Utah
Tile roofing
On a tile roof, the tile is the armor and the underlayment is the roof. Homeowners in St. George, Santa Clara, Ivins, Washington, and Hurricane live under concrete tile more often than the rest of the state. A few Wasatch benches and custom homes use it too. The failures we repair are usually at the membrane, the valley metal, and the hips — not a mystery inside a single tile.
Weight, structure, and new tile
Concrete tile is heavy. A house framed for shingles does not automatically become a tile house because the HOA likes the look. New tile belongs on a structure sized for it, with a deck and an underlayment detailed for tile: a walkable, waterproof layer, battens when the system needs them, and flashings that tuck correctly at walls.
Clay tile is less common here than concrete and more brittle underfoot. We identify which you have before anyone talks about walking the field to “just replace a few.”
Desert sun, monsoon, and the rare snow
Washington County UV ages underlayment and the foam or mortar at hips and ridges. Monsoon rain finds any valley that has silted in, then shows up on a ceiling that was fine in June. Wind in Hurricane and on exposed ridges in Ivins lifts poorly fastened rake tiles. Snow is a light concern on the St. George floor and a real one in New Harmony and Enterprise, where tile has to deal with freeze-thaw it does not see in Bloomington.
On the Wasatch Front, tile is usually a custom or HOA choice. Snow sliding off tile is abrupt. Entries need the same respect we give a metal roof.
- Underlayment replaced when it is the thing that failed, not a few tiles cemented over a bad valley
- Broken tiles replaced with a match when the profile is still available
- Hip and ridge systems rebuilt rather than smeared
- Valley metal cleaned and reworked when debris has dammed it
- Bird stops and eave closures that still let the system drain and breathe
Repairs versus a retile
A handful of cracked tiles after a storm is a repair. Underlayment that has cracked at the valleys across a 20-year-old concrete roof is a larger project, and it means the tile comes up. We will not sell a coating over tile as waterproofing. The water is not supposed to be stopped by the face of the tile.
Walking and solar
Tile breaks under heel loads in the wrong spot. Our inspection and solar layout respect that. Solar mounts have to be flashed at the underlayment. If a salesperson told you panels can be lagged through the tile with a dab of sealant, get a second conversation before anyone drills.
Cities where this comes up
These are examples, not a coverage limit. Every city page links the services that matter there.
Tile roofing questions
Is the tile itself waterproof?
No. Tile sheds most of the water. The underlayment and the flashings are what keep the deck dry. A roof can look intact from the street and still leak at a valley. That is why we talk about the membrane, not just the color of the tile.
Can you replace a few broken tiles?
Yes, when we can find the profile or a compatible one, and when the underlayment under them is still sound. If every “few tiles” is sitting over a crumbling valley, the repair will not hold and we will say that.
Will my Wasatch home hold a tile roof?
Only if the structure was designed for the weight, or an engineer says a retrofit is reasonable. We do not switch a shingle house to tile because a catalog looks better. In Washington County, many homes were framed for tile from the start.
Do tile roofs fail in hail?
Hard hail cracks tiles. We replace the broken ones and check the underlayment for impact at exposed details. A crack you can see is straightforward. Damage to the membrane under an unbroken tile is the part a curb look misses.
How do you work around desert dust and monsoon debris?
Valleys and gutters pack with grit. A maintenance visit clears the water path. It is not a power-wash of the tile face, which can drive water where it does not belong and chip the surface.
Related work
- Roof repairLeaks, flashing, pipe boots, and storm-lifted shingles — repaired when a repair will last, and declined when it will not.
- Full roof replacementTear off the old roof, inspect the deck, and install a system specified for that city’s snow, wind, and sun.
- Solar installationRoof-first solar: the roof is made ready, penetrations are planned, and panels are not set on a system that is about to be torn off.
- Storm, hail, and insurance claimsHail and wind documentation for Utah storms, including a meeting with the adjuster — without a promise that a claim will be paid.
Ask about tile roofing.
The inspection is free when it is tied to work we might do. The written scope comes after we have seen the roof.
Emergency roof calls answered 24/7. (385) 333-9637.