The Atlas Chalet is a type of shingle roofing product that was manufactured by the Atlas Roofing Corporation from the late 90’s until the around 2012. Not to be confused with the Certainteed Horizon, the Atlas Chalet is, in the opinion of Regal Roofing, a far more inferior product. When the Atlas Chalet was produced, it was considered a highly innovative product. Its unique design allowed it to be recognized as an upgraded architectural shingle (to the untrained eye), but it was really nothing more than your basic 3-tab shingle. The Atlas Chalet shingle was an incredibly attractive option for builders as it looked aesthetically pleasing to the eye, while being much less expensive than architectural shingles. This trait allowed builders to “up the price” of the home while lining their pockets with profit. There was nothing sinister happening – this was simply an innovative product for its time. Nobody could predict what would happen next.
Product Defects
Within just a few years of the Atlas Chalet being installed on homes, homeowners and building owners noticed a high rate of granule loss on their shingles. Gutters and downspouts became clogged with granules and the shingles began to blister. Not long after this happened, the shingles began peeling up and flying off the roofs they were installed on during moderate wind and rain storms. The Atlas Roofing Corporation denied that the shingle was defective, but ultimately stopped producing it not long after the first reports of premature deterioration came through.
Insurance Phenomena
There are some little known facts about how insurance companies must behave when it comes to indemnifying your home. For one, if you file a claim on your homeowners insurance and the adjuster finds damage, your insurance company must repair or replace the damaged areas using “like kind and quality”. This presents a bit of an issue when it comes to the Atlas Chalet shingle. Because the shingle was so unique and “innovative”, insurance companies are not able to repair the discontinued product with anything else... there simply is not anything else like it according to ITEL (a leading product and materials research firm).
- Fact #1: The Atlas Chalet shingle is a “30 year” shingle. This represents the “quality” of the product.
- Fact #2: The Atlas Chalet shingle is a 3-tab shingle. This represents the “kind” of product.
- Fact #3: ITEL states that there is no suitable product that may be used in the place of an Atlas Chalet.
- Fact #4: Most insurance companies use the information that ITEL provides to inform their decisions about how they proceed with indemnification.
Given the above information, your insurance company is not allowed to repair your roof with a product that is not of like kind and quality. As a result, if your insurance company determines that your roof has been damaged by a storm – they must replace the entire roof. They may not repair your roof no matter how minimal the damage is.
Regal Roofing’s Position on Atlas Chalet Shingles
It is the position of Regal Roofing and the Georgia Insurance Commissioner that your insurance company should replace your entire roof if you have any amount of storm damage on your Atlas Chalet shingle roof. Unfortunately, there are a few insurance companies which will do just about anything (in our experience) not to replace your entire roof if you have the Atlas Chalet shingle. Such companies are Allstate, Nationwide, and American Family. If you have one of these companies, give us a call and we will recommend a homeowner friendly insurance company such as State Farm. We have strong relationships with several insurance providers due to our honest approach to assessing storm damaged roofs. We are more than happy to provide you with a free assessment of your roof to determine if you have an Atlas Chalet shingle.
Fox News has done a good job of reporting on all things Atlas Chalet. We recommend watching these videos from Fox News to educate yourself. Once you’ve been educated, you will see why only an experienced roofer with strong experience in insurance claims can successfully walk you through this process without causing you a great deal of financial pain. Give us a call if you have any questions: