Which shingle type suits your house, how long a shingle roof should last, why shingles curl, and what the state code and your borough ask for before our crew puts a new roof on.
Asphalt shingles cover most of the houses we work on in Cumberland, Dauphin and Perry counties. The choice is wider than it looks from the street. Thickness, build, color and algae protection all differ, and the maker's name on the bundle tells you less than how the roof goes on.
Many of these houses are old. In Dauphin County, 62% of the homes were built before 1980, and the county's median year built is 1972. Older houses often need decking repairs or better airflow before new shingles will last. We look in the attic and on the roof, measure, photograph, and write the shingle choice into a line-by-line estimate.
Most shingles are asphalt on a fiberglass mat, topped with mineral granules. The types differ in build and look.
Algae-resistant granules are offered across most lines. We show you the sample in daylight against your trim and brick, because a color that looks gray on a card can read blue or brown on a house.
Our weather asks three things of a roof. The metro sits in IECC climate zone 4A, with about 101.5 nights a year at or below 32F and 17 days when the high stays below freezing. Water that melts under snow and freezes again at the eaves is a regular winter problem here. Summers are humid, and that is why moss and dark algae streaks show up on north slopes and shaded roofs.
So we lean on a few choices:
Slate and metal are other options. If you want to compare, see metal roofing.
A federal housing inspection guide puts the service life of a roof's first layer at about 20 years. That is a planning figure, not a promise. A roof can fall short of it or run well past it, depending on what it has been through.
What shortens a shingle roof here:
When we inspect, we count the signs worth acting on: worn granules, cracked or lifted tabs, soft decking, and rusted flashing. If a repair will hold, we tell you that and write it up. Our roof inspection page explains what we photograph.
Curling comes in two forms. Cupping is when the edges rise and the middle stays down. Clawing is when the tab turns up at the corners. Either one means the shingle has lost its flatness, and the cause decides the fix.
If only a few shingles have curled, a repair may be enough. See roof repair. A whole slope that curls usually points to replacement.
Homeowners ask us whether GAF is a good brand and whether Owens Corning makes architectural shingles. Owens Corning does, and so do GAF, IKO, CertainTeed, Tamko and Atlas. Every one of these makers sells laminated lines, plus designer and impact-rated lines.
We do not claim that one name beats the rest. What matters more:
Ask any contractor for the exact product line and the system pieces in writing. Ours go on the estimate, line by line, so you can compare two bids on equal terms.
Pennsylvania sets one building code for the state. It adopts the 2021 International Residential Code with Pennsylvania's changes (34 Pa. Code § 403.21), and that version took effect January 1, 2026. A town may adopt standards that equal or exceed it, but not a lower or different edition (34 Pa. Code § 403.102). Permit steps still differ from town to town.
Upper Allen Township's own design table lists a 90 mph wind speed, a 30 psf ground snow load, and an ice barrier requirement of Yes. We read the table for your town before we choose the underlayment.
| Town | What its records say |
|---|---|
| Harrisburg | Permit application lists roofing. The contractor must hold a valid Mercantile License. The permit is void if no inspection happens within 6 months. |
| Mechanicsburg | No building permit for a roof-covering replacement unless the structure is involved. Work without a required permit can bring fines of up to $1,000.00 per day. |
| New Cumberland | Roof replacement is listed among projects that may need a permit. Work cannot start until it is issued. |
| Camp Hill | Fee is $90.00 plus 1.2% of estimated project value. Plan review takes between 14 and 30 days. |
Where the town asks for a permit, we pull it. The full statewide picture is in our Pennsylvania roofing code guide.
We do not print a per-square price on this page, because the same shingle can cost very different amounts on two houses. These are the things that move the estimate:
Our free assessment at the house produces a written scope that lists each of these items. If you are weighing the whole job, see roof replacement.
To start, use the free roof estimate page.
A federal housing inspection guide gives about 20 years for a roof's first layer. Real life varies. Attic ventilation, shade and moss, winter freeze-thaw and the quality of the install all push that number up or down, so we judge your roof by what we find on it.
Architectural, or laminated, shingles are the choice of most homeowners who replace a roof today. They are thicker than 3-tab shingles and have a more dimensional look. We still show you traditional and designer samples so you can compare them against your house.
GAF is one of several large makers, along with Owens Corning, IKO, CertainTeed, Tamko and Atlas. We would rather compare product lines than brand names. The exact line, the matching system pieces and correct fastening decide how the roof performs, and all of that goes in our written scope.
Age is the usual cause. Heat and poor attic airflow, moisture from bath fans, and shingles laid over an old layer can also lift the edges. Curling on one slope points to a local cause. We find it before we recommend a repair or a replacement.
Yes. Owens Corning makes architectural lines, as do GAF, IKO, CertainTeed, Tamko and Atlas. We can price more than one line on the same roof, so the estimates compare like for like.
It depends on the town. Harrisburg's application lists roofing, while Mechanicsburg says replacing the roof covering needs no building permit unless the structure is involved. Where one is required, we pull it. Work without a required permit can bring citations.
Roof shingles across the Harrisburg-Carlisle, Pennsylvania metro. Each city has its own page with the permit rule and code edition that apply there:
Sources: Pennsylvania's adoption of the 2021 International Residential Code · Rule on local standards that equal or exceed the state code · Upper Allen Township design table: wind speed, snow load, ice barrier · Service life of a roof's first layer · Harrisburg building permit application · Mechanicsburg codes and zoning page · New Cumberland codes enforcement page · Camp Hill building permits. Codes, programs and prices change; confirm the current rule with your city before you rely on it.
Free inspection, a written scope, and photos you keep either way.
Book my free inspection →