Clay and concrete tile roofing in Los Angeles and the South Bay
The tile roof underlayment replacement Los Angeles and South Bay homes need when the tile looks perfect and the ceiling is still wet. Lift and relay, cracked tile repair, and new clay or concrete tile roofs, from a family crew that has done all three for three generations.
License #1131531. Bonded and insured. certificates on request. Our own crew, never a subcontractor.
Get a free tile roof estimate
A crew lead lifts a few tiles, checks the underlayment and tells you whether it's a repair, a lift and relay, or a new roof. We call you back within one business hour.
Why tile roofs leak, and why it's almost never the tile
Clay and concrete tile lasts fifty years and more. It's the best looking roof on a Spanish or Mediterranean house and it barely notices the sun. But tile isn't waterproof, and it was never meant to be. It sheds most of the rain and lets the rest run down onto the underlayment beneath it. The underlayment is the roof. The tile is the armor over it.
Underlayment is asphalt felt or a modified membrane, and on a Los Angeles roof it lasts 20 to 30 years. The sun gets to it through every gap between the tiles, it dries out, it cracks, and one winter the water goes through it at a valley or a pipe. The tiles above look exactly as they did the day they went on. That's why a tile roof leaks with nothing visibly wrong, and why the fix is under the tile, not on it.
The tile
50 years and more, clay or concrete
The underlayment
20 to 30 years, and it's the roof
Leaks first at
Valleys, pipes, chimneys, hips
The fix
Lift and relay, not a new roof
Weight
Heavy, the framing must carry it
Fire and heat
Class A, cool roof rated versions
Lift and relay, the tile roof underlayment replacement that saves the roof
Because the tile is fine, you don't throw it away. You lift it, replace what's under it, and put it back. It's the job we do more than any other on tile roofs, and the one a lot of homeowners are never offered.
Tiles lifted and stacked
Carefully, in order, on the roof or on the ground. Every tile is reused unless it's cracked.
Old underlayment off, deck checked
Down to the wood. Soft or rotten decking replaced and priced per sheet in the estimate.
New underlayment, the good kind
Two layers, or a modified membrane rated for tile, so the next underlayment lasts as long as the tile does. This is the line to compare between quotes.
Every flashing replaced
Valleys, pipes, chimneys, walls and skylights, all new metal. The old flashing is the same age as the old felt.
Battens and bird stops
New battens where the tile hangs on them, and new eave closures so birds and embers stay out.
Tiles relaid, broken ones matched
The same tile goes back in the same course. Cracked tiles replaced with matching salvage or the closest current profile.
Ridges and hips redone
Mortar or mechanically fastened ridge, the way the roof was built or the way code now asks.
Permit and inspection
An underlayment replacement is a permitted job in Los Angeles. We pull it and meet the inspector.
Photos, walkthrough, guarantee
Photos of the deck and the new underlayment before the tile goes back, so you know what's under there. 1 year guarantee on the work.
Emergency tarp going on
Leak stopped at the source
Storm damage before repair
A Torrance tile roof, before and after
A South Bay home where the tile was fine and the roof was leaking. Here's what it looked like, and what we did.
Home
Torrance, clay tile
The problem
Failed underlayment, sound tile
The job
Lift and relay, or new tile, confirm
Tiles reused
Share, confirm
Days on site
Number, confirm
Guarantee
1 year on the work
The tile on a South Bay home is often worth keeping, and this one was. The photos are from the job. Read the full write up in the Torrance tile reroof case study.
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Clay or concrete, for a new tile roof
When the tile itself is done, or a house is getting tile for the first time, the choice is between two materials that look alike from the street and differ everywhere else.
The original, and the longest lived
- Fired clay, the Spanish S tile and the mission barrel most people picture
- The color is in the clay, so it never fades
- Lighter than concrete, though still heavy
- Costs more, and lasts the longest. Clay tile roof installation is the roof a Spanish home was built for
The same look for less, and heavier
- Concrete tile roofing in S, flat and slate profiles, in more colors
- Costs less than clay and lasts decades
- The color is on the surface and softens over time
- Heavier, so the framing check matters more. Most of the tile on newer South Bay tracts is concrete
Either one needs a framing check before it goes on a house that had shingle, and both come in cool roof rated versions that meet Title 24 and Class A fire rated assemblies. Any of the tile roofing contractors Los Angeles homeowners call should check the framing before quoting. We do, and it's on the estimate. Weighing tile against shingle or metal? Read the best roofing material for Los Angeles.
Tile roof repair, when it really is the tile
Sometimes it is the tile. A branch, a satellite installer, a slipped course, or a ridge that's lost its mortar. These are the repairs, and they're small if they're caught early.
Cracked, slipped or missing tiles
Replaced one at a time with matching salvage or the closest profile, and the underlayment beneath checked while the tile is out. The Spanish tile roof repair we do most.
Ridges, hips and mortar
Cracked or missing mortar at the ridge and hip caps, repointed or replaced with a mechanically fastened ridge that doesn't need mortar at all.
Valleys and flashings
Rusted valley metal, pulled pipe flashings, cracked chimney flashing. Tiles lifted around the failure, the metal replaced, tiles relaid.
A word about walking on tile. It cracks under the wrong foot, and a lot of the tile repairs we do are the result of the last person who went up there. We walk it the way it's meant to be walked, at the headlap on the low edge of the tile, and we'd rather you didn't. See roof repair for how a repair visit works.
How a tile job runs
Four steps, and the first one involves lifting a few tiles, because you can't judge a tile roof from the street.
Lift a few tiles
A crew lead lifts tiles at the valleys and around a pipe or two, photographs the underlayment, and tells you what state it's in and whether the tile is worth keeping.
Repair, relay or replace, in writing
The honest option first, priced beside the others. A lift and relay beside a new tile roof if the tile is borderline, with what each one gets you.
The work
Tiles lifted and stacked, underlayment and flashings replaced, tiles relaid, ridges redone, the roof covered at the end of every day.
Inspection and handover
City inspection passed, photos of what's under the tile in your hand, and the 1 year guarantee in writing.
What tile roof work costs in Los Angeles
Three jobs, three very different numbers, and the middle one is the one to understand.
- Repair. A handful of tiles, a ridge, a valley. Priced by the visit and the material, and small when caught early.
- Lift and relay. Priced by the roof area. It's labor, the underlayment and the flashings, with the tile reused, so it costs a fraction of a new tile roof and gives you a roof that's new where it matters. Broken tile replacement and deck repair are priced as allowances.
- New tile roof. Tear off, framing check, underlayment, new clay or concrete tile. The tile roof replacement Los Angeles homeowners budget for is the biggest number in residential roofing, and the longest lasting roof you can buy.
- What moves all three. Roof size and pitch, how many valleys and penetrations, the condition of the deck, the tile profile, and how much tile can't be reused.
Every estimate is free, in writing, with photos of what's under the tile, and each option priced on its own line. Read roof replacement cost in Los Angeles for the ranges.
Tile roofing in the South Bay and across Los Angeles
Many of the tile roofs we work on are in the South Bay, on the Spanish homes and the newer tracts from Torrance to the beach cities, where salt air and sun age the underlayment faster than the tile. Our office is on La Brea Avenue in Inglewood, so the tile roof underlayment replacement Los Angeles and South Bay homeowners book with us is a short drive for the crew. If you searched tile roof repair near me from Manhattan Beach or Torrance, we're the local one.
- Inglewood, our home base
- Culver City
- Gardena
Tile roof questions we get asked most
Why is my tile roof leaking when the tiles look fine?
Because the tiles aren't the waterproof layer. The underlayment beneath them is, and on a Los Angeles roof it lasts 20 to 30 years while the tile lasts 50 or more. When the underlayment cracks, the roof leaks with nothing visibly wrong. The fix is to lift the tile, replace the underlayment and flashings, and relay the same tile.
What is a lift and relay?
A tile roof underlayment replacement. The tiles are lifted and stacked, the old felt and flashings come off, the deck is checked, new underlayment and flashings go down, and the same tiles go back. You get a roof that's new where it matters, for a fraction of the cost of new tile.
How long does tile underlayment last?
The felt that went under most Los Angeles tile roofs lasts 20 to 30 years. The modified membranes rated for tile that we install now are made to last as long as the tile does, which is why the underlayment line on the estimate is the one to compare.
Clay or concrete?
Clay costs more, weighs less, and its color never fades, so it's the choice for a Spanish home you're keeping. Concrete costs less, comes in more profiles and colors, weighs more, and its surface color softens over time. Both last decades, both need the framing checked, and both come cool roof rated.
Can I walk on my tile roof?
We'd rather you didn't. Tile cracks under a foot in the wrong place, and a lot of the tile repairs we do are from the last person who went up. If it has to be walked, it's walked at the headlap on the low edge of each tile, which is how we do it.
Can you match my old tiles?
Usually. Salvage yards carry discontinued profiles, and the current versions of most tiles are close enough that a replacement disappears into the roof. On a lift and relay, the broken tiles are replaced with matches and every sound tile goes back where it was.
Is tile a cool roof, and is it fire rated?
Both, with the right product. Cool roof rated clay and concrete tiles meet Title 24, and a tile roof over the right underlayment is a Class A assembly, which is what Los Angeles fire zones require. See cool roofs and Title 24.
How much does a tile roof underlayment replacement cost?
The tile roof underlayment replacement Los Angeles homeowners book with us is priced by roof area, and it's a fraction of a new tile roof because the tile is reused. Size, pitch, valleys, penetrations, deck condition and how many tiles are broken all move it. Every estimate is free, in writing, with photos of what's under the tile.
Keep the tile. Replace what's under it.
Get a free estimate. A crew lead lifts a few tiles, photographs the underlayment, and tells you whether it's a repair, a lift and relay, or a new roof, in writing, with the price for each.