Re-roofing tile choices

[Toiletduck]

Hi,

Weve recently bought an Edwardian semi built in 1906 which currently has the original rosemary tiled roof. The roof is a mess and the previous elderly owner had it painted before he put it on the market which limits repair options and in reality as its approaching 110 years old now re-roofing doesn't seem unreasonable.

Im in the process of obtaining roofing quotes and deciding on what tile to go for. One roofer who seems quite good has given us the following options:

Redland Mini Stonewold for £4920

Sandtoft 20/20 for £6720

Rosemary medium mixed brindle for £8280

We havent seen the samples yet, but in terms of online images the Rosemary tiles seem to be by far the best although the Sandtoft 20/20 isnt a bad compromise. The concrete mini Stonewold isnt bad for a concrete tile but doesnt compare to the other two, obviously however it is alot cheaper.

In an ideal world we would retile with Rosemarys so as not to loose the character, however there are some other considerations, primarily:

Price - this is our first house, Im sure we will live here for 10 years at least but I think we will move one day and would we ever recover the money?

Looks - whilst the Rosemarys look the best, next door have already opted for the cheaper concrete tile. Is it better to blend the roof in with the neighbouring semi? I always think a pair of semis with different roofs stands out a bit.

Any thoughts?

Cheers

 

[dishman]

It is a hard decision. I am in the same boat and have asked similar questions in the past.

I have looked at the same tiles as you and got samples from the respective companies.

It comes down to a combination of budget and aesthetics....

Plain clay tiles (Rosemary) will always look the best and be most appropriate for that period of the property.

Maybe consider what other original features are on the property. Does it have original windows? Doors? If so, you may be more inclined to retain an original looking roof to fit in.

My house is the last in my street with all the original leaded light windows and door. While the cost is more I am leaning towards a new plain clay tile (rosemary tile) roof.....the hard part will be convincing my neighbours it is worth doing theirs at the same time....


It is a shame that next door have already used modern concrete tiles.

 

[Toiletduck]

Plain clay tiles (Rosemary) will always look the best and be most appropriate for that period of the property.

Maybe consider what other original features are on the property. Does it have original windows? Doors? If so, you may be more inclined to retain an original looking roof to fit in.

Youve hit the nail on the head there - we bought the house because it was one of the very few we have ever seen that has almost all of the original features remaining. We have stained glass windows, leaded casements, sash windows, all the original doors, minton tiles, parquet flooring, deep skirting, lime coving and all the cast iron bedroom fireplaces still in place.

Relative to all of that it would be a crime to change the roof tiles, but is it better overall to blend in with the neighbouring house?

However their UPVC windows particularly in the front bay are out of proportion next to ours so the semis will never match anyway. Its a shame really.

 

[dishman]

Then if next doors property is so modern and updated the originality of yours will only stand out more if you went with a rosemary tile roof in my opinion.

I can only imagine that it would look more favorably on your property (in terms of future value) to retain the original look as far as possible....

I agree that the mis-match in roof tile is one of the more annoyingly obvious differences though... a unified single roof does look nice. Have they gone for large format plain tile, or a large format roman tile?

In the end, it all comes down to how much you feel beholden to retain and preserve the original look and features for the future. Some people care about this, others feel that ripping out and replacing with the most modern materials is the way to go.

About the cost, I always try to look at this from another perspective

The difference between the most and least expensive is £3360. If you live there for 10 years then that is £336 a year. The cost of a cheap broadband package. Even buying a £2 capucchino every other day adds up to more, the roof however will be there for a very long time.

In the end you have to decide what it is worth to you..

 

[Nige F]

Being a semi - your roof tiles must match next door - however c-rap they are Spend your time / money on preserving + maintaining the original features in the rest of the house

 

[dishman]

Being a semi - your roof tiles must match next door - however c-rap they are Spend your time / money on preserving + maintaining the original features in the rest of the house

You do have a point....but I would not say it is a must.....it is just much more aesthetically desirable to have a unified roof.....you see plenty that are not.

However, I would say it depends how the properties are attach and relate to each other.

If it is standard 1930s style semi then these can be the most noticeable in their difference as the roofs are quite prominent and more often than not seamlessly joined.

Edwardian properties can have more ornate architectural detail and some (whilst being joint) have clear architectural detail separating the two properties. In this instance differing roof tiles may not be a problem.

So I would not discount two separate roof tiles off the bat.
Without seeing a picture it is hard to know.

If your neighbours chose a large format plain tile, then maybe that is a compromise. It still echos the rosemary tile. Just a modern format, although they can make the house look top heavy....but after weathering in, it may look ok....

 

[Toiletduck]

I agree that the mis-match in roof tile is one of the more annoyingly obvious differences though... a unified single roof does look nice. Have they gone for large format plain tile, or a large format roman tile?

About the cost, I always try to look at this from another perspective

The difference between the most and least expensive is £3360. If you live there for 10 years then that is £336 a year. The cost of a cheap broadband package. Even buying a £2 capucchino every other day adds up to more, the roof however will be there for a very long time.

In the end you have to decide what it is worth to you..

They have gone for the large plain concrete tile in the same colour as the Rosemary's. We have the samples now, up close the 20/20 is quite nice actually. However I've been looking at semis with mismatching roofs as I drive around all week - it just doesn't look right.

I think it's better to match and save the difference somewhere else on the house.

 

[dishman]

Well at least they went for a large format plain tile. Those are the best modern option in terms of looks for older properties in my opinion. Try to find out what tile manufacturer they used so you can seamlessly join to their side.

If they do not know, you should be able to lift one of their tiles and the manufacturer should have an imprint on the back...


Good luck

 

[Toiletduck]

Well at least they went for a large format plain tile. Those are the best modern option in terms of looks for older properties in my opinion. Try to find out what tile manufacturer they used so you can seamlessly join to their side.

If they do not know, you should be able to lift one of their tiles and the manufacturer should have an imprint on the back...


Good luck

Yeah, thanks.

We've not made the final decision yet but my preference is leaning towards a matching roof rather than a better looking tile. Up close though there is no comparison between the rosemary tiles and the concrete ones.

It's a shame next door haven't re-roofed with Rosemary's then we'd have to match them.

Have you looked into the weight differences? Am I correct in thinking a concrete tiled roof is actually lighter overall than a rosemary tiles roof as many fewer tiles are required? My questions on weight issues have been dismissed by roofers I have spoken to so far.

Looking at the manufacturer websites, Rosemary's are around 70kg per square metre and standard concrete tiles are 50 kg per metre. So it sounds like there is no weight issue going from rosemary to concrete tiles?

 

[dishman]

You are correct. Overall a concrete roof is lighter than a plain clay tile (rosemary) roof. So you should not have a problem.

To my knowledge the problems you may have heard of regarding weight are older buildings with thin slate roofs. The slates are much lighter than modern concrete tiles so the roofs have to be re-enforced before re-roofing.

There have been many instances where this was not done and the roof starts to sag under the new weight.