St. Michael, Minnesota
Insured Clay Tile Roofing in St. Michael, MN
Clay tile is a rare sight on the open ground along the Crow River, so the first thing we do on a tile inquiry in St. Michael is climb into the attic. Most of the two story homes built here in the late 1990s and 2000s were framed with trusses sized for asphalt, and a clay tile roof weighs several times what those trusses were drawn for. Whether your house carries tile without reinforcement is a structural question, and we answer it before anyone starts choosing color.
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What Clay Tile Asks of a St. Michael House
Two things decide whether clay works on your roof here. The first is load. The tall gable walls and steep pitches on the newer two story homes near Town Center Park look purpose built for tile, but the trusses underneath were engineered for a light asphalt system, so added bracing and an engineer's review are often part of the job. The older farmhouses still standing on acreage inside city limits sometimes surprise us the other way, with full dimension rafters that need less help than the newer construction does. The second is water. A porous, softly fired tile will drink meltwater on a bright February afternoon and split when the temperature drops back through freezing that night, which is why we specify only tile rated for cold climate freeze and thaw cycles. Homeowners weighing the look often ask us to put clay side by side with slate roofing, and the framing and flashing conversation runs almost identically for either one.
Clay Tile Roofing in St. Michael
What Tile Changes on a St. Michael Roof
A Roof Measured in Decades
Fired clay does not curl or shed granules the way asphalt does on these steep south facing gable slopes, so a correctly installed tile field routinely outlasts two or three shingle roofs on the same house.
Bracing Where the Numbers Call for It
We size the load against your actual trusses or rafters and add bracing where the numbers call for it, so the weight of the roof sits on structure that was checked rather than assumed.
The Absorption Number Decides It
The figure that decides a St. Michael tile order is how much water the body takes in. We hold to dense, low absorption clay, because a tile that stays dry has nothing inside it to freeze and force apart.
Edges That Stay Down in Open Wind
On long fascia runs with nothing upwind but farm field, we anchor the eave course, the rake and the metal edge to hold, because out here the wind lifts trim long before it touches the field.
Architecture the Tile Actually Suits
Clay reads correctly on stucco, Spanish Colonial and Mediterranean influenced elevations, and on clean farmhouse forms. We will tell you honestly when an elevation is too busy to carry the look.
An Underlayment Built for Ice
High temperature membrane goes down at the eaves, in the valleys and around every penetration, so ice building at the gutter line meets a sealed layer long before it can reach your decking.
How We Handle Tile Work in St. Michael
We Start in the Attic, Not the Driveway
Every tile estimate here begins with truss spacing, span and bearing points. If your house needs reinforcement we put that in writing before you commit to anything, and if it does not, we say that just as plainly.
Drive Time Built Into the Schedule
This city covers more than 36 square miles, so an address near the Church of St. Michael and one out toward the river sit ten minutes apart. We schedule crews around that instead of promising a window we cannot keep.
Tile Crews, Not Shingle Crews Improvising
Battens, headlap, hip and ridge, and cut tile at the valleys are a separate trade from asphalt. The people we send set tile regularly and cut with the right blade rather than learning the profile on your roof.
Answers at Any Hour After Hail
Hail fractures tile in a pattern adjusters recognize. Our phones are answered around the clock, and we photograph every broken and displaced piece for the claim while the evidence is still up on the roof.
Sourcing Planned Around Lead Times
Clay profiles are ordered, not stocked around the metro. We confirm color, profile, quantity and breakage allowance up front so your house is never sitting open to the weather waiting on a pallet.
What people near St. Michael 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
Clay Tile Questions From St. Michael
What people in St. Michael ask us about this work. If yours is not covered, call and ask.
Will my late 1990s St. Michael two story carry a clay tile roof?
It depends on what is under the sheathing. Most homes built here in that era used engineered trusses sized for asphalt, so tile generally needs supplemental bracing or an engineer's review before it goes on. Some of the older farmhouses on acreage carry it with very little change. We measure first and tell you which one you have.
Does the freeze and thaw cycle out here crack tile that was not chosen for it?
Poorly chosen tile, yes. Water absorbed by a soft, high porosity tile expands when it freezes overnight and pops the face right off. Tile manufactured and rated for cold climates has low absorption and comes through our winters intact. That single specification matters more on a St. Michael roof than anything else on the material list.
What kind of St. Michael elevation carries clay tile well?
Elevations with stucco, arched entries or a Spanish or Mediterranean influence wear it best, and so do simple, steeply pitched farmhouse forms. The tall gable walls common in the newer neighborhoods can look striking under tile, but only when the massing stays clean. An elevation with six competing roof planes and heavy trim rarely does.
Ask Us Whether Your Roof Can Take Tile
Send us the address and we will look at your framing, your pitch and your elevation, then tell you plainly whether clay belongs on your St. Michael home. The estimate is free and carries no obligation either way.
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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