Florida roofs -- shingle or tile?

[always_learning]

We are house hunting in Florida and love the look of the tile roofs but know nothing about them. Is anyone willing to talk to me about tiles vs shingles?

I'm thinking about leaking over time, repair ease, insuring costs, how they handle the hurricane winds, cost to replace, etc. Just anything, really. We literally know nothing about them and have plenty of experience with shingle roofs.

We're looking to buy about, oh, roughly half an hour to an hour from the coast somewhere from Tampa to Venice, if that makes a difference in the replies. No evac zones and no surge zones, basically.

And, we are looking at houses less than 20 years old (I have no idea if that makes a difference, but I thought I'd toss it out there).

Thanks in advance!

[JP.mpls]

Learning,
Not an expert, but just went through the process of buying a townhome in Florida.

I looked at a house with a red tiled roof.
Ended up talking to the seller. His roof was fine, and didn't leak, but it was flagged by a buyer's inspector, because it was 30 years old. That is the expected life of a tile roof.

He ended up having the roof replaced for $25k. So pay attention to the age.

I like that look too. The townhome I purchased had a 5 year old roof made out of metal, but the metal shingles look like tile.

Take care. JP

Quote:

Originally Posted by always_learning We are house hunting in Florida and love the look of the tile roofs but know nothing about them. Is anyone willing to talk to me about tiles vs shingles? I'm thinking about leaking over time, repair ease, insuring costs, how they handle the hurricane winds, cost to replace, etc. Just anything, really. We literally know nothing about them and have plenty of experience with shingle roofs. We're looking to buy about, oh, roughly half an hour to an hour from the coast somewhere from Tampa to Venice, if that makes a difference in the replies. No evac zones and no surge zones, basically. And, we are looking at houses less than 20 years old (I have no idea if that makes a difference, but I thought I'd toss it out there). Thanks in advance!

[MichaelB]

Asphalt shingle roofs are less expensive and easier to maintain than tile. Original roofing tile in Spain and Latin America is ceramic, which is beautiful and durable. Here in the US it is painted cement. From a distance they look the same, up close the cement is porous and gets dirty easily. The tile roof is not easy to repair and very expensive to replace. It needs to be powerwashed. The tiles last a lifetime, but the underroofs do not, and tile roof replacement is a major project. Everything points to shingle over tile ...except the heat, and appearance.

The shingle roof is very hot and absorbes lots of heat, far more than tile. The long hot Florida summers are much harder to cool with asphalt shingle roofs, especially upper floors. The tile roof really is ideal for the Florida climate.

In our area tile roofs seem to have a 20-25 year life span. The tiles themselves are fine but the underroofs rotted and leaking. Building standards in the 80’s and 90’s were less strict. In the early ‘00’s the building Miami Dade code was strengthened with lots of focus on roofs, and this helped. Other Florida counties have adapted the Dade building code.

One way to check the roof is to ask for the latest wind mitigation inspection. Florida housing insurance needs an separate policy for hurricanes, and insurers usually request a roof inspection. If it meets older building code, I would mentally add $25-$30k to the price for a new roof.

[Scrapr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelB Asphalt shingle roofs are less expensive and easier to maintain than tile. Original roofing tile in Spain and Latin America is ceramic, which is beautiful and durable. Here in the US it is painted cement. From a distance they look the same, up close the cement is porous and gets dirty easily. The tile roof is not easy to repair and very expensive to replace. It needs to be powerwashed. The tiles last a lifetime, but the underroofs do not, and tile roof replacement is a major project. Everything points to shingle over tile ...except the heat, and appearance. The shingle roof is very hot and absorbes lots of heat, far more than tile. The long hot Florida summers are much harder to cool with asphalt shingle roofs, especially upper floors. The tile roof really is ideal for the Florida climate. In our area tile roofs seem to have a 20-25 year life span. The tiles themselves are fine but the underroofs rotted and leaking. Building standards in the 80’s and 90’s were less strict. In the early ‘00’s the building Miami Dade code was strengthened with lots of focus on roofs, and this helped. Other Florida counties have adapted the Dade building code. One way to check the roof is to ask for the latest wind mitigation inspection. Florida housing insurance needs an separate policy for hurricanes, and insurers usually request a roof inspection. If it meets older building code, I would mentally add $25-$30k to the price for a new roof.

Dumb question: If the tile roof doesn't leak how would the structure beneath rot? From air conditioned interior air leaking upward?

[MichaelB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scrapr Dumb question: If the tile roof doesn't leak how would the structure beneath rot? From air conditioned interior air leaking upward?

I’m no expert, so I’ll share as explained to me by a good friend who was a construction engineer. The house has a wood underroof overlaid with plywood, kept in place with galvanized nails. Hurricane winds push and shift the roof, the coating on the nails breaks and exposes the iron. The nails rust, and this leads to the wood rotting, unseen and unchecked. It happens all around the roof.

Newer roofing codes require longer roofing nails which reduce the possibility of shifting, and an additional layer of waterproof underlayment.

[Sunset]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelB Asphalt shingle roofs are less expensive and easier to maintain than tile. Original roofing tile in Spain and Latin America is ceramic, which is beautiful and durable. Here in the US it is painted cement. From a distance they look the same, up close the cement is porous and gets dirty easily. The tile roof is not easy to repair and very expensive to replace. It needs to be powerwashed. The tiles last a lifetime, but the underroofs do not, and tile roof replacement is a major project. Everything points to shingle over tile ...except the heat, and appearance. The shingle roof is very hot and absorbes lots of heat, far more than tile. The long hot Florida summers are much harder to cool with asphalt shingle roofs, especially upper floors. The tile roof really is ideal for the Florida climate. In our area tile roofs seem to have a 20-25 year life span. The tiles themselves are fine but the underroofs rotted and leaking. Building standards in the 80’s and 90’s were less strict. In the early ‘00’s the building Miami Dade code was strengthened with lots of focus on roofs, and this helped. Other Florida counties have adapted the Dade building code. One way to check the roof is to ask for the latest wind mitigation inspection. Florida housing insurance needs an separate policy for hurricanes, and insurers usually request a roof inspection. If it meets older building code, I would mentally add $25-$30k to the price for a new roof.

Really interesting, and I never would have thought about it.
Would you happen to know how do metal roofs rate in FL ?

[Scrapr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelB I’m no expert, so I’ll share as explained to me by a good friend who was a construction engineer. The house has a wood underroof overlaid with plywood, kept in place with galvanized nails. Hurricane winds push and shift the roof, the coating on the nails breaks and exposes the iron. The nails rust, and this leads to the wood rotting, unseen and unchecked. It happens all around the roof. Newer roofing codes require longer roofing nails which reduce the possibility of shifting, and an additional layer of waterproof underlayment.

Makes sense. Does the humidity a factor at all? Here in the PNW almost all the roofs are using full coverage vapor barrier. 30 years for a tile roof seems very short. That is "almost" the life of an asphalt shingle roof here. Tile is not widely used here but I would hope for 50 years minimum

[candrew]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scrapr Makes sense. Does the humidity a factor at all? Here in the PNW almost all the roofs are using full coverage vapor barrier. 30 years for a tile roof seems very short. That is "almost" the life of an asphalt shingle roof here. Tile is not widely used here but I would hope for 50 years minimum

When it comes to a tile roof, the roof tiles themselves can easily last 50 years or more. And as @MichaelB pointed out, it's the roof's underlayment that will require replacement.

We live in the SW desert. A roof's biggest enemy here is the intense summer heat, UV exposure and occasional violent summer thunderstorms with accompanying high winds. When it comes to the interior home's comfort here in the desert, a tile roof has a distinct advantage. Our previous home's roof was covered with 3-tab asphalt shingles. We got about 12 years life out of those. The intense summer heat and UV exposure did them in. Our current home - where we have lived over the past 26 years - has a tile roof. We just had the underlayment replaced last week due to its deterioration. Our roof tiles are still in great shape.

In our locale, a roof covered with tile or architectural shingles has an advantage over traditional asphalt shingles.

[Freedom56]

When shopping for a home in Florida, buy a home that is more recent construction. The building codes changed after Hurricane Andrew and have evolved since. In addition to the roof type, you should make sure that:

1- the exterior walls are cinder block
2- the interior walls are galvanized steel studs instead of wood
3- there is no Chinese dry-wall used
4- the windows are impact glass
5- the ground is stable below the house (i.e. not build over an aquafer)

Tile roofs are better than asphalt.

[Midpack]

Standing seam metal?

[Sunset]

Quote:

Originally Posted by candrew When it comes to a tile roof, the roof tiles themselves can easily last 50 years or more. And as @MichaelB pointed out, it's the roof's underlayment that will require replacement. We live in the SW desert. A roof's biggest enemy here is the intense summer heat, UV exposure and occasional violent summer thunderstorms with accompanying high winds. When it comes to the interior home's comfort here in the desert, a tile roof has a distinct advantage. Our previous home's roof was covered with 3-tab asphalt shingles. We got about 12 years life out of those. The intense summer heat and UV exposure did them in. Our current home - where we have lived over the past 26 years - has a tile roof. We just had the underlayment replaced last week due to its deterioration. Our roof tiles are still in great shape. In our locale, a roof covered with tile or architectural shingles has an advantage over traditional asphalt shingles.

Are they able to take the tiles off, and replace the underlayment and then reinstall the tiles ?
This sounds pretty labor intensive, is it basically the cost of a new roof ?

[JP.mpls]

I know the newer (<5 years old) metal roof on my place came with documentation stating that it met newer building codes rated for Hurricane winds.
I have no idea what was done differently to meet the new codes.
I'm just hoping it will be some time before a replacement roof is necessary.
JP

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelB I’m no expert, so I’ll share as explained to me by a good friend who was a construction engineer. The house has a wood underroof overlaid with plywood, kept in place with galvanized nails. Hurricane winds push and shift the roof, the coating on the nails breaks and exposes the iron. The nails rust, and this leads to the wood rotting, unseen and unchecked. It happens all around the roof. Newer roofing codes require longer roofing nails which reduce the possibility of shifting, and an additional layer of waterproof underlayment.

[candrew]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunset Are they able to take the tiles off, and replace the underlayment and then reinstall the tiles ? This sounds pretty labor intensive, is it basically the cost of a new roof ?

Tiles are removed and stacked. You might be surprised at how quickly an efficient roofing crew can do this. Apart from tiles on the roof's "rake", relatively few are actually nailed in place. Tiles are then reinstalled after underlayment is removed and replaced.

Our roof, like most others in our area did not require replacement of the OSB deck sheathing. Cost-wise, not the same as a "new roof".

Renewing a ceramic tile roof is more labor intensive than what we've experienced with replacing asphalt shingles. OTOH, in our SW desert climate, there is no way I would want to go back to living in a home with an asphalt shingle roof.

[eytonxav]

I am no expert, but I imagine the underlying roof structure would need to be strong enough to accept a cement/tile roof compared to the composite shingle roofs. So if you were going from ordinary shingles to tiles there might be a bit of expense required to reinforce the roofs structural strength.

[Badger]

I have lived in Florida since the early 60s. The sun and hurricanes can do a number on a shingle roof. They need to be replaced way earlier than the warranty states. If you do choose shingle be sure to check that they have been "5 nailed" not 3 as is usually done. Otherwise you may find a naked roof after a hurricane.
I finally replaced my roof with standing seam metal roof. It is also secured tightly (screwed and crimped) all around the eaves so no wind can get under the roof. Surprised me that the electric bill is actually a little less now during the summer and winter.


Cheers!

[always_learning]

Thank you all so much. This thread ended up being much more interesting and educational than I was expecting.


The end result is that I'm not sure what we will do, but based on these posts, we won't cross out houses with tile roofs. At least we have information now, and that helps a lot.

Thanks again!!

[Joylush]

I live in Florida and own 30 homes. The heat is very hard on shingle roofs. They last about 20 years if you’re lucky. If the home is shaded they will hold up better. I had two similarly sized houses I personally lived in. One shingled and one tiled. The tiled roof made for monthly electric bills at least 1/3 lower than the shingled roof. Could not spend more than a few minutes in the attic of the shingled roof house in the summer without dying. I could spend as much time as as I needed in the attic of my tiled roof house, even in the hottest weather. The difference in attic temperature was tremendous. When my current house needs a new roof I’m seriously considering having new trusses installed to support replacing it with a tile roof again. The major drawback in tile is cost. They cost roughly twice what a shingled roof costs but last twice as long too- and I like the lower utility bills and overall more comfortable inside temperature.

[JP.mpls]

Joylush,
Have you looked into metal roofs as another alternative?
My Florida townhome has fake tiles made out of metal. They were supposedly attached to meet the latest hurricane codes.
I was told they have a lifetime guarantee, but I didn't take that too seriously.

Thanks, JP

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joylush I live in Florida and own 30 homes. The heat is very hard on shingle roofs. They last about 20 years if you’re lucky. If the home is shaded they will hold up better. I had two similarly sized houses I personally lived in. One shingled and one tiled. The tiled roof made for monthly electric bills at least 1/3 lower than the shingled roof. Could not spend more than a few minutes in the attic of the shingled roof house in the summer without dying. I could spend as much time as as I needed in the attic of my tiled roof house, even in the hottest weather. The difference in attic temperature was tremendous. When my current house needs a new roof I’m seriously considering having new trusses installed to support replacing it with a tile roof again. The major drawback in tile is cost. They cost roughly twice what a shingled roof costs but last twice as long too- and I like the lower utility bills and overall more comfortable inside temperature.

[Joylush]

Yes, metal is also a better, longer lasting and energy efficient roof option. I have thought about it. Wouldn’t need to do what’s needed to support the weight of the tile option.
I’ve actually gotten quotes. The metal is more or as much as the tile so I’m undecided. I’ve also heard some horror stories about leaks because there doesn’t seem to be a lot of installers around very proficient in metal roof options. And aesthetically the tile is much nicer looking. I need to research further. But metal is a good choice over shingles for sure.

[Poopycat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by always_learning We are house hunting in Florida and love the look of the tile roofs but know nothing about them. Is anyone willing to talk to me about tiles vs shingles? I'm thinking about leaking over time, repair ease, insuring costs, how they handle the hurricane winds, cost to replace, etc. Just anything, really. We literally know nothing about them and have plenty of experience with shingle roofs. We're looking to buy about, oh, roughly half an hour to an hour from the coast somewhere from Tampa to Venice, if that makes a difference in the replies. No evac zones and no surge zones, basically. And, we are looking at houses less than 20 years old (I have no idea if that makes a difference, but I thought I'd toss it out there). Thanks in advance!

I am not a roof expert, but I had a tile roof in Texas and I will never get another house with a tile roof. I had roof rats. The pest control guys told me that it’s easy for rodents to get underneath the tiles and chew their way through the building materials underneath. I had to pay a lot of money to finally get all the holes that the rats chewed through repaired.

If you don’t have a rodent issue, then you are fine I guess. Tile certainly looks nice. But my rodent experience has personally soured me on tile forever. Could the rats break through other roof styles? Probably. But I’m not tempting fate.