Q: We are deciding upon which shingles we should buy for our roof. Do you have any suggestions?

A: From experience I would say you need to have shingles that are wind resistant in this part of the prairies. Just a few weeks ago we had winds in excess of 100 km per hour. An un-tarred 3-tab shingle will often blow off in such high winds. Architectural shingles seem to be better designed and seem to hold up better to the wind. Shingle manufacturers rate their product for normal use and I believe under normal circumstances they do live up to that rating. The problem is in the installation in my opinion. Installers and homeowners sometimes rush and miss a nail or two and that is all that is needed to create a problem. I have always tarred every tab when installing shingles. This process takes time and would not be possible in the winter. If possible I recommend adding tar to hold the shingles better as this alone will increase the longevity of the shingles.