Tile Roof Needs Work: Should I Lift and Relay, or Replace with New Tile?
So, your home is twenty or thirty years old and the tile roofing was done decades ago, perhaps the tile specs weren’t followed to the proper installation methods.
Now, as so often has happens, your twenty five year old roof has developed leaks.
You call any number of roofing professionals, and you get different opinions on how you should proceed to take care of the problems;
1) Lift and Relay Method
Lift the existing tile, install new flashing, using not one, but two (a base and a flexible flashing), replace the underlayment with not one, but two layers, install weather blocks to the ridges and hips, then reinstall the existing tile, replacing any broken tiles which have been discovered.
This type of job will usually carry a five to ten year workmanship warranty, with no guarantee at all to the re-used tile.
2) Brand New Tile Method
Remove and dispose of the existing tile, install new flashing, using not one but two (a base and a flexible flashing), replace the underlayment using not one, but two layers, install weather blocks to the ridges and hips, then install new tile to the entire structure.
This job, from my company will carry a fifteen year warranty on the workmanship, and a FIFTY YEAR warranty on the tile!
The jobs actually sound pretty similar; flashing and underlayment are removed, replaced properly, etc. Sure, the warranties are better with the New Tile Method, but is it worth the extra cost?
Absolutely!
Think about not today, but think down the road. Kids are gone, Life changes for whatever reason. Now, it comes time to sell the house.
In this day and age, inspections are increasingly becoming more and more thorough. In the process of selling the property, most likely a professional roofing contractor will be called to assure that all is well with the roof. So, up on the roof he goes.
In the case of a Lift and Relay Method, the first thing he notices is any color variations between the previously replaced broken tiles and the existing old tile. Next, he realizes the the old tile was reused. He thinks to himself “Hmm, this house is thirty five years old. That means that the roof tile is ALSO thirty five years old. The work on this roof looks great, but the tile is approaching the very end of it’s expected life. Man, this roof is of, from a real estate standpoint, almost NO value!”
Now, that same inspector goes on the neighbor’s roof, on which the New Tile Method was employed, takes one look, and says “Wow! This is a brand new roof! This roof fully passes inspection, from both the material, as well as the labor standpoint!”
Now, what is the cost difference between the two methods?
With Lift and Relay, you’re buying new flashing, new underlayment, taking a puzzle apart and putting it back together, replacing any broken tile with non matching product, leaving a sometimes “checkerboard” effect, then, after all the above, still ending up with a used, non-compliant, no value, roof.
The average cost of the above sub standard job, because of all the component replacement, the labor involved in moving the tile several times, the extra time/labor involved in the entire complicated method, for a twenty five hundred square for roof area is in the neighborhood of conservatively $10,000. and up.
The average cost of the truly new roof, of great value and warranted for both labor and material, with the New Tile Method is, for the same square footage, in the neighborhood of $12,500. and up.
Bottomline, for $2500 I think it should become patently obvious as to which job is the better choice.
Having said the above, and having disclosed both the positive as well as the negatives, my company is always happy to provide options for both methods.
I think though, that when all is considered and digested, the New Tile Method will normally be the choice, once the differences are displayed side by side, as I have attempted to outline above.
Whatever you choose, you can be assured that Raneri and Long will ALWAYS provide the best available solution. Your satisfaction truly is our goal!
