Tile Roofing

Available in many different shapes and colors, manufactured from clay or concrete, roofing tiles are increasing in popularity as a finished roofing material throughout North America.  They bring a rich, elegant and beautiful aesthetic quality to any property and definitely increase the value of any home. 

More and more builders are using roofing tiles on new construction to enhance and improve the marketability of the property.  A tile roof gives instant credibility to the feeling of quality construction and produces an excellent property eye appeal.

The flexibility and creativity in the manufacturing process as lead to a variety of tile shapes textures, and sizes.  Some the more popular designs being, rounded, shingle, shake and slate.  The manufacturing processes have been so well refined that in may cases tile roofing does not look like tile at all.  Spanish mission, rounded, style tiles are very popular in the southern US states of Florida, Texas, Arizona and California.

Drawbacks to tile roofing:

Similar to slate tiles, the primary drawback to concrete or clay tiles are their weight.  It is important to verify, with your contractor or a consulting engineer, that the rafters and trusses used to form your roof have the inherent strength to support the load created by clay or concrete tiles.  The cost of installing a concrete or clay tile roof is not unlike that of wood shingles.  However, tiles have a life expectancy of more than 50 years, are noncombustible, and do not require a lot of maintenance.

When installing any roof the price of the material and installation has to be taken in context with other factors including ongoing maintenance costs, warranty and the value added to the property should you wish to sell.   Because it is noncombustible, the concrete or clay tile itself has a Class A fire rating, which provides you and your family with a level of safety that is difficult to put a dollar value to.  Some insurance companies will reduce the premium for fire insurance to homes that have clay or concrete tiles installed on their roofs.  The installation of concrete or clay tiles should reduce heating and cooling costs as they are very energy efficient.