Roofing shingle system and shingles for use therein

1. A roofing system comprising:

single-layer shingles having a headlap portion; and a buttlap portion;

wherein said headlap portion has a maximum headlap width that is less than a maximum buttlap width of said buttlap portion;

wherein said buttlap portion includes a longitudinal rear edge, a lateral leading edge, a lateral trailing edge, and a non-straight longitudinal front-most edge having a central horizontal portion, a left horizontal portion, a right horizontal portion, a first transition portion, and a second transition portion, wherein the central horizontal portion extends away from the shingle to define a first buttlap width, the left horizontal portion is connected between the lateral trailing edge and the first transition portion, the right horizontal portion is connected between the lateral leading edge and the second transition portion, and the left horizontal portion and the right horizontal portion each extends away from the shingle to define a second buttlap width, and wherein the first transition portion is further connected between the left horizontal portion and the central horizontal portion and the second transition portion is further connected between the central horizontal portion and the right horizontal portion;

wherein the roofing system comprises a plurality of courses of said shingles, and wherein a trailing lateral edge of a subsequently installed shingle in a first course of shingles overlaps a leading lateral edge of a horizontally adjacent previously installed shingle in the first course to provide a side-lap region; and

wherein said buttlap portion includes an exposed buttlap portion, and wherein the exposed buttlap portion has a surface area that is greater than the surface area of said headlap portion.

2. The roofing system according to claim 1 , wherein said headlap portion is surfaced with a first shade of granules and said buttlap portion is surfaced with a second shade of granules.

3. The roofing system according to claim 1 , wherein said headlap portion includes an exposed headlap portion.

4. The roofing system according to claim 1 , wherein the maximum headlap width is less than 50% the maximum buttlap width.

5. The roofing system according to claim 4 , wherein the maximum headlap width is about 33% the maximum buttlap width.

6. The roofing system according to claim 1 , wherein the first buttlap width is the maximum buttlap width.

7. The roofing system according to claim 6 , wherein the first buttlap width is about 1″ greater than the second buttlap width.

8. The roofing system according to claim 1 , wherein the second buttlap width is the maximum buttlap width.

9. The roofing system according to claim 8 , wherein the first buttlap width is about 1″ less than the second buttlap width.

10. The roofing system according to claim 1 , wherein said headlap portion includes a non-straight longitudinal rear edge having a central horizontal portion, a left horizontal portion, a right horizontal portion, a first transition portion, and a second transition portion, wherein the central horizontal portion extends away from the shingle to define a first headlap width, the left horizontal portion and right horizontal portion each extends away from the shingle to define a second headlap width, and wherein the first transition portion is situated between the left horizontal portion and the central horizontal portion and the second transition portion is situated between the central horizontal portion and the right horizontal portion.

11. The roofing system according to claim 10 , wherein the second headlap width is the maximum buttlap width.

12. The roofing system according to claim 11 , wherein the first headlap width is about 1″ less than the second headlap width.

13. The roofing system according to claim 6 , wherein said shingles further comprise a first set of alignment notches, wherein a first alignment notch from the first set of alignment notches is situated on the trailing lateral edge of a subsequently installed shingle in a subsequent course of shingles and lines up with a longitudinal rear edge of the headlap portion of a previously installed shingle in the first course of shingles.

14. The roofing system according to claim 8 , wherein said shingles further comprise a first set of alignment notches, wherein a first alignment notch from the first set of alignment notches is situated on the trailing lateral edge of a subsequently installed shingle in a subsequent course of shingles and lines up with a longitudinal rear edge of the headlap portion of a previously installed shingle in the first course of shingles.

15. The roofing system according to claim 13 , wherein said shingles further comprise a second set of alignment notches situated on the longitudinal rear edge of the headlap portion, wherein a first alignment notch from the second set of alignment notches lines up with the trailing lateral edge of a subsequently installed shingle in a first course of shingles.

16. The roofing system according to claim 1 , wherein the non-straight longitudinal front-most edge includes a longitudinal front edge slot opening situated approximately at the longitudinal center of the shingle.

17. The roofing system according to claim 1 , wherein the shingles further comprise sealant strips on the bottom side of the shingle situated near the non-straight longitudinal front-most edge.