT Premium Architectural Shingles. "I’ve been in roofing for 33 years, the last 18 years of it in Florida, and I’ve never seen an asphalt shingle perform [as] Titan did."

The performance of Titan XT in Hurricane Ian exceeded expectations, with none of Universal's 17 Titan XT installations losing a single Titan XT shingle.

"Titan XT is the best roofing shingle I’ve seen, hands down," Logan said. "It's true; I’m sold."

Hurricane Ian landed on western Florida as a Category 4 storm on Sept. 28, 2022, and quickly became one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to hit the United States. With winds exceeding 150 mph, many of the structures in the area were devastated, according to Logan.

"The shingle roofs didn't hold up, and we were tarping at least 40 houses [daily]," he said.

But it was a different story for homes where Universal Contracting installed TAMKO's Titan XT shingles.

James Rodriguez, Universal Contracting's director of insurance, had four Titan XT installs on one street in Port Charlotte, Fla., one of the hardest hit areas by the storm.

"If you go down that street, every single roof on that street is tarped unless it's metal or it's Titan XT," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said the benefit of this to the homeowners who chose Titan XT is invaluable.

"We just went through a Category 4 hurricane with 150-mph winds, and none of them [the Titan XT installations] have to get a reroof; none of them even have to get a repair," he said. "Neighbors are asking these homeowners who used Titan XT how [their shingles survived] when the only other roofs on the road that survived are metal?"

Jeff Van is one of those homeowners. The Vietnam War veteran and Chicago transplant had Universal Contracting crews install Titan XT on his Port Charlotte home before the storm, and the investment paid off quickly. Van and his other neighbors with Titan XT were the only shingle roofs on the block still intact after Hurricane Ian's winds whipped through.

"I had a roof put on with a product by TAMKO, [Universal did it], and it survived 150-mph winds," Van said. "My pool cage didn't fare as well — this company [TAMKO] doesn't make pool cages, but thank God they make roofing because, in the neighborhood of the people that had their roofs done with this product, there is no damage whatsoever. And I thank you."

"I’ve been in roofing for 33 years, the last 18 years of it in Florida, and I’ve never seen an asphalt shingle perform [as] Titan did." — Mike Logan, Universal Contracting & Solar production manager in Fort Myers, Fla.

Using Titan XT shingles has proved to be a major advantage to Universal Contracting years after the storm as homeowners see the difference between Titan XT's performance and other shingles in real-time in their neighborhoods.

"It's been fantastic for us as a product," Rodriguez said. "Homeowners don't have to shop around, they can go with Universal Contracting, and they can get a product that will last, and they don't have to worry about their investment."

And the referrals are rolling in for Universal.

"I have one client who has already given 35 referrals to us because people want to know who installed their roof and what product they [used], so we tell them every time: TAMKO Titan XT," Rodriguez said. "We hit the biggest winds you can in our area, and we didn't lose a single [Titan XT] shingle."

The results speak for themselves. Titan XT shingles feature a 160-mph High Wind Application Warranty with only four nails required and TAMKO Starter.* Logan said most of the jobs he's closing are upgrading to Titan XT shingles based on his photos of side-by-side Titan XT versus other brands’ post-hurricane performance.

"It's because of how Titan held up, them not losing any shingles, and that's what homeowners want," Logan said.

As a longtime local contractor, Universal Contracting is selective when choosing which products its crews will install.

"We have a reputation to live up to," Logan said. "There's a lot of stuff that goes down here with fly-by-night companies, but we care — we are 100% in this community, and we care about everything we do here."

And as a TAMKO Certified Contractor, Universal Contracting can offer homeowners enhanced warranties on Titan XT installations.