Choosing a shingle that fits the Palouse
Out here in Palouse wheat country in SE Spokane County, a roof is rarely tucked behind trees - it sits in plain view from the road and from neighboring acreage. That changes how shingle choices play out. A weathered-wood or slate-blend architectural shingle tends to settle quietly into the rolling gold-and-green backdrop, while sharper grays and blacks can read heavy on a long farmhouse roofline.
We bring physical samples to your property and hold them up against your siding, trim, and the surrounding landscape in real daylight. Dimensional architectural shingles give you depth and shadow lines that flat three-tab products can't, and they're the workhorse we recommend for most homes around Fairfield because they balance looks, wind rating, and cost.
Built for open rural exposure
Homes set in open rural exposure take wind from every direction with nothing to slow it down. A shingle that performs fine in a sheltered subdivision can lift and crease on an exposed Fairfield ridge. We spec shingles with high wind ratings and, just as important, we nail them to manufacturer pattern and hand-seal the rakes and eaves where uplift starts.
- Starter strip at every eave and rake, not cut field shingles
- Six-nail fastening in the proper zone for exposed sites
- Ice-and-water membrane at eaves, valleys, and penetrations
- Synthetic underlayment across the full deck
This system is what lets a shingle roof actually reach the lifespan printed on the wrapper instead of failing early at the edges.
Why farmhouses need a tighter assembly
Older farmhouses around Fairfield often have steep, simple gable roofs - great for shedding snow, but the original decking and flashing have usually seen decades of freeze-thaw. When we tear off, we check the sheathing for soft spots, re-flash chimneys and stack penetrations, and correct ventilation so the attic breathes. A shingle laid over a tired, under-ventilated deck won't last, no matter how good the shingle is.
If your farmhouse has add-ons, dormers, or a porch roof tied in at an awkward pitch, those transitions are exactly where leaks begin. We detail them with proper step and counter-flashing rather than relying on sealant to do a flashing's job.
Standing up to Inland Northwest weather
Fairfield winters bring heavy snow loads, repeated freeze-thaw cycles, and ice dams along the eaves; summers bring wind and the occasional hail event. Asphalt shingles handle this climate well when the whole assembly is designed for it. Our ice-and-water barrier blocks the meltwater that backs up under shingles during an ice dam, and impact-resistant shingle options are worth discussing if hail is a recurring worry on your road.
We also size and place attic ventilation to reduce the warm-spot melting that drives ice dams in the first place - a detail that gets skipped far too often on rural re-roofs.
The warranty and crew behind the work
DG Contracting LLC is GAF Master Elite certified, a status held by only the top 2-3% of roofers nationwide, which lets us register the GAF Golden Pledge warranty covering both materials and workmanship for decades. On top of that we add our own 15-25 year workmanship warranty, and we're licensed and insured in both Washington and Idaho. A family-owned company since 2013, we carry a 5.0 rating across 288 Google reviews.
When you replace your roof with us, you also get up to a 15-25 year workmanship warranty, and we offer flexible financing so a full re-roof fits your timing. See our roof replacement services for what a complete tear-off and install includes.
What to expect from your free estimate
We start with a no-cost, no-pressure visit. We measure, inspect the deck and flashing where accessible, look at your ventilation, and talk through shingle lines and colors that suit your home and budget. You leave with a written, itemized estimate - not a vague ballpark.
Because we work throughout the rural stretches southeast of Spokane, we plan material drops and dumpster placement around field access and gravel drives so the job runs cleanly even on a working property.
