Tucson Tile Roof
October 19, 2008
Post Tags: concrete tile , pre-stressed roof , Rancho Del Lago Gated Active Adult Community , Tile Roof , Tucson-New-Construction
Contrary to what you might be reading in the media there is new residential construction going on in Tucson. Often when we go into a community with new construction, our clients will ask, “Why are the tile all stacked on top of the roof?” It seems to to them it would be easier to work if you just brought them up as you needed them. Right now we get the question “Is the economy so bad they just stack them up there and leave them?” No, the economy and new construction aren’t on hold in Tucson it might be stressed, or in this case pre-stressed.
Pre-stressing A Tile Roof
Tile Roofs Must Be Pre-stressed
Most tile roofing is made out of concrete. Yes, that means they are heavy. Most of the tile roofing is rated at 50 years and holds up quite well under the Desert Southwest sun and heat. But it is heavy. Because of the weight the trusses or rafters have to be pre-stressed. The roof needs a couple of weeks of bearing that weight to adjust to the load so it won’t shift after the tile are applied.
Now you know why they stack all the tile on the roof and just let them set there. You won’t be able to visibly see the roof adjusting to the weight. But, if the tile were applied without pre-stressing there would be issues of shifting of the roof and tile.
And this is why all those tile are stacked up there and no one seems to be working on the roof. It isn’t because of a slowdown in construction. It is what has to be done to construct it properly.
You won’t see any Extreme Makeover homes built in one week with a tile roof, at least you shouldn’t.
This particular roof is out at Rancho Del Lago Gated Active Adult Community near Vale.
October 20th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Never to old to learn something new! I had no idea that was the reason why they stacked the tiles on the roof. I always thought that was so stupid stacking the tiles up in sections and just letting them sit until they were ready to lay the tile.
November 28th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
I am having a tile roof put on and am wondering about s-tile (concrete). Should each s-tile be nailed to the batten or can they be only nailed at random? It appears to me, from what has already been done, the nails are placed at random and not on each tile. How important is it if they are only random nailed?
November 28th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Mary Ann,
This is a question for your roofer. You can call any qualified roofing company and they should be glad to answer your question for you.
April 7th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
I need to replace a couple of ‘tucson’ roof tiles. They fell off the roof into the yard. Do i just climb up there and put them back with nails that match those used before? Any suggestions or advice?
Thank you in advance
April 7th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
No,
You don’t crawl back up with matching nails. Call John’s Precision Roofing and don’t risk falling of the roof. Plus, if there are other issues they will find them for you.
Dave