One broken tile is enough to flood a garage. We replace broken, cracked and slipped concrete tiles with matching tiles, and we do not push you into a re-roof you do not need.
Concrete and clay tile roofs around here are commonly 30 to 50 years old. Tiles get walked on, they get brittle, and they slip. Almost none of that needs a new roof.
A crack lets water straight through to the underlayment underneath, where it soaks in and works its way inside. We pull the broken tile and put a matching one in its place.
A tile that slides out of position leaves a gap, and every drop of water running down that section of roof funnels straight into it.
The break is often on the part of the tile that the tile above covers up. The roof looks perfect even when you are standing on it, and it still leaks.
Loose or unsealed ridge and hip caps let water in at the top of the roof, and they are a common way critters get in too.
Moss packs into the channels moulded along each tile, and so does the sand that erodes off old concrete tiles. Either way the channel blocks, and water backs up and gets under the tiles instead of running off.
Small jobs are welcome. Most broken tile repairs are a single visit, and we will tell you honestly if it is bigger than that.
We see this one a lot, and it makes sense if you think a roof works by being sealed. A tile roof does not work that way.
A tile roof sheds water. Each tile carries water down to the one below it and out to the gutter. When a tile is broken, water goes through the break and gets under the tiles, where it soaks the underlayment and finds its way inside. A bead of caulking sitting on top of the break does not change where that water goes.
The only real fix is taking the broken tile out and putting a sound one in.
Tiles interlock and overlap, so a broken one in the middle of a slope cannot just be lifted out. We lift the tiles on each side with pry bars, free the broken tile, and slide the replacement up into place so the overlap and the water channels line up the way they were built to.
Done properly, you should not be able to pick out the repair from the ground once it weathers in.
The original tile on most roofs around here is long out of production.
We stock recycled Columbia tiles and source matches for discontinued profiles, so a repair does not leave an obvious bright patch in the middle of your roof. A recycled tile of the right profile is usually a far better match than anything new, because it has already weathered.
Every one of these is a job from this area, with our own photos.
Coquitlam. Water was coming into the garage and the drywall was soaked. The cause was a single tile that had slipped out of place.
Coquitlam. Someone had already tried to fix the break with caulking. We took the tile out and replaced it with a matching recycled Columbia tile.
Burnaby. Every tile looked intact. The break was on the bottom water channel, hidden under the overlap of the tile above it.
A concrete tile roof can last 50 years or more. If the tiles are sound and the problem is a few broken ones, we fix those and leave the rest alone.
We take the tile repair jobs a lot of roofers turn away. Working on tile without breaking more of it is a skill, and it is the work we specialize in.
Licensed, insured and WorkSafeBC covered, so there is no exposure to you if something happens on your roof.
You get photos of what we found and what we did, whether or not you were home when we were on the roof.
Aldergrove, Langley, Surrey, Burnaby, Vancouver, North and West Vancouver, Coquitlam, Port Moody, Richmond, Delta, White Rock, New Westminster, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Abbotsford, Mission and Chilliwack.
Yes. Small jobs are welcome, and most single broken tile repairs are one visit.
We stock recycled Columbia tiles and source matches for discontinued profiles. Because a recycled tile has already weathered, it usually blends in far better than a brand new one.
A very common cause is a break on the part of the tile that the tile above covers up. From on top of the roof everything looks intact, and water is still getting underneath.
It can be, and it is not only moss. Each tile has a water channel moulded along it that carries water down to the next tile. Moss packs into that channel and blocks it. So does the sand that erodes off the surface of old concrete tiles and collects in the same place. Once the channel is blocked, water backs up and gets under the tiles instead of running off.
Usually not. If the tiles are generally sound and a handful are broken or slipped, a repair is the right fix. If it genuinely is bigger than that, we will tell you straight rather than sell you a repair that will not hold.
Call us and we will give you an honest answer on timing for your job. We do not promise a window we cannot keep.
Tell us what you are seeing and we will get back to you with what is involved. Free estimates, and no pressure to re-roof.
