But is that the first time it needed work? One of my elementary schools has a slate roof that's a little over 100 , but when I attended in 1970, the slates were already getting replaced and/or re-nailed.
Avengers: The Investing Initiative you do realise that in Europe a two hundred year old house is quite normal? There are hundreds of thousands of houses of that age in the U.K. alone.
@@hdj81Vlimited The USA was bombing Europe?? Wtf is that framing? Every country was bombing Europe. The war would not have been won without the Americans and Russians.
Most of the tile roofs in our 30 year old Florida neighborhood have seen total replacements. It’s what’s under that has failed (felt and flashings) and not the tile. They are being glued on with a one part urethane foam adhesive and use only nails on the first course, all per our tough hurricane codes here. Thanks for the videos Matt.
The colored slates from Vermont and New York make a beautiful roof. There are 200+ year old slate roofs in the US. Most of them were built in areas where slate was quarried locally. They were installed on common houses, and even barns. If you want to learn about slate roofs, I'd recommend reading "The Slate Roof Bible" By Joseph Jenkins.
I'm surprised you didn't mention heavy glazed tiles. Here in Australia we tend to go with heavily glazed tiles for extra water proofing, or powder coated steel for the extra moisture protection. The tiles are clear glazed to about the same level as the tiles you use in wet areas. Slate is becoming more prevalent, but it dearer than tiles or iron. I like the look of the tile on the shed behind you in the video, especially how it curves over the side, and I'd love to see a future video on how that is installed. Almost forgot, most tiles here are shaped different to have interlocking top and bottom lips to stop wind blowing water under the tiles, and locking lips on the sides as well.
Matt, here is a real world data point: the house I grew up in was built in 1848 and the original slate roof had to be extensively repaired (not totally replaced, just repairs of cracked and spalled tiles) in 1985, so it lasted almost 140 years. The problem was that the repair was very expensive, about 20% more than replacing the roof with steel, which has left me to this day wondering if steel roofing might ultimately be the best choice.
Don't use steel, unless you have no moisture where you live, it will not last nearly as long. If you go to metal look at stainless or aluminum. Probably tempered glass will be the way of the future.
This is one of the most interesting cultural difference that I see, as a UK watcher of this channel; longevity expectations. For example, my childhood home is 100 years old, and has never needed more maintenance work than a repainting of the interior walls. It has never needed a roof tile replaced, timber repaired, or brickwork repointed. I see no reason why it would not last another century with minimal maintenance. It is also an entirely typical and unexceptional home here in the UK. It is still quite jarring when I see US builders talking about wall cladding and roofing that is expected to only last a couple of decades as if that were entirely reasonable.
Japanese residential construction is even more throw-away than modern American. There, you are expected to tear down the old house when you buy a property and rebuild. The idea of living in a home that someone else lived in is unpalatable. Many Americans would like to live in a well-built older home, but there just aren't enough of them, and often all we can afford is a cheaply built modern one.
dlwatib The reason you can only afford cheap construction is because you expect your houses to be as big as possible. In Europe we build to last, we expect our homes to increase in value not depreciate like a car would. Older houses actually command a premium, and many people would point blank refuse to live in anything newly built.
@@spencerwilton5831 Stop reading numbers and look at houses in the US. Average house in the US is 2200 ish SQFT I've been in 1 house my entire life over 2,000 SQFT and it was way too big for the family of 5 that lived in it. I'm 30 and have always lived in a house around 1,100 - 1,300 SQFT 1,300 SQFT is not large, it's a normal sized HOUSE. I'm not talking about townhouses, I'm talking about a house on it's own plot of land about an acre or so. Those numbers you read about are all bullshit, oh and I never lived in a city. Always tons of land, at least 1.5 acres but sitting on 23 acres now with 1,300 SQFT home built 6 years ago.
I lived in the UK half my life and now in the USA, and houses here are built like cardboard boxes compared to the UK. Even then, the roofs do not last as long as they say they will. My neighbor had a 30 year shingle on his roof, and just replaced it after 21 years. Same goes for walls and siding. Sadly here everything is disposable, as that is good for business.
I'll defend US houses. Well, old US houses. So other than apartment buildings, I have never lived in a house built after WWII, both in the US and the UK. Much of our older, and in many cases, more desirable housing stock in the US is in excellent shape. Matt has done a number of really good videos about the longevity of these older houses. Honestly, old growth timber, tried and true construction methods, and plaster make a long wearing -- if expensive to HVAC house. That said, my experience is rare because, quite frankly, if we just used 100 year old housing stock, we'd have even more homeless. In 1920, the US had about 100 million people. Today, it has 330 million. Meanwhile, in 1921, the Uk had 35 million and in 2019, it had 56 million. The US population has more than tripled (in fact it has nearly doubled since only 1960) in the last hundred years while the UK hasn't even doubled. The result of this boom is that the US has needed to build a ton of new housing, fair more than the UK. Additionally, with the western growth and the midwestern and rural declines in populations, more houses than you'd think need to be built. For example, my county had 91,000 people in 1920 and has 1.6 million today. This means few houses pre-date 1920 because they just don't exist. While the US not having a ton of 100+ year old houses might at first be a reflection of poor housing quality, in reality it is a result of us not having that many houses in 1920. Now, the US has a bunch of new, poorly built houses. You've seen them on Matt's videos (including one that got disappeared). However, I promise you if you went to the average new housing estate in the UK, you'd see some very similar (in scale, not type, as the building methods are different) flaws. Europeans get all upset about wooden houses, but honestly the reason you don't build your houses out of wood is that you chopped all your trees down centuries ago, plus fire codes that pre-dated modern fire departments. There are plenty of very old wooden buildings, including some in Europe which managed not to get burned down.
My house is about 100 years old and the slate roof is still going. The slate was likely quarried locally along the NY/VT border. We have brutal freeze thaw cycles and significant snow loads. We don't often get Texas hail though!
Yep same for my 160+ year slate roof. The issue for me isn't the slate but the underlying structure, so I guess my suggestion if you go with these heavier options and want to pay forward to the owner 100 years into the future beef up the trusses, etc.
Robert Arnold in my neck of the woods, the next town over SO ORANGE there are huge old mansions all with SLATE, THEN you see as many as 11 SEPERATE clay pipes for various fireplaces, give you how old those homes were, my town Maplewood no has very few.
I think the big hangup in my area would be finding a contractor who knows how to install a slate or tile roof. The asphalt shingle roof guy might say "yeah we can do slate, did one a few years ago", but I wouldn't trust a contractor unless that's all he does is slate and/or tile roofs exclusively.
My house has Italian clay tiles like all those in our neighborhood. The climate is Mediterranean, never really gets below freezing but summers are around 90F every day. The clay tiles both leak like crazy in the rain, never sit right so there are always gaps, break from just a crow landing on them or just from thermal cycles and move in the wind so there are always new leaks. Every year we have to replace 10+ tiles. There is no way I would ever suggest using such a roof material.
At the end of the day, everyone needs to keep in mind that a products lifetime is actually dependent on the quality of its installation and materials used such as underlayment and fasteners.
@@kurtvonfricken6829 depends on the install. If going over plywood you most certainly do or the ply will rot out due to the condensation from the slate. Every install is different so don't be so naive.
Nothing is prettier than a tropical seaside white masonry house with a blue glazed tile roof. In Europe most roof are made from fired clay or cement tiles. They are designed to interlock and are easy fast and easy to lay down.
If you want your roof to actually last 100 years, I have a recommendation. Use multiple colors of roof tiles. This sound weird, but think about the state of the market in 80 or even 50 years. Even if the company that made your tiles still exists, there is a good chance they won't make them in exactly the same color, and if they do, they won't reflect 50-80 years of fade. All sorts of things can happen in 100 years, someone walking on the roof without being careful, big hail, something hitting the roof, etc. Odds are you will need to replace a few tiles. If you have one color of tile, you will need to either reroof or have a weird looking spot on your roof. My parent's neighborhood is all 1920s custom built homes, mostly mission/spanish/Monterey style (along with fake tudors, which tend to have slate or shake). About half the houses had mixed tiles and half have matching. Most of the matching tile roofs have been re-done. Most of the mixed tile is original. Also, additions. My parents did an addition and because they had mixed tiles, the addition looks like it has always been there.
Money well spent. Not mentioned is there are added costs to beef up the roof structure to hold the added weight. Can't just add clay or slate on top of a roof designed for composite.
Remember to have the structural load bear framing and trusses or stick rafters engineer designed and approved to support all that extra weight. I have seen improperly engineered roofs sag under the tremendous weight of tile roofs. Use a high quality synthetic underlayment approved for what you are installing for shingles (slate, clay tile, etc...) Use thicker 5/8” wood sheathing on the deck. Use quality battens designed to allow water to flow towards the eaves and not to rot out.
Metal roofing is also a long life possibly 100 yr. roof. Advantages of metal,less weight than even asphalt + recycleable and is walkable with no issues.
BlindAF Good thing our ancestors didn't think like you. They could have said, "hey let's build everything which shitty materials that only last a single lifetime so every generation can waste their resources building what we could have built at 30% more..." It's the same work to make a 25 year roof as it is to make a 100 year roof, and it isn't 4x as expensive.
"Good thing our ancestors didn't think like you." Uh, how many old homes have you been in? Nobody is going to put slate shingles on a 1000 sq ft home. You have property taxes and Eminent Domain to worry about.
There are also concrete tiles that are cheaper, heavier, and will last as long as both of these. They are attached the same way as the clay tiles, but reqire a sturdier roof due to the added weight. They have zero problem with water, freezing or anything like that, unlike tile, and have less of an issue with you walking on it.
@@goober239 The concrete tiles on my house are GLAZED (like pottery). They're impervious to weather, but no tile can withstand clueless people stomping around up there.
In the U.K. If your roof is not "conventionally constructed from slate or tile" you can expect to pay significantly more for your home insurance. That's because slate and tile are understood to protect your most valuable asset far better and for far longer than just about anything else.
You do a great job showing products and the complexity of modern home builds. Between air tightens, mold and waterproofing for 100 yr plus. No one knows how long all those glues, tapes, vent panels, ect will last. What about some sort of foamcrete, aircrete monolithic dome that has it all including forest fireproof.
Hey Matt First, Thanks So Much for the Great Videos. Looking at maybe buying a 2nd home in Texas in a few years. When we do, I AM CALLING YOU TO BUILD OR RENOVATE!! Question: 1. Which has the highest Wind Load? Slate or Tile? 2. What is the wind load on each? Be Blessed and Thanks Again!!
25% of UK housing stock was built in the Victorian era, and almost exclusively roofed with slate. A very significant proportion retain their original roofs. Contrary to other comments they are easy to maintain- individual tiles can be replaced when damaged, and wood quality Welsh slate will last centuries. More often than not it it the nails that fail rather than the slates. Even 100 plus year old slates are regularly salvaged from demolitions for reuse. Yes, slate is expensive, but in terms of performance and appearance nothing beats it.
I wanted to use stainless steel nails on a Spanish tile style roof we had installed. This kind of tile requires two different length nails. The longer nails weren't available in stainless steel. We went with galvanized for those and stainless steel nails for the shorter ones. We paid about $500 dollars more for the stainless steel nails. I'm sure we didn't get $500 more for the building when we sold it this year but I was still happy with the decision. I like the idea of doing repairs that last a long time even if I'm not going to be around to profit from the improved reliability.
Hey Matt I just wonder about the weight of these heavy roof clays per square meter!!..in Europe the roofs are build on concrete /stone walls, columns,..in US the houses are wood frames...any info , Please !?...thank you for your all great work of videos .
Sharko sakotch It's something you have to consider. Old wood framed houses in the US were usually built for tile. If you live in a newer cardboard framed house, you need to calculate how much weight your roof can support.
Metal roofing is also a long life material, at a much lower cost. It has been used in the deep south and the far north. Some of them had out lasted there buildings.
+Monte Glover Yes. I am siding my rebuilt porch with metal roofing that is in its third use cycle. Does not look that great, and I have to silicon caulk a lot of fastener holes, but structurally it is fine and, once caulked, sheds water and snow like a champion. In the area I live in salvaged metal roofing is considered a primary building material!!!!!
+Matt Risinger Well, like any product, the lifetime of metal roofing depends upon gauge thickness, paint quality, and metal formulation quality. Also, my area is a low wind area which can stress metal roofing if not properly installed. But, an advantage of metal roofing is that you can easily cut it to any shape needed. Tile roofing and slate are not so easily reshaped to new needs.
Commenting on your statement about the age of roofs in Europe... I am from Europe, I grew up in Germany. I can assure you that it is true that many houses are several hundred years old and still have the original burnt shingle roof on it, with a little repair here and there if necessary, for instance if it got hit by lightening or a big tree branch. But we build for centuries in Europe, unlike what I see here in the USA... the way houses are being built here literally scares me, if it does not make me laugh...they are so cheaply built and flimsy! But who cares, right? As long as they are made to look like a million bucks on the facade, everybody falls for the deception!
velvetpaws999 when I was in PFORZHEIM, in 2001, I had seen a few displays in various places on the side of the roads,,where they were showing ‘tiles’ in several colors,,but they were METAL, I noticed that there were special people whom went on those clay roofs, always Dresden black, I though maybe chimney sweeps, as. most places use fuel oil for heat.
Everything is an illusion and I do mean everything! Space, NASA and the biggest lie of them all Earth is motionless and not a globe flying through fake Space!!!
We build and live in houses for our current times. Do you still live and work like the society 200 years ago? What good is building a house to last 200 years if it doesn't suit your current needs and then only to be torn down by the next generation. That is why the rate of home ownership is so low in Germany because the cost of building a house is so high.
I was surprised to not see metal on this list. What are the failings/negatives of metal that kept it off this short list? Sidenote, didn't you use metal on the 500 year home? Thx Matt!
Should check out the details on using stainless fasteners in salt environments. I did a project on a Navy base and had to pull out all of the stainless steel and go to galvanized around the salt air. Got a good earful from the Seebees.
I spent some nights in Germany sleeping in several different barns. They have these type of roofs with rain water tanks all linked together. The tiles had hooks and legs and they hooked together. Never saw any fasteners
Could you please do a piece on roofing materials and a hurricane zone what will stand up to a Harricane best and at what price thanks for the great shows
It kinda depends how well they're nailed down. If they're held down well enough, any wind that rips them off will also be tearing walls apart. Of course, then you have to account for the cost of repair/rebuild when that hurricane or tornado comes through. Do you build flimsy and cheap, and just rebuild after every tornado? Or build strong and expensive and only need to rebuild after one tornado in twelve?
PDSalling A friend put on copper roofing, gutters, and downspouts. Plants and grass around his house died from copper poisoning. I researched it and discovered that this is a common problem.
Wonder how you’d feel in that room if you leave the dehumidifier running and turn off the radiant cooling? Get yourself a heat pump water heater and I bet that would take a lot of the load off the dehumidifier and the radiant cooling. Gotta get things working together to make it efficient, no? Also, in a passive house the air exchanger could have a coolant loop in it for summer season.
I see that nice shed in the background, what are the materials on the walls/roof? On the roof, is it the Carlisle WIP 300ht? What's on the wall? I'll be building an outdoor shed/office that is similar to the Perfect Wall house you build over the last 3 years.
Great Moose Detective I agree. The standing seam roof around here are 100 years old.. but, I think the metal was thicker or something... anything around 50 is good for me.. 😀
Great video, but I would still rather have a metal roof. A metal roof may have to be replaced before a clay or slate roof, but they roofs have so many other advantages that make it a great choice. 100% recyclable, about 1/6th the weight of a clay/slate roof, better for a cold climate, most metal roofs will have a higher wind rating, great at reflecting heat from sunlight ... and more. Just my opinion.
Clay/slate can become brittle in freezing temperatures. I don't see any advantage to having thermal mass in a roofing system. I actually see that fact as a reason to not use such a product. If your roof is properly insulated/sealed there is no need for thermal mass. Also some insurance companies might charge a higher premium for all of that "suspended mass". It could help cause the roof to collapse in the event that a building caught fire. The lighter weight of a metal roof also allows for the roofing trusses/rafter design to be more economical since it doesn't have to hold up tons of material while still calculating in the climate's snow load. Can you tell I live where a lot of snow falls? LOL
applemaggot : a standing seam metal roof really sheds snow quickly as there's very little to hold it in place. You would have to put snow stops/dams in place where you do not want the snow pack to slide off Avalanche Style (walkways, porches, vehicle parking etc...). Other styles of metal roofs tend to hold the snow in place longer. It's not an issue of weight since the metal is so much lighter than asphalt, fiberglass, clay tile and slate roofing options.
TechSkills I live in Northern Illinois, so we get decent snow loading, but i also live/work on older houses. So I'm used to roofs that are built for slate, and a lot of them still have it 100+ years later. I can't see putting something on a roof that only lasts half as long as slate, and doesn't look as good. In new construction, i could see considering it, but i bet your house fire example burns through the twigs supporting your roof and collapses metal far before it weakens the timber holding my roof up. I can't imagine the thermal mass would make that much of a difference, but it will radiate heat at night and keep your roof warmer. IMO that means that you can't say a metal roof performs better in the winter. Slate roofs shed snow very well and need snow stops too.
Product is only as good as its warranty and install, and for as long as the company is around. Ive had lifetime warranty on stuff before, and then the company goes bankrupt. How well do these hold up to sub zero temps? Good for the south only?
Wrong. Product is only as good as the product or the install. Warranties, especially roof warranties, are almost always completely useless. In this case, tempered glass is a far superior product to slate or clay, hence tesla's "infinite" warranty.
Great Moose Detective It may be a quality product but there is no point talking about a lifetime warranty. A tempered glass roof may last 100 years, I doubt the company behind it will last more than a decade.
@@igm7710 It's not uncommon in Texas to see 4cm to 5cm hail. We even get up to the 9cm range from time to time (as in once every couple of years to once a year). So for us in Texas it's a fairly large concern.
I really love the clay tiles, really reminds me of my home back in Europe.. I would love to replace my shingles with clay tiles but its more common to put metal roofs here in the northeast to get longer life span. Can you educate us some on metal roofs?
Warren Cotton Steel roofs are a great sales pitch but have many issues. They dent easily and that is difficult to repair. Up north ice can easily form under the overlapping sections and that is a known failure point. Also metal roofs cause condensation which drips on the inside. Over a few decades that can cause rot.
Many other metal roofing options that won't dent easily. The thickness and shape of the metal roof make a huge difference in the quality of the product. If a metal roof is "properly installed" it will not cause any rot. All roofs have condensation. They don't cause it.
I've seen many standing seam steel roofs (from the mid to late 1800s & early 1900s) last over a 100 years. Yes most metal roofs will need to be replaced before a clay/slate roof.
Our roof in central Texas was put on in 1942 and is 76 Year’s old and not a dent in it. You can also walk on it whiteout the fear of cracking it. Maybe they don’t make metal roofs like they used too.
Have you or anyone you have known in Texas used the asphalt roof shingle sealents that are out. Just curious how they hold up to texas weather compared to boston mass
That is pretty much the case anywhere. Even up in the north, asphalt shingles degrade from heat and UV. 25 years is about all you get out of them. We don't have much hail.
@@nathanshaffer3749 in Texas, roofs last an average of 7 years. I replaced with hail resistance shingles to hopefully last a little longer, but we can get into golf ball and larger hail multiple times a year, and evidently your house will be under it. My point is he is from Texas, so he knows this. I'm from Dallas Ft Worth area(DFW), but pretty sure Austin is in the same weather patterns.
@@other9293 So basically the hail gets to them before heat in texas... makes sense. But I imagine the intense heat doesn't do any favors. If you have an asphalt roof that is basically melting at 150 deg that gets hit with hail before it has a chance to cool, I would think the wear will be far more severe, than if the shingles are cold and hard. When we get hail up hear, it tends to be in cold weather, so it tends to not be as catastrophic.
Next time I would love for you to mention how they both hold up to hail storms- that kind of sudden brute force would surely shatter clay tile correct? ( I mean hail destroys all kinds of things anyway) but if you are paying that much for a roof in the first place is there any lifetime guarantee on the product? I know most insurance is supposed to cover the replacement costs of roof after a hail storm but idk.
What about concrete tile? We installed it on hundreds of homes and businesses in the 90's in southern Arizona. Went back and looked at some of them this year, they look as good as the day we put them on. Also, you definitely want to make sure you have a good underlayment.
does adding that much material weight to standard construction bring structural integrity into question? id guess with that much weight, some sort of structural reinforcement may be necessary before installation?
My Italian MIL was complaining about having an assessment by her condo association to put a new tile roof on her building. I asked her how old the roof is, and she said 89 years. So, a good tile roof really can last, and Turin gets snow and hail pretty much every year.
In Germany this is the only way for roofs. My Grandmas house is 125 years old and it has the first roof on and because they wash it every 3-4 years it looks like new. I was surprised that my first house I bought in the US had asphalt shingles, that is something for a shed but not a house. Now we have at least a metal roof and that is much better than this thin asphalt shingles. Next house will get slate because it look awesome and is durable.
I know the slate and clay roof are much heavier than other kinds and also require more structural support. That would also factor into your cost overall too.
Contractors are telling me different things. Some Screw and use a two part foam to "glue" the tiles down (adhesive maybe?). Others say don't use the screws and penetrate underlayment beyond the first course. Other guy says you can't rely on the glue - end of tube and its an inferior attachment? Hope that clarifies....
The extra expense + interest over 25-30 years (good asphalt shingle life) will easily pay for new asphalt roofing perpetually, with money left over. That is a lot longer than 100 years.
The best and the most thoughtful comment I ever seen in this comment section!! Anyone with a financial calculator can easily figure that out. Carl,you're the Champion!!
I really dislike this throw away mentality. Sure, asphalt shingles have their place(on an outhouse, lol), but there needs to be a cultural change to build longer lasting and more maintainable houses. The aesthetics also need to play a bigger role. Look at a good house from 1920s or earlier. Anything modern looks sad and pathetic in comparison. My house has a slate roof that is 150 years old. Every year I replace or rehang a dozen slates where the nails have rusted away(and those were iron nails, Im replacing with copper) but the slate itself is as good as when it was new.
A multiple story house will need a smaller roof than a single story with identical square footage, thus reducing roofing costs. Also, a simple roof would involve considerably less labor cost than the complex roof in this video.
Just for kicks, do you think you could make a video that explores the old thatch roof technology and compare it to slate, metal, tile and shingle roofs? This video was laid out nicely for what it compares but I've always wanted to see a professional compare all of the major roof types like this as well :-D
How important is the underlayment on a clay or slate tile roof? If underlayment has a 30 yr warranty, that would imply a total removal of tiles every 30 years to replace the underlayment which does not seem reasonable. How did old structures in Europe deal with the underlayment issue and was removal of tiles to replace underlayment a standard thing to do?
Have you looked at the Rubber Tile Roofs? They look like Slate from the ground. 50 plus year life, can be walked on. They aren’t damaged by baseball size hail. 180 mile an hour wind resistance. My understanding is they are recycled tires.
@mattrisinger what is the best way to send in questions? I'm looking at counter battens and systems that are zero maintenance long lifespan all round. And provides zero hassle. I've come across several things that caught my eye I'd like to run by you. I'd say more but need to be more cognitive, just got off 2nd shift and dead tired.
The roof above my head is Welsh Slate, after 213 years it is finally needing some renovation as the nails are aging.
But is that the first time it needed work? One of my elementary schools has a slate roof that's a little over 100 , but when I attended in 1970, the slates were already getting replaced and/or re-nailed.
Avengers: The Investing Initiative you do realise that in Europe a two hundred year old house is quite normal? There are hundreds of thousands of houses of that age in the U.K. alone.
@@spencerwilton5831 In Belgium its +- 50 -60 years old, because the USA was bomming europe in 1940-45
@@hdj81Vlimited The USA was bombing Europe?? Wtf is that framing? Every country was bombing Europe. The war would not have been won without the Americans and Russians.
@@AnthonyBrusca Wales is a backwater, the nazis did not bother bombing.
Most of the tile roofs in our 30 year old Florida neighborhood have seen total replacements. It’s what’s under that has failed (felt and flashings) and not the tile. They are being glued on with a one part urethane foam adhesive and use only nails on the first course, all per our tough hurricane codes here. Thanks for the videos Matt.
The colored slates from Vermont and New York make a beautiful roof. There are 200+ year old slate roofs in the US. Most of them were built in areas where slate was quarried locally. They were installed on common houses, and even barns. If you want to learn about slate roofs, I'd recommend reading "The Slate Roof Bible" By Joseph Jenkins.
Lol 200+ i doubt it
I'm surprised you didn't mention heavy glazed tiles. Here in Australia we tend to go with heavily glazed tiles for extra water proofing, or powder coated steel for the extra moisture protection. The tiles are clear glazed to about the same level as the tiles you use in wet areas. Slate is becoming more prevalent, but it dearer than tiles or iron. I like the look of the tile on the shed behind you in the video, especially how it curves over the side, and I'd love to see a future video on how that is installed. Almost forgot, most tiles here are shaped different to have interlocking top and bottom lips to stop wind blowing water under the tiles, and locking lips on the sides as well.
Matt, here is a real world data point: the house I grew up in was built in 1848 and the original slate roof had to be extensively repaired (not totally replaced, just repairs of cracked and spalled tiles) in 1985, so it lasted almost 140 years. The problem was that the repair was very expensive, about 20% more than replacing the roof with steel, which has left me to this day wondering if steel roofing might ultimately be the best choice.
Don't use steel, unless you have no moisture where you live, it will not last nearly as long. If you go to metal look at stainless or aluminum. Probably tempered glass will be the way of the future.
This is one of the most interesting cultural difference that I see, as a UK watcher of this channel; longevity expectations. For example, my childhood home is 100 years old, and has never needed more maintenance work than a repainting of the interior walls. It has never needed a roof tile replaced, timber repaired, or brickwork repointed. I see no reason why it would not last another century with minimal maintenance. It is also an entirely typical and unexceptional home here in the UK. It is still quite jarring when I see US builders talking about wall cladding and roofing that is expected to only last a couple of decades as if that were entirely reasonable.
Japanese residential construction is even more throw-away than modern American. There, you are expected to tear down the old house when you buy a property and rebuild. The idea of living in a home that someone else lived in is unpalatable.
Many Americans would like to live in a well-built older home, but there just aren't enough of them, and often all we can afford is a cheaply built modern one.
dlwatib The reason you can only afford cheap construction is because you expect your houses to be as big as possible. In Europe we build to last, we expect our homes to increase in value not depreciate like a car would. Older houses actually command a premium, and many people would point blank refuse to live in anything newly built.
@@spencerwilton5831 Stop reading numbers and look at houses in the US.
Average house in the US is 2200 ish SQFT
I've been in 1 house my entire life over 2,000 SQFT and it was way too big for the family of 5 that lived in it.
I'm 30 and have always lived in a house around 1,100 - 1,300 SQFT
1,300 SQFT is not large, it's a normal sized HOUSE. I'm not talking about townhouses, I'm talking about a house on it's own plot of land about an acre or so.
Those numbers you read about are all bullshit, oh and I never lived in a city. Always tons of land, at least 1.5 acres but sitting on 23 acres now with 1,300 SQFT home built 6 years ago.
I lived in the UK half my life and now in the USA, and houses here are built like cardboard boxes compared to the UK. Even then, the roofs do not last as long as they say they will. My neighbor had a 30 year shingle on his roof, and just replaced it after 21 years. Same goes for walls and siding. Sadly here everything is disposable, as that is good for business.
I'll defend US houses. Well, old US houses. So other than apartment buildings, I have never lived in a house built after WWII, both in the US and the UK. Much of our older, and in many cases, more desirable housing stock in the US is in excellent shape. Matt has done a number of really good videos about the longevity of these older houses. Honestly, old growth timber, tried and true construction methods, and plaster make a long wearing -- if expensive to HVAC house.
That said, my experience is rare because, quite frankly, if we just used 100 year old housing stock, we'd have even more homeless. In 1920, the US had about 100 million people. Today, it has 330 million. Meanwhile, in 1921, the Uk had 35 million and in 2019, it had 56 million. The US population has more than tripled (in fact it has nearly doubled since only 1960) in the last hundred years while the UK hasn't even doubled.
The result of this boom is that the US has needed to build a ton of new housing, fair more than the UK. Additionally, with the western growth and the midwestern and rural declines in populations, more houses than you'd think need to be built. For example, my county had 91,000 people in 1920 and has 1.6 million today. This means few houses pre-date 1920 because they just don't exist.
While the US not having a ton of 100+ year old houses might at first be a reflection of poor housing quality, in reality it is a result of us not having that many houses in 1920.
Now, the US has a bunch of new, poorly built houses. You've seen them on Matt's videos (including one that got disappeared). However, I promise you if you went to the average new housing estate in the UK, you'd see some very similar (in scale, not type, as the building methods are different) flaws.
Europeans get all upset about wooden houses, but honestly the reason you don't build your houses out of wood is that you chopped all your trees down centuries ago, plus fire codes that pre-dated modern fire departments. There are plenty of very old wooden buildings, including some in Europe which managed not to get burned down.
My house is about 100 years old and the slate roof is still going. The slate was likely quarried locally along the NY/VT border. We have brutal freeze thaw cycles and significant snow loads. We don't often get Texas hail though!
Yep same for my 160+ year slate roof. The issue for me isn't the slate but the underlying structure, so I guess my suggestion if you go with these heavier options and want to pay forward to the owner 100 years into the future beef up the trusses, etc.
Robert Arnold in my neck of the woods, the next town over SO ORANGE there are huge old mansions all with SLATE, THEN you see as many as 11 SEPERATE clay pipes for various fireplaces, give you how old those homes were, my town Maplewood no has very few.
I think the big hangup in my area would be finding a contractor who knows how to install a slate or tile roof. The asphalt shingle roof guy might say "yeah we can do slate, did one a few years ago", but I wouldn't trust a contractor unless that's all he does is slate and/or tile roofs exclusively.
DIY is more trustworthy
Who are you going to find after100 years for warranty service ??
Real estate investing. This aren’t meant for regular people.
@Steve A not for investors.
Chances are you won’t be alive to worry about it lol
My house has Italian clay tiles like all those in our neighborhood. The climate is Mediterranean, never really gets below freezing but summers are around 90F every day. The clay tiles both leak like crazy in the rain, never sit right so there are always gaps, break from just a crow landing on them or just from thermal cycles and move in the wind so there are always new leaks. Every year we have to replace 10+ tiles. There is no way I would ever suggest using such a roof material.
At the end of the day, everyone needs to keep in mind that a products lifetime is actually dependent on the quality of its installation and materials used such as underlayment and fasteners.
how do you install a 100 year shingle properly?
@@jerrybear3081 all hands no feet.
@HEAV¥HAND Dude, the guy just said don't use galvanized nails...
Slate doesn’t need underpayment.
@@kurtvonfricken6829 depends on the install. If going over plywood you most certainly do or the ply will rot out due to the condensation from the slate. Every install is different so don't be so naive.
Nothing is prettier than a tropical seaside white masonry house with a blue glazed tile roof.
In Europe most roof are made from fired clay or cement tiles. They are designed to interlock and are easy fast and easy to lay down.
Matt, it's great to see you going with slate & clay! Keep up the good work!
If you want your roof to actually last 100 years, I have a recommendation. Use multiple colors of roof tiles. This sound weird, but think about the state of the market in 80 or even 50 years. Even if the company that made your tiles still exists, there is a good chance they won't make them in exactly the same color, and if they do, they won't reflect 50-80 years of fade.
All sorts of things can happen in 100 years, someone walking on the roof without being careful, big hail, something hitting the roof, etc. Odds are you will need to replace a few tiles. If you have one color of tile, you will need to either reroof or have a weird looking spot on your roof.
My parent's neighborhood is all 1920s custom built homes, mostly mission/spanish/Monterey style (along with fake tudors, which tend to have slate or shake). About half the houses had mixed tiles and half have matching. Most of the matching tile roofs have been re-done. Most of the mixed tile is original.
Also, additions. My parents did an addition and because they had mixed tiles, the addition looks like it has always been there.
Money well spent. Not mentioned is there are added costs to beef up the roof structure to hold the added weight. Can't just add clay or slate on top of a roof designed for composite.
ArthurDentZaphodBeeb That depends on the weight of any material per square. However in most cases you are correct.
In europe all oure houses are strtong. Brick walls. Roofing construction from 180x 40 mm wooden spants.
Remember to have the structural load bear framing and trusses or stick rafters engineer designed and approved to support all that extra weight. I have seen improperly engineered roofs sag under the tremendous weight of tile roofs. Use a high quality synthetic underlayment approved for what you are installing for shingles (slate, clay tile, etc...) Use thicker 5/8” wood sheathing on the deck. Use quality battens designed to allow water to flow towards the eaves and not to rot out.
Great tips. Thanks!
Metal roofing is also a long life possibly 100 yr. roof. Advantages of metal,less weight than even asphalt + recycleable and is walkable with no issues.
Metal roofs rarely last 100 years. Slate roofs commonly last 100 years.
Humans rarely last 100 years.
BlindAF
Good thing our ancestors didn't think like you. They could have said, "hey let's build everything which shitty materials that only last a single lifetime so every generation can waste their resources building what we could have built at 30% more..." It's the same work to make a 25 year roof as it is to make a 100 year roof, and it isn't 4x as expensive.
"Good thing our ancestors didn't think like you."
Uh, how many old homes have you been in? Nobody is going to put slate shingles on a 1000 sq ft home. You have property taxes and Eminent Domain to worry about.
BlindAF - if you are worried about property taxes you likely can't afford a new slate roof
There are also concrete tiles that are cheaper, heavier, and will last as long as both of these.
They are attached the same way as the clay tiles, but reqire a sturdier roof due to the added weight. They have zero problem with water, freezing or anything like that, unlike tile, and have less of an issue with you walking on it.
I highly doubt that. Concrete weathers quite quickly.
@@goober239 The concrete tiles on my house are GLAZED (like pottery). They're impervious to weather, but no tile can withstand clueless people stomping around up there.
I was in NW Italy years ago, at a town called Coeurmayeur at the base of Mt. Blanc. Some of the houses had 2’x2’x1.5” slate tiles.
i thought you were going to say marble...
In the U.K. If your roof is not "conventionally constructed from slate or tile" you can expect to pay significantly more for your home insurance. That's because slate and tile are understood to protect your most valuable asset far better and for far longer than just about anything else.
You do a great job showing products and the complexity of modern home builds. Between air tightens, mold and waterproofing for 100 yr plus. No one knows how long all those glues, tapes, vent panels, ect will last. What about some sort of foamcrete, aircrete monolithic dome that has it all including forest fireproof.
How about compared to metal in longevity and cost?
Hey Matt
First, Thanks So Much for the Great Videos. Looking at maybe buying a 2nd home in Texas in a few years. When we do, I AM CALLING YOU TO BUILD OR RENOVATE!!
Question:
1. Which has the highest Wind Load? Slate or Tile?
2. What is the wind load on each?
Be Blessed and Thanks Again!!
I put on a Almet metal one. Lifetime warranty 2.5” hail and 120mph wind rated. Dade County approved.
I’m not sure. Need to find out. Look me up when you come to Tx!
That slate roof is sick. Great drone shots. Keep up the great work.
Thanks Jim!
Outstanding and thoughtful topics to help everyone. Wish you luck advancing your message.
25% of UK housing stock was built in the Victorian era, and almost exclusively roofed with slate. A very significant proportion retain their original roofs. Contrary to other comments they are easy to maintain- individual tiles can be replaced when damaged, and wood quality Welsh slate will last centuries. More often than not it it the nails that fail rather than the slates. Even 100 plus year old slates are regularly salvaged from demolitions for reuse. Yes, slate is expensive, but in terms of performance and appearance nothing beats it.
I wanted to use stainless steel nails on a Spanish tile style roof we had installed. This kind of tile requires two different length nails. The longer nails weren't available in stainless steel. We went with galvanized for those and stainless steel nails for the shorter ones. We paid about $500 dollars more for the stainless steel nails. I'm sure we didn't get $500 more for the building when we sold it this year but I was still happy with the decision. I like the idea of doing repairs that last a long time even if I'm not going to be around to profit from the improved reliability.
From a California perspective, tile and slate are also good in wildfire country.
Another good option for longevity is zinc.
Good for fire yes but very bad in in California earthquake zone.
If your house is in the path of a wild fire, tile or slate won't matter at all.
zinc is terrible.
Hey Matt
I just wonder about the weight of these heavy roof clays per square meter!!..in Europe the roofs are build on concrete /stone walls, columns,..in US the houses are wood frames...any info , Please !?...thank you for your all great work of videos .
Sharko sakotch
It's something you have to consider. Old wood framed houses in the US were usually built for tile. If you live in a newer cardboard framed house, you need to calculate how much weight your roof can support.
Thank you for your reply
I would go for the solar roof, interested in your experience with the Tesla Roof, seems like a great option for southern homes
Metal roofing is also a long life material, at a much lower cost. It has been used in the deep south and the far north. Some of them had out lasted there buildings.
+Monte Glover Yes. I am siding my rebuilt porch with metal roofing that is in its third use cycle. Does not look that great, and I have to silicon caulk a lot of fastener holes, but structurally it is fine and, once caulked, sheds water and snow like a champion. In the area I live in salvaged metal roofing is considered a primary building material!!!!!
I like metal too but it’s not typical to see it go this length. I have used a lot of metal on my roofs over the years.
+Matt Risinger Well, like any product, the lifetime of metal roofing depends upon gauge thickness, paint quality, and metal formulation quality. Also, my area is a low wind area which can stress metal roofing if not properly installed. But, an advantage of metal roofing is that you can easily cut it to any shape needed. Tile roofing and slate are not so easily reshaped to new needs.
@Matt Risinger
What's a typical lifespan for a sliding-clip, hidden fastener standing seam panel of proper alloy? (not galvy)
Commenting on your statement about the age of roofs in Europe... I am from Europe, I grew up in Germany. I can assure you that it is true that many houses are several hundred years old and still have the original burnt shingle roof on it, with a little repair here and there if necessary, for instance if it got hit by lightening or a big tree branch. But we build for centuries in Europe, unlike what I see here in the USA... the way houses are being built here literally scares me, if it does not make me laugh...they are so cheaply built and flimsy! But who cares, right? As long as they are made to look like a million bucks on the facade, everybody falls for the deception!
velvetpaws999 when I was in PFORZHEIM, in 2001, I had seen a few displays in various places on the side of the roads,,where they were showing ‘tiles’ in several colors,,but they were METAL, I noticed that there were special people whom went on those clay roofs, always Dresden black, I though maybe chimney sweeps, as. most places use fuel oil for heat.
Everything is an illusion and I do mean everything! Space, NASA and the biggest lie of them all Earth is motionless and not a globe flying through fake Space!!!
@@runedragone Your meds are not an illusion mate, start taking them again.
We build and live in houses for our current times. Do you still live and work like the society 200 years ago? What good is building a house to last 200 years if it doesn't suit your current needs and then only to be torn down by the next generation. That is why the rate of home ownership is so low in Germany because the cost of building a house is so high.
Curious to hear your opinion on the Tesla roof tiles..
Your channel is incredible. The information has made me a much better professional. Thank you!
I was surprised to not see metal on this list. What are the failings/negatives of metal that kept it off this short list? Sidenote, didn't you use metal on the 500 year home? Thx Matt!
Stainless, aluminum or copper will last 100 years. Steel won't unless you live in the desert.
I'm gonna guess that attractiveness is the reason it's not here. Somebody with enough money for a huge house usually wants something prettier.
nice comparation. I wonder if you had chance to check on Tesla roof tiles? Any good reviews on that?
Should check out the details on using stainless fasteners in salt environments. I did a project on a Navy base and had to pull out all of the stainless steel and go to galvanized around the salt air. Got a good earful from the Seebees.
304 steel is not suitable for salt/coastal but 316 steel fasteners are coastal rated.
I spent some nights in Germany sleeping in several different barns. They have these type of roofs with rain water tanks all linked together. The tiles had hooks and legs and they hooked together. Never saw any fasteners
On the build show!
Could you please do a piece on roofing materials and a hurricane zone what will stand up to a Harricane best and at what price thanks for the great shows
What about wind damage?? I've seen hurricane damage. I imagine a tornado will turn them into missiles
It kinda depends how well they're nailed down. If they're held down well enough, any wind that rips them off will also be tearing walls apart. Of course, then you have to account for the cost of repair/rebuild when that hurricane or tornado comes through. Do you build flimsy and cheap, and just rebuild after every tornado? Or build strong and expensive and only need to rebuild after one tornado in twelve?
Speaking of the porosity of clay tiles, talk about clay tiles that have had glazing fired on to prevent water absorption/freezing breakage. Thoughts?
Is there valley-metal? (Copper?) You'd spec a copper nail...right?
Are the valleys 'membrane' (asphaltic?)
PDSalling A friend put on copper roofing, gutters, and downspouts. Plants and grass around his house died from copper poisoning. I researched it and discovered that this is a common problem.
Wonder how you’d feel in that room if you leave the dehumidifier running and turn off the radiant cooling? Get yourself a heat pump water heater and I bet that would take a lot of the load off the dehumidifier and the radiant cooling. Gotta get things working together to make it efficient, no? Also, in a passive house the air exchanger could have a coolant loop in it for summer season.
welsh slate is the best/ with a copper nail
In the UK clay, concrete or slate are the standard, shingles, tabbed felt and metal are rare on houses.
I see that nice shed in the background, what are the materials on the walls/roof? On the roof, is it the Carlisle WIP 300ht? What's on the wall? I'll be building an outdoor shed/office that is similar to the Perfect Wall house you build over the last 3 years.
We want to go “standing seam” steel roof.. they can last 100 years and don’t cost so much. 😀
Steel roofs are a great option, but they do not commonly last 100 years. Closer to 50, if you keep it painted.
Great Moose Detective I agree. The standing seam roof around here are 100 years old.. but, I think the metal was thicker or something... anything around 50 is good for me.. 😀
Climate makes a bigger difference in how long those last too.
Great Moose Detective totally. I always think about the future and how people will be spraying some foam or something on their roofs.. lol
1806StoneHouse ok, but ugly as sin!
Great video, but I would still rather have a metal roof.
A metal roof may have to be replaced before a clay or slate roof, but they roofs have so many other advantages that make it a great choice. 100% recyclable, about 1/6th the weight of a clay/slate roof, better for a cold climate, most metal roofs will have a higher wind rating, great at reflecting heat from sunlight ... and more. Just my opinion.
Why are they better for cold climates? I could see them being better in hot climates... But they have more thermal mass for cold climates...
Clay/slate can become brittle in freezing temperatures. I don't see any advantage to having thermal mass in a roofing system. I actually see that fact as a reason to not use such a product. If your roof is properly insulated/sealed there is no need for thermal mass.
Also some insurance companies might charge a higher premium for all of that "suspended mass". It could help cause the roof to collapse in the event that a building caught fire. The lighter weight of a metal roof also allows for the roofing trusses/rafter design to be more economical since it doesn't have to hold up tons of material while still calculating in the climate's snow load.
Can you tell I live where a lot of snow falls? LOL
Sheds snow better?
applemaggot : a standing seam metal roof really sheds snow quickly as there's very little to hold it in place. You would have to put snow stops/dams in place where you do not want the snow pack to slide off Avalanche Style (walkways, porches, vehicle parking etc...).
Other styles of metal roofs tend to hold the snow in place longer. It's not an issue of weight since the metal is so much lighter than asphalt, fiberglass, clay tile and slate roofing options.
TechSkills
I live in Northern Illinois, so we get decent snow loading, but i also live/work on older houses. So I'm used to roofs that are built for slate, and a lot of them still have it 100+ years later. I can't see putting something on a roof that only lasts half as long as slate, and doesn't look as good. In new construction, i could see considering it, but i bet your house fire example burns through the twigs supporting your roof and collapses metal far before it weakens the timber holding my roof up. I can't imagine the thermal mass would make that much of a difference, but it will radiate heat at night and keep your roof warmer. IMO that means that you can't say a metal roof performs better in the winter. Slate roofs shed snow very well and need snow stops too.
Product is only as good as its warranty and install, and for as long as the company is around. Ive had lifetime warranty on stuff before, and then the company goes bankrupt. How well do these hold up to sub zero temps? Good for the south only?
they did say they were good for winter weather. But for clay it must be a high density clay. I'm assuming the slate works best.
Virgil
In cold climates go tin/steel they'll last 50yrs.
Wrong. Product is only as good as the product or the install. Warranties, especially roof warranties, are almost always completely useless. In this case, tempered glass is a far superior product to slate or clay, hence tesla's "infinite" warranty.
Again, Tesla has no track record as slate does. There are roofs in New England, made with slate, over 100 yrs old.
Great Moose Detective It may be a quality product but there is no point talking about a lifetime warranty. A tempered glass roof may last 100 years, I doubt the company behind it will last more than a decade.
I eagerly anticipate your video 100 years from now when you come back to check on the condition of the roof you are putting on now.
What about molded concrete roof tiles? rather than clays?
Molded concrete tiles are three x the Wight clay tiles
@@thomasvincent9027 wrong. Heavier, sure, but not even twice. And they can be made lighter.
Why not concrete? And maybe glazed stoneware? are the costs really stoneware?
In southern Florida tile roofs only hold up for about 25 years because the underlayment (tar paper) designates, allowing leaks in the valleys.
Good video. What about underlayment? Thats the weakest link here in socal. Still resetting every 20-30 years.
What about hail damage, how well do they hold up vs asphalt roofs? (Lots of hail storms in Texas).
i leave in europe and had a hail last week i have a ceramic roof and i can say i didnt have any tile broken. hail was almost 2 cm or 1 inch i think
@@igm7710 It's not uncommon in Texas to see 4cm to 5cm hail. We even get up to the 9cm range from time to time (as in once every couple of years to once a year). So for us in Texas it's a fairly large concern.
Seems like that could be a lot of maintenance. maybe they last 200 years, but how often does somebody have to go up to patch it?
I really love the clay tiles, really reminds me of my home back in Europe.. I would love to replace my shingles with clay tiles but its more common to put metal roofs here in the northeast to get longer life span. Can you educate us some on metal roofs?
You talk about heat and UV for Texas weather, but how did these hold up to hail?
What about copper? I know it's more expensive, but isn't that a durable and long lasting rood option?
Id love to see a video on the r factors for slate and tile roofs
Do you think you could do a video about EIFS stucco system?
What about a steel roof? Aren't steel roofs long-lasting? What about cost compared to clay or slate?
Warren Cotton Steel roofs are a great sales pitch but have many issues. They dent easily and that is difficult to repair. Up north ice can easily form under the overlapping sections and that is a known failure point. Also metal roofs cause condensation which drips on the inside. Over a few decades that can cause rot.
Many other metal roofing options that won't dent easily. The thickness and shape of the metal roof make a huge difference in the quality of the product.
If a metal roof is "properly installed" it will not cause any rot. All roofs have condensation. They don't cause it.
You rarely (almost never) see a metal roof last 100 years unless it is solid copper.
I've seen many standing seam steel roofs (from the mid to late 1800s & early 1900s) last over a 100 years. Yes most metal roofs will need to be replaced before a clay/slate roof.
Our roof in central Texas was put on in 1942 and is 76 Year’s old and not a dent in it. You can also walk on it whiteout the fear of cracking it. Maybe they don’t make metal roofs like they used too.
Glazed ceramic tile works well in wetter areas, too
The slate roof on my grand aunt's house in Jacksontown OH lasted from 1876 to 1992.
Have you or anyone you have known in Texas used the asphalt roof shingle sealents that are out. Just curious how they hold up to texas weather compared to boston mass
In Texas, hail damage kills roofs, where did you come up with UV and heat???
That is pretty much the case anywhere. Even up in the north, asphalt shingles degrade from heat and UV. 25 years is about all you get out of them. We don't have much hail.
@@nathanshaffer3749 in Texas, roofs last an average of 7 years. I replaced with hail resistance shingles to hopefully last a little longer, but we can get into golf ball and larger hail multiple times a year, and evidently your house will be under it.
My point is he is from Texas, so he knows this. I'm from Dallas Ft Worth area(DFW), but pretty sure Austin is in the same weather patterns.
@@other9293 So basically the hail gets to them before heat in texas... makes sense. But I imagine the intense heat doesn't do any favors. If you have an asphalt roof that is basically melting at 150 deg that gets hit with hail before it has a chance to cool, I would think the wear will be far more severe, than if the shingles are cold and hard. When we get hail up hear, it tends to be in cold weather, so it tends to not be as catastrophic.
@@nathanshaffer3749 it hails in the spring when it isn't that hot.
thanks Matt, that was really interesting!
I grew up in a victorian with a slate roof
It's the fasteners, how long will the fasteners last?
Can anyone recommend a channel like this but for northern building ie in northern Ontario
benjamin fuzzen
m.th-cam.com/video/tkU8AaDsE2U/w-d-xo.html
Booyakasha! What about concrete tiles vs. clay tiles?
Next time I would love for you to mention how they both hold up to hail storms- that kind of sudden brute force would surely shatter clay tile correct? ( I mean hail destroys all kinds of things anyway) but if you are paying that much for a roof in the first place is there any lifetime guarantee on the product? I know most insurance is supposed to cover the replacement costs of roof after a hail storm but idk.
Have you seen glazed blue tile roofs out by the lake? Amazing. Essentially pottery art makes the roof.
How resistant are these roofs options to hurricanes or extreme wind conditions?
What's your opinion on the tesla solar roof?
What about concrete tile? We installed it on hundreds of homes and businesses in the 90's in southern Arizona. Went back and looked at some of them this year, they look as good as the day we put them on. Also, you definitely want to make sure you have a good underlayment.
does adding that much material weight to standard construction bring structural integrity into question? id guess with that much weight, some sort of structural reinforcement may be necessary before installation?
Here in Colorado we get up to softball size hail, would this stand up to that?
What are your thoughts on Brava Roof Tile, synthetic tile. Have you ever used it?
Matt, do you have any experience with Tesla Roof?
Wait, he mentioned the hail storms we have here in Texas but didn't mention them concerning tile durability. Is there a rating?
My Italian MIL was complaining about having an assessment by her condo association to put a new tile roof on her building. I asked her how old the roof is, and she said 89 years. So, a good tile roof really can last, and Turin gets snow and hail pretty much every year.
How does the clay tiles act to the hail test you did?
In Germany this is the only way for roofs. My Grandmas house is 125 years old and it has the first roof on and because they wash it every 3-4 years it looks like new. I was surprised that my first house I bought in the US had asphalt shingles, that is something for a shed but not a house. Now we have at least a metal roof and that is much better than this thin asphalt shingles. Next house will get slate because it look awesome and is durable.
I know the slate and clay roof are much heavier than other kinds and also require more structural support. That would also factor into your cost overall too.
Great video!
Beautiful slate roof
Matt need to replace my entire roof post hurricane irma! :( . Are you a fan of foam and screw or screw first course and foam the rest?
I don’t follow you Neil? Elaborate. What’s the foam? Glue?
Contractors are telling me different things. Some Screw and use a two part foam to "glue" the tiles down (adhesive maybe?). Others say don't use the screws and penetrate underlayment beyond the first course. Other guy says you can't rely on the glue - end of tube and its an inferior attachment? Hope that clarifies....
I guess to clarify I am referring to a clay barrel style tile.
I was looking at the copper and stainless but any thoughts on brass or bronze. Both of which are stronger especially bronze.
Matt, you didn't mention how each product holds up in softball sized hail or what speed of wind resistance it holds up to.
Does Hardie make a cementious roof tile?
The extra expense + interest over 25-30 years (good asphalt shingle life) will easily pay for new asphalt roofing perpetually, with money left over. That is a lot longer than 100 years.
The best and the most thoughtful comment I ever seen in this comment section!!
Anyone with a financial calculator can easily figure that out.
Carl,you're the Champion!!
Looks like a garden shed though
I really dislike this throw away mentality. Sure, asphalt shingles have their place(on an outhouse, lol), but there needs to be a cultural change to build longer lasting and more maintainable houses. The aesthetics also need to play a bigger role. Look at a good house from 1920s or earlier. Anything modern looks sad and pathetic in comparison.
My house has a slate roof that is 150 years old. Every year I replace or rehang a dozen slates where the nails have rusted away(and those were iron nails, Im replacing with copper) but the slate itself is as good as when it was new.
A multiple story house will need a smaller roof than a single story with identical square footage, thus reducing roofing costs. Also, a simple roof would involve considerably less labor cost than the complex roof in this video.
In the uk Spanish slate is not considered top quality, Welsh slate is much better and a lot more expensive.
Blue banger👍
Just for kicks, do you think you could make a video that explores the old thatch roof technology and compare it to slate, metal, tile and shingle roofs? This video was laid out nicely for what it compares but I've always wanted to see a professional compare all of the major roof types like this as well :-D
What if any, structure/extra weight issues for the slate/tile?
How important is the underlayment on a clay or slate tile roof? If underlayment has a 30 yr warranty, that would imply a total removal of tiles every 30 years to replace the underlayment which does not seem reasonable. How did old structures in Europe deal with the underlayment issue and was removal of tiles to replace underlayment a standard thing to do?
Have you looked at the Rubber Tile Roofs? They look like Slate from the ground. 50 plus year life, can be walked on. They aren’t damaged by baseball size hail. 180 mile an hour wind resistance. My understanding is they are recycled tires.
@mattrisinger what is the best way to send in questions?
I'm looking at counter battens and systems that are zero maintenance long lifespan all round. And provides zero hassle.
I've come across several things that caught my eye I'd like to run by you.
I'd say more but need to be more cognitive, just got off 2nd shift and dead tired.
I lived in a house that was built in 1886. Still has its original slate roof to this day, although the brick needs tuck point repair.