Rochester, Minnesota
Expert Clay Tile Roofing in Rochester, MN
Clay tile belongs on a short list of houses in Rochester, and most of them sit in the older core near Mayo. Pill Hill and Kutzky Park hold steep dormered roofs built between 1885 and 1937, the kind of shape and pitch tile was drawn for. The wide plain roof planes in the late 1980s subdivisions are a different question, and usually a different answer.
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Tile Fits the Old Core, Not Every Roof
The first visit is a framing visit. We go into the attic and measure what is holding the roof up: rafter size, spacing, span, and whether the dormer knee walls on an 1885 to 1937 house carry load or just close in the space. Clay tile weighs several times what asphalt weighs, and that number decides whether this is a tile job at all. Steep dormered roofs near Mayo also multiply the places water can get in, so flashing at every dormer cheek and valley matters more than the tile field. Freeze and thaw sets the last filter, since a tile that absorbs water will spall after a few winters. Tile and slate sit in the same weight class, so on some Pill Hill roofs the honest answer is slate roofing instead, and that is a job we take on as well.
Clay Tile Roofing in Rochester
What a Tile Roof Does on a Rochester House
Attic Measured Before Anything Is Quoted
We put a tape on the rafters, check spacing and span, and look at how the dormer knee walls were built. The framing answer comes before the tile choice, not after.
Flashing Built for Dormered Roofs
Steep roofs in the older core near Mayo carry dormer cheeks, cricket returns, and short valleys. Each one gets metal sized and lapped for tile thickness, since the tile alone does not stop water there.
Snow Guards Above Doors and Walks
A steep tile plane releases snow all at once. On Pill Hill and Kutzky Park houses with an entry, a porch, or a public sidewalk below the eave, we lay out snow retention before the tile goes on.
A Roof That Suits the Period
Barrel and pan profiles in a warm red or a mottled blend sit right on a house from 1885 to 1937. We bring samples up to the wall and look at them against your brick and trim in daylight.
Documentation for Historic District Review
The Pill Hill district has pursued local landmark status, and that would send major exterior changes to the Heritage Preservation Commission. We write up profile, color, and fastening so you have something to submit.
An Honest No on Newer Subdivisions
Most late 1980s houses in Rochester were framed for shingles and wear wide plain planes that tile does nothing for. We will tell you that at the estimate rather than sell a roof the framing cannot carry.
How We Approach Tile Work in Rochester
We Start in the Attic
No tile number goes on paper until someone has been up under the roof with a light and a tape. If we cannot get in there, we say so first.
We Bring In an Engineer When Needed
Some old core houses need a structural engineer to sign off on added load or new posts. We tell you that early instead of finding it halfway through a tear off.
Tile Loaded in Small Stacks
Tile gets set on the roof in spread stacks rather than piled at the ridge, so the framing is never carrying a whole pallet in one spot.
Photos From the Attic and the Roof
You get pictures of the rafters, the sheathing, and the flashing we are worried about, so the recommendation is something you can see rather than take on faith.
Someone Answers at Any Hour
We are open every day, around the clock. A family run company picks up, which matters when a storm opens a roof on a Sunday night in Rochester.
What people near Rochester say
Orange Exteriors did an excellent job with my new roofing install. Very professional, on time and hard working crew. Completed the job in one day.
Dick JohnsonRoof installation We live in Eden Prairie. Orange did an excellent job on our siding replacement and provided great customer service all the way through.
Thomas DeSutterSiding replacement, Eden Prairie, MN Fantastic guys to work with, did an excellent job of fixing our siding. You can tell it’s a high integrity company. Definitely recommend.
Carolyn MillerSiding repair
Rochester Clay Tile Questions
What people in Rochester ask us about this work. If yours is not covered, call and ask.
Will my Pill Hill house need framing work before a clay tile roof?
Often, yes. Houses built between 1885 and 1937 were framed with full dimension lumber, which helps, but spans, rafter spacing, and what the dormer knee walls actually carry vary house to house. We measure all of it in the attic first. Some houses need nothing, some need sistered rafters or added posts, and a few should not carry tile at all.
Do I need Heritage Preservation Commission approval for a tile roof?
Right now, the National Register listing the district received in 1990 does not by itself control what you put on your own roof. Local landmark status, which the Pill Hill district has pursued, is the one that would route major exterior alterations through Heritage Preservation Commission review. Check the current status with the city before you order tile, and we will supply the material details you need.
Can clay tile go on a 1989 Rochester subdivision house?
Rarely without work. Those roofs sit on engineered trusses sized for asphalt, so tile means an engineer, reinforcement, and often new bearing below. The style argument is weaker too, since wide plain planes give tile nothing to show off. If you want a heavier look on a newer house, we would rather talk about profile shingles or standing seam metal.
Find Out If Your Roof Carries Tile
Send us the address and we will come look at the attic, the roof planes, and the framing, then tell you plainly whether clay tile belongs on that house. The estimate is free.
Get Your Free Exterior Estimate
Tell us what is going on with your roof, siding, windows, or gutters. We will take a look and give you a straight answer, including when the answer is that you can wait.
- Phone(612) 600-8529
- Emailadmin@orange-exteriors.com
- Office6600 City West Pkwy Suite 375, Eden Prairie, MN 55344
- HoursOpen 24 hours, Sunday to Saturday
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