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Clay Tile Roofing by Orange Exteriors, serving Savage, MN

Savage, Minnesota

Responsive Clay Tile Roofing in Savage, MN

A west wind comes up the Minnesota River corridor in March, and the bluff top plats above Highway 13 in Savage take it broadside while inland streets stay calm. Clay tile earns its keep on those exposed rooflines, but only when the framing underneath it and the absorption rating of the tile itself are both settled first.

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  • Licensed and insuredMinnesota exterior contractor
  • 5.0 from 217 reviewsVerified on Google
  • Storm and insurance workWe handle the claim with you
  • Faith-based, locally ownedRefreshingly honest

Clay Tile on Savage's Cut Up Rooflines

Most of Savage went up between the early 1990s and the mid 2000s, and those two story homes above the valley were framed for asphalt shingle loads, not for the twelve to eighteen pounds per square foot a clay tile roof carries. That does not rule tile out here. It means the attic gets opened first: we measure rafter or truss member depth, span and spacing, look at the heels and the bearing walls beneath them, and tell you plainly whether the load path takes tile as built or wants sistering and added bracing. The second Savage variable is water. Cut up rooflines throw upper gables straight onto lower planes and into short valleys, so meltwater concentrates instead of sheeting off, and a porous tile that drinks on a February thaw day splits on the hard night that follows. We specify dense, low absorption, freeze rated clay for that reason. Owners weighing the look often set tile beside slate roofing, and the honest comparison starts with weight per square and what the attic can carry, not with the sample board.

Residential exterior work by Orange Exteriors, roofing contractor serving Savage, MN

Clay Tile Roofing in Savage

What Clay Tile Does for a Bluff Top Roof

  • The Last Roof This Address Needs

    Fired clay does not granule off the way asphalt does above Highway 13. On a home built in 1998, a properly framed tile roof is likely the last roof that address ever needs.

  • Gusts That Cannot Lift the Field

    Mechanically fastened tile with clipped perimeter courses holds through the west wind that funnels up the river corridor, so the plats on the bluff stop shedding pieces off the windward slope every spring.

  • Valleys That Shed Instead of Soak

    Where an upper gable dumps onto a lower plane, we widen the metal valley and set the tile back off it, so concentrated runoff from a cut up Savage roofline leaves fast rather than pooling under the course.

  • Freeze Thaw Damage the Tile Ignores

    Low absorption extruded clay takes on very little water, so the March cycle of thaw by day and refreeze overnight has nothing inside the body of the tile to expand and crack it apart.

  • Architecture the Street Does Not Have

    Barrel and S profile tile suits stucco, arched entry and Mediterranean leaning elevations better than asphalt, which is why the Savage owners who choose it usually have a home whose front already leans that way.

  • Hail Season Without a Full Tear Off

    Clay does not bruise the way an asphalt mat does, so a Scott County hail storm usually cracks a handful of pieces instead of totaling a slope. We replace those, document them for the claim, and leave the field alone.

How We Approach Tile Work in Savage

  • No Quote From a Driveway Photo

    Nobody quotes a Savage tile roof off a driveway photo. We get into the attic, record the depth, span and spacing of the framing along with how it bears, and put the structural answer in writing before any tile profile is picked.

  • An Engineer When the Numbers Are Close

    If the framing sits near the line we bring a licensed structural engineer in rather than guessing, and the reinforcement plan gets drawn, permitted and priced with the roof instead of discovered halfway through the tear off.

  • Underlayment Detailed for Short Valleys

    Tile is a shell. The underlayment is the actual water barrier, so on these cut up rooflines we run high temperature membrane through every valley and up every gable wall before a single batten is fastened.

  • Loads Staged With the Bluff in Mind

    Tile arrives heavy and in bulk. On the steep lots that drop toward the Savage Fen we bring smaller loads, keep the boom and the debris trailer on firm grade uphill, and sweep the drainage side of the lot daily.

  • Reachable When the Wind Wins

    A cracked field lets water in quickly. Our phones are answered around the clock, so a homeowner who finds tile in the mulch after a west wind event gets someone up on the slope rather than a voicemail until Monday.

Clay Tile Roofing by Orange Exteriors, serving Savage, MN

What people near Savage say

  • 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
  • The crew arrived early and spread tarps all around the house to capture every bit of debris. By 3:00 PM, my entire roof was completely finished.
    Hazel JamesRoof replacement, Minneapolis, MN

Clay Tile Questions From Savage Owners

What people in Savage ask us about this work. If yours is not covered, call and ask.

Do 1990s Savage trusses need reinforcement for tile?

Sometimes as built, often not. Trusses from that era were engineered for shingles, and clay runs several times that dead load. We measure chord depth, span, spacing and bearing before quoting. Many Savage homes need sistering, added webs or a bearing beam, a few need nothing, and some are better served by a lighter material. The attic decides, and looking is free.

Does the freeze and thaw cycle near the river valley crack clay tile?

It cracks porous tile. Water taken in on a thaw afternoon expands when the temperature drops overnight, and the face spalls off. We specify dense extruded clay with a low absorption rating and a long freeze thaw record in cold climates, then detail the valleys so meltwater off those upper gables leaves the roof instead of standing on a course.

What kind of Savage elevation does clay tile flatter?

Homes whose elevation already carries the vocabulary: stucco or stone, arched openings, generous eaves, and massing simple enough that the tile reads as a field rather than a patchwork. A steeply cut up roofline with six short valleys can absolutely be tiled, but flashing labor climbs. We walk the exterior with you and say honestly when another material serves the house better.

Attic First, Then the Numbers, Then Tile

Call (612) 600-8529 for a free, no obligation look at your Savage roof: attic first, then the framing numbers, then tile options. We come out of Eden Prairie, and the phone is answered every day of the year, so a cracked slope never waits for Monday.

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.

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Rated 5.0 from 217 Google reviews

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