Big Lake, Minnesota
Straightforward Clay Tile Roofing in Big Lake, MN
The production homes built through the late 1990s and 2000s in Big Lake have the roof shape clay tile likes, plain gables and hips with few valleys to interrupt a course. What they do not have is the framing for it. The lots are another matter, because a pallet of clay is a serious load and there is not much yard to set one down on.
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Tile fits the roofs, the lots fight back
Start with the delivery. Clay comes on pallets, and on a platted lot in a city of about 2.9 square miles there is often no place for a boom truck to reach the ridge without dropping outriggers on a neighbor's grass. We work that out before the order, along with where the dumpster sits. On the roof, the sheathing is the first surprise on these houses. Thin panels on wide truss spacing were fine under shingles and get soft under battens and clay, so re-decking shows up in a lot of these quotes. After the four inch hailstone the National Weather Service measured here just after midnight on July 14, 2024, people ask about impact. Clay cracks, but it cracks one tile at a time. If you want a roof with the same look and the same weight question, slate roofing is the other material we install on houses like these.
Clay Tile Roofing in Big Lake
Six things that decide a Big Lake tile roof
Deliveries planned for small lots
The city covers about 2.9 square miles, tighter than Becker or Elk River, so subdivision lots leave little room. We set the crane, the pallets and the dumpster on paper before the tile ships.
Hail breaks tiles, not the roof
A four inch stone fell here in July 2024, well past what fractures asphalt. Clay can crack under a hit like that, but the damage is countable and individual tiles come out and go back in.
Plain gables and hips lay fast
The 1990s and 2000s houses on these blocks have simple roof shapes. Fewer valleys and dead spots mean fewer cut tiles, fewer closures and a field that runs straight from eave to ridge.
Shoreline cottages get a straight answer
The older places on Big Lake and Lake Mitchell were built light, often with additions on shallow footings. Most of them should not carry clay, and we would rather say that than sell it.
The deck gets checked first
Battens and tile put point loads into the sheathing. On production framing with wide truss spacing, thin panels flex, so we look at the deck with the shingles off and re-deck where it is needed.
Snow guards over the front walk
Clay is slick, and a loaded gable will let go all at once. On lots this size the walk, the steps and the neighbor's fence are right below, so we set retention above the doors.
What working with us looks like
We document the hail damage
Storm and insurance work is a regular part of what we do. We get on the roof, photograph the broken tiles and the bruised metal, and put the count in front of the adjuster.
A 5.0 rating, 217 reviews
We are rated 5.0 from 217 Google reviews, and the tile jobs are the ones where that matters, because the details are slow, fussy and easy to hide.
The lot is clean each evening
Broken clay is sharp and it travels. The crew sweeps with magnets for nails, picks shards out of the beds and the lawn, and leaves the driveway usable overnight.
Tile is ordered, not stocked
Clay profiles and colors come in on a schedule, not off a shelf. We settle the selection early so the tear off does not start ahead of the material.
A written scope before anyone climbs
The underlayment, the batten system, the fastener metal and the flashing details are named on paper. Under a tile roof, those are the parts that decide whether it leaks.
What people near Big Lake say
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 Orange Exteriors fixed a minor leak that involved replacing flashing and a few shingles blown off our roof. Timely, quality work. Great ideas to keep our roof going long term.
Jim ThomasStorm damage repair From sales to construction crew to upper management, they helped make an insurance battle a breeze. This is the best contractor interaction I have ever had.
Jim NormanRoof replacement
Big Lake tile roofing questions
What people in Big Lake ask us about this work. If yours is not covered, call and ask.
Can a clay tile roof survive hail like Big Lake saw in July 2024?
Nothing survives a four inch stone untouched. Clay tile is hard and heavy, so glancing hits bounce, but a direct strike from a stone that size can crack a tile. The difference is repair. A shingle roof that gets bruised comes off in full, while cracked tiles are pulled and replaced piece by piece.
Is there enough room on a Big Lake lot to stage a tile job?
Usually, with planning. The city is only about 2.9 square miles and the subdivision lots are tight, so we look at driveway width, setbacks and where the truck can reach before quoting. Sometimes the pallets go up in smaller lifts, and sometimes the dumpster has to sit on the street with permission.
Would clay tile work on an older cottage by the water?
Most likely not. The shoreline places on Lake Mitchell and the big lake were framed light, sometimes with seasonal construction underneath and additions that were never built for load. Reinforcing them to carry clay usually costs more than the roof is worth. Metal or a heavy laminate shingle gets closer to the look without the weight.
See if your lot and roof fit
Send us the Big Lake address and we will look at the roof shape, the framing and the space around the house, then say honestly whether clay tile belongs on it. Free estimate, no obligation.
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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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Rated 5.0 from 217 Google reviews