Sears Roofing Reviews: Shingles Cost, Is Sears Roofing Worth it?

What's a Typical Cost To Install a new Roof? Average Price: $5,960 - $12,740
See Costs Near You

Sears roofing provides replacement asphalt shingle roofs installed at a cost of $4.80 to $10.50 per square foot. The cost ultimately depends on the type of shingles you choose, accessory materials, and whether old roofing must be removed and disposed of.

Here is our quick Sears Roofing review followed by full details that focus on the two key aspects of a new roof – The materials used and the quality of the workmanship and service you receive.

Sears Roofing Review

Who: Sears roofing services are provided by Transform Home Improvements, which bought Sears Home Services in 2019. For branding purposes, the Sears name is still used.

Availability: Limited. Sears roofing services are not offered in most cities across the country.

Cost: You have 3 shingle choices, all made by Owens Corning, in basic, better, and best grades. Installation cost is $4.80 to $10.50 per square foot including your shingle choice, all installation extras plus labor cost.

What do customers think? Sears Home Services and Transform Home Improvements have a poor reputation with homeowners who have hired the company for roofing and other home remodeling services. How bad? On Yelp, Transform Home Improvements has a rating of 1 star out of 5 based on 46 reviews.

What’s wrong? Shingles are not the issue. In fact, the shingles offered for installation by Sears are made by Owens Corning and rated at least average to near the top of the list.

The problems are with the service provider and include poor customer service, long waits to get work done, unexpected fees and inferior workmanship.

If you want full details of Sears roofing provided by Transform Home Improvements, read on.

Cost

Here’s a complete breakdown of Sears roofing cost per square foot.

Shingles & Warranty Without Tear-off With Tear-off
Supreme – 25 Years $4.80 – $5.75 $5.50 – $7.50
Oakridge – Lifetime $4.95 – $6.50 $6.00 – $9.95
Duration – Lifetime $5.50 – $7.75 $6.75 – $10.50
Average Cost To Install a new Roof Typical Range: $5,960 - $12,740
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Without Tear-off: In most Sears roofing service areas, homeowners can add a second layer of shingles to their roof without removing the first layer.

Tear Off: When old shingles must be torn off, everything down to the wood roof deck is removed. This means that the roof will require underlayment (aka tar paper), moisture barrier at the eaves/rakes/valleys, ridge vent, starter shingles and ridge or hip shingles.

Extra labor and disposal costs for a tear off: $0.50 to $1.50 per square foot.

Extra material cost for a new roof after a tear off: $0.90 to $1.15 per square foot.

Other Cost Factors

They’re the same regardless of who you hire for your new or replacement asphalt shingle roof.

These factors push the cost higher on the spectrum: Roofs with a steep (6/12 or greater) slope, multiple stories, dormers and extra peaks, transportation charges and cost of living in your area.

Sears Home Services is Transform Home Improvements

As you likely know if you’re over 30, Sears was once a dominant brand in the retail and service industries. Not anymore. After a series of bankruptcies, mergers and spin-offs, Sears is a shell of its former self.

A group of private investors formed Transformco back in 2019 for the purpose of acquiring Sears Home Services and other assets as Sears Holdings emerged from bankruptcy. The new company kept the Sears brand because Sears once had a very solid reputation among consumers.

Shingle Options

Sears keeps it simple, which has its pros and cons.

The Owens Corning shingle choices are:

Basic: Supreme 3-tab Shingles

Supreme shingles are an affordable strip shingle. The single-layer construction features two vertical cuts on the exposed lower half of the shingle to produce 3 separate tabs. The profile is quite flat.

Manufacturer warranty: 25 years

Wind warranty: 60 MPH

Colors: Up to 19 colors, though not all colors are available in all locations served by Sears roofing.

Pros and Cons: These are the most affordable shingles, and you have a good selection of colors. The warranty coverages are standard for 3-tab shingles.

Buying tip: If most roofs in your neighborhood use 3-tab shingles, then these are a good choice. Where most homes use dimensional/architectural shingles (see the next options), then avoid 3-tab, since they look like a cheaper choice by comparison.

Better: Oakridge Laminated Shingles

These popular shingles are manufactured with two layers to give them more weight and durability. Plus, the extra bulk gives them a higher profile for definition and shadowing that better mimic wood shakes and stone slate.

Colors: 21 colors are produced, but just 7 are available in all service areas.

Pros and Cons: The “Lifetime” warranty is prorated over 50 years, but don’t expect the shingles to look good for more than 15-25 years depending on your climate. Granule loss and fading are not covered by the warranty.

The standard wind warranty covers the shingles in wind up to 110MPH, which can be upgraded to 130MPH with enhanced installation. The shingles have copper in the granules to prevent algae and are guaranteed against algae staining for 10 years.

Best: Duration Architectural Shingles

The full name is TruDefinition Duration shingles. These are some of the best-selling shingles in North America.

Duration shingles are much the same as Oakridge, but they feature stronger construction, a thicker profile and what Owens Corning calls SureNail Technology, a wider, reinforced nailing area for better hold.

Colors: Most of the colors are the same as those available in the Oakridge line, and 18 colors are produced, but just 7 are available in all service areas. The “available everywhere” colors are a different 7 than you have with Oakridge.

Pros and Cons: Expect 10-15 color options where you live.

These are a better choice than either Supreme or Oakridge if high winds are an issue where you live. And if you see dark stains on roofs in your area, then consider they also have the algae-fighting copper granules and the 10-year warranty.

Buying tip: If wind and staining are not issues where you live, or if you plan to sell your home in the next decade, then upgrading from Oakridge to Duration probably may not be worth the extra cost.

What about independent quality testing? Consumer Reports rates OC Supreme shingles as about average in quality among 3-tab options, behind Atlas products but ahead of comparable GAF and CertainTeed shingles.

Duration shingles are given the top spot in their niche ahead of GAF Timberline, Atlas Pinnacle, and comparable products.

What about Duration Designer, Storm, and Flex?

These upgraded shingles in the Duration series cost $0.75 to $2.00 more per square foot because of enhanced appearance and/or storm durability.

When you talk with a Sears roofing Project Consultant, you might find that those premium Duration shingle choices are available to you.

FAQs

Here are additional questions and topics homeowners ask about Sears roofing and Transform Home Improvement.

Is Sears Roofing Available Where I Live?

Probably not. Sears roofing services are available in just two of the 30 largest metropolitan regions in the US – Los Angeles and Houston – and other locations scattered around the country.

How Does This Work?

You contact Sears Home Services either by filling out a form on its website or calling the call center. If you call, you can expect to get only the very basic questions answered.

Whether you make the contact by website form or by phone, the first question is “What’s your zip code?” And for most zip codes, the reply is “Sorry, Sears doesn’t offer roofing in your area.”

If roofing services from Sears are available in your area, here is what to expect:

A Project Consultant from a local roofing company contacts you to set up an in-home visit – at no cost to you.

They give your roof a quick inspection to evaluate its condition and whether a tear-off is needed.

The consultant brings shingle samples and can help you make your choice about which is right for your home and climate conditions.

Questions are answered about products, warranties, workmanship, etc.

You can sign on the spot, which we do not recommend, or you can take time to find out more about the contractor assigned as the Project Consultant.

Estimates are good for 30 days.

If you sign a contract with Transform Home Improvements, aka Sears Home Services, you can expect to wait from 4 to 12 weeks for the work to be started. The wait varies by location and time of the year.

A written quote is provided.

Who Installs Your Roof?

Third-party subcontractors. That means that you don’t have the option to choose your own roofer.

Sure, you can do your due diligence once a roofing contractor is assigned your job. Just don’t sign a contract until you have time to check Google, Yelp and BBB reviews on the roofing contractor.

What Do Homeowners Say About Sears Roofing?

Consumers don’t like Sears Home Services anymore. Keep in mind that Transform Home Improvements has only owned the business since 2019, so many of the reviews on Google and other review sites date from before the change in ownership.

But here is a rundown on popular review sites. Most good reviews are from before Transform Home Improvements bought and started to manage Sears Home Services.

Google: 4.3 out of 5 stars, BUT most reviews in the last couple of years are 1 or 2 stars.

Yelp (Listed as “Transform Home Services formerly Sears”): 1 star out of 5. 39 of the most recent 40 reviews are 1 star. The 40th looks fake.

Home Advisor: 3.5 out of 5, but a common theme – all recent reviews are brutally negative.

Houzz: 1 out of 5.

Indeed: 2.7 out of 5. Yes, indeed is a job recruiting site. But for what it’s worth, people don’t like working at Transformco either, and unhappy employees generally produce inferior results.

Are Prices Higher than Average?

Yes, but only about 5% to 15%. This means that the third-party roofer is probably doing the job for less than they usually would charge. And they work with Sears because the business comes from the leads and sales they don’t have to generate on their own. Or it could be they can’t get much business otherwise due to a bad local reputation.

A contractor getting paid less doesn’t bode well for the consumer. It often means the roofing contractor cuts corners, puts inexperienced/lower-wage roofers on the job or doesn’t follow up on customer calls until they’ve satisfied their “own” customers.

Yes, some roofing contractors have the integrity to do a great job with outstanding customer service, even if they make a little less on the roof. But frankly, the best roofers don’t need leads from Sears to be successful.

Is Using Sears Roofing Worth the Cost?

No, not in our opinion.

You will almost certainly do better if you get roofing contractor suggestions from neighbors, family and friends who recently had their roof installed or replaced. Make a short list of roofers you hear good things about. Check their reviews. Or use a service that offers pre-screened roofers in your area and ensures that they are licensed, insured, and experienced.

Either way, get estimates from several roof contractors to compare similar roofing products and costs, and choose the contractor with the right balance of price and good reviews from satisfied customers.

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What's a Typical Cost To Install a new Roof? Average Price: $5,960 - $12,740
See Costs Near You

1 thought on “Sears Roofing Reviews: Shingles Cost, Is Sears Roofing Worth it?”

  1. OH MY I WISH I HAD SEEN THIS ARTICLE BEFORE USING SEARS! WE HAD BEEN WITH SEARS FOR A VERY VERY LONG TIME AND HAD ALWAYS USED THEM FOR EVERYTHING! WE HAD A ROOF PUT ON IN 2021.THE SALEMAN INCORRECTLY FILLED OUT OUR CONTRACT. SOME OF THE MAIN INFORMATION NEEDED FOR OUR HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE COMPANY IS NOT ON IT. EXAMPLE ROOF WARRANTY CONTACT NUMBERS IF ANYTHING WENT WRONG WITH ROOF TYPE OF SHINGLES! I HAVE CALLED SEARS SEVERAL TIMES. NO ONE COULD HELP ME. I HAVE BEEN SO DISAAPOINTED IN SEARS! I NEVER HAVE HAD A PROBLEM WITH SEARS BEFORE UNTIL NOW!. I CAN NOT BELIEVE THIS HAS HAPPEN TO ME AND MY HUSBAND. I HAVE CALLED TRANSFORMERS! NO HELP AT ALL! THE TELEPHONE NUMBERS DO NOT WORK!. I WAS ABLE TO TALK TO A PERSON SUPERVISOR! HE NEVER RETURNED MY CALL! SINCE THEN I HAVE REACHED OUT AGAIN MANY MANY TIMES.! I HAVE EMAILED SEARS CUSTOMER SERVICE ! NO REPLYS! STILL NO RESPONSE.THE AMOUNT OF MONEY WE ARE PAYING FOR THIS ROOF SOMEONE SHOULD BE CALLING US BACK OR ANSWERING OUR CALLS! OH MY WE MADE A BIG MISTAKE. SEARS IS NOT THE SAME SEARS !

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