Idyllic and verdant in warmer months, the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains delivers fierce winters each year to homes in Cut Bank, Montana. Extreme winds and sub-zero temperatures regularly reach the project roof fifty miles from the Canadian border. As if the environmental obstacles were not enough, the roof’s geodesic design also included more than one hundred different faces for the crew to cover.

The Team

The team from A1 Contractors was undaunted by the challenge, however. They even elected to hand-seal each individual shingle for greater wind strength.

Based 130 miles from the jobsite in Great Falls, MT, A1 Contractors was founded by a third generation roofer with more than 20 years’ experience. The Malarkey-certified Emerald Pro Contractor has worked in eight states and in a variety of conditions – from hurricane-ravaged regions to windswept Montana winters. A1 has steadily grown since 2006, as a NRCA member and earning an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

A1’s Amber Brannon spoke with us about the project which her team of nine successfully completed in seven days.

The Roof

“The roof was approximately 10 years old and had several shingles missing in multiple areas due to high winds and subpar workmanship,” said Brannon. “During removal we noticed multiple nails not placed in the nail strip,” she added.

Approximately 3,900 sq. ft. in size, the complexity of this project extended longer than your average home, noted Brannon. Comprised of 103 roof faces and ranging from pitches of 28/12 to 4/12, this roof was installed hanging from safety ropes and standing atop scaffolding. In total, the A1 team installed 42 squares (4,200 sq. ft.) of Highlander^® AR roofing shingles in Antique Brown.

“The roof had every shingle individually hand-sealed and had a 6-nail fastening pattern to ensure optimum performance in this extremely high wind area. [I] very much appreciate the crew’s professional manner and exquisite workmanship on such a complicated project,” said Brannon.

The Product Solution

This roof featured a few different Malarkey products to ensure the overall success of the roofing system. These products included Highlander® AR roofing shingles, RidgeFlex® ridge shingles, and Arctic Seal® ice and water barrier.

Highlander® AR is Malarkey’s most economical roofing shingle. Designed in the popular architectural style and made with industry-leading NEX® Rubberized Asphalt, Highlander® AR (algae resistant) shingles deliver all-weather resilience, a Class 3 hail impact rating, and include granules that reduce algae streaks and help clean the air of emission pollutants. Highlander® is the industry’s first and only entry-level shingle made of polymer modified (rubberized) asphalt, opening the benefits of this superior shingle-making technology to all budgets. Highlander® shingles are Class 3 rated for impact (second highest rating possible).

RidgeFlex® is a hip and ridge shingle offering from Malarkey for a low profile appearance at the roof peak. Made with NEX® Polymer Modified Asphalt (PMA) and UL Class 4 rated for impact resistance (highest rating possible), RidgeFlex® hip & ridge shingles provide extra impact protection at the most vulnerable high points of the roof and come in a low profile that adds slight roof dimension for subtle, enhanced curb appeal.

Arctic Seal® is a durable, waterproof, self-adhering underlayment made for areas of the roof most susceptible to leaks. Arctic Seal® can also be used as a high-performance, all-roof underlayment. Made with our proprietary NEX® Polymer Modified Asphalt for extra strength and durability, Arctic Seal® provides an extra layer of leak protection in critical areas like roof valleys, roof edges, and roof-to-sidewall transitions where rain, snow, and ice are more apt to accumulate. In colder geographies, Arctic Seal® helps prevent ice damming – a situation where snow melts and refreezes at the roof edge, forming a dam which prevents additional snowmelt (water) from draining off the roof, and instead seeps beneath shingles and leaks into the house.

Eco Offset

“Sustainability is the key core element of any roofing system. What good is a new roof if it fails? The homeowner trusted our choice during the shingle selection period,” said Brannon. At the time of the interview, her team had over twenty projects to be installed with Malarkey products.

Thanks to the advancements in NEX® Polymer Modified Asphalt, the products installed on this roof not only perform well in extreme conditions, but also help home construction become more sustainable. Utilizing polymers from upcycled plastics and rubber, NEX® PMA diverts material from entering the landfill and instead provides it with new life in a new form. Furthermore, every Malarkey shingle also features 3M™ Smog-Reducing Granules which help remove smog-pollutants from the air.

On this 42-square roof, the Eco Offset stats speak for themselves:

• 5 approximate rubber tires diverted from the landfill.
• 1K approximate plastic bags diverted from the landfill.
• 2 approximate trees ‘planted’ to help clean the air.