Concrete vs. Clay Roof Tile Cost: Pros & Cons of Tile Roofs

Do you love the distinctive and attractive look of roof tiles? If the answer is yes, then you are among a growing number of homeowners who pick tiles as the roofing material of choice for their homes.

Clay Roof Tiles installed on a traditional roof hip roof

A tile roof is a costly upfront investment, especially if you opt for clay tiles rather than concrete ones. However, tiles offer many great benefits including durability, longevity, energy-efficiency, great curb appeal, low maintenance, hurricane-grade wind mitigation (with proper installation and maintenance), fire safety, and more.

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Traditional (non-metal made) tiles are most commonly available in either concrete or clay, and come in a multitude of shapes, profiles, and colors.

The Difference in Cost Between Concrete vs. Clay Tiles

For all the reasons mentioned above it should come as no surprise that clay tiles can cost about 20% to 30% more than concrete tiles, with an average cost of clay tiles hoovering around $14.50 to $25.50 per square foot installed.

Ludowici tile roof – Flat slab Georgian. Source: Ludowici.com

More exotic tiles can easily cost as much as $20 to $30 per square foot installed, though. Thus, there is a lot of variation in price to be expected, depending on how fancy a tile you want to pick.

In terms of total costs installed, a basic 2,000 square foot tile roof could cost anywhere from $29,000 to $51,000, depending on the size of your house, roof difficulty, tile choice, and location of your property.

New Shingle Roof

$7,500
Average price
New Metal Roof

$14,500
Average price
New Flat Roof

$8,225
Average price

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Since both, clay and concrete tiles are expensive in comparison to most other roofing choices, you’ll need to consider whether all the added benefits that real tiles have to offer are worth the extra expense.

Keep in mind that the total life-cycle cost of tiles is actually quite low compared to composition shingles, since clay tiles can last for as long as 100 years, while concrete tiles should protect your roof for 50 years plus.

Verdict: if unique style and authenticity is what you are looking for, then tiles can be a sound choice for your home, provided you are also willing to invest in the structural reinforcement of your roof truss structure.

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Top 5 Roof and Attic Space Insulation Options: Costs, Pros & Cons

Why Bother Insulating Your Home’s Roof or Attic Space?

Insulating your roof and attic space will help retain energy in your home, often leading to cooling cost savings and overall home comfort improvement.

Properly insulating in and around your roof attic space can make your home healthier and more durable. It can also help prevent costly long-term damage from moisture build up or ice damming, which often results from poorly insulated/ventilated attics that allow warm air escape through the attic and reach the apex of the roof, thus heating up and melting the snow in winter).

Additionally, roof and attic insulation serve as a way to enhance sound proofing on the uppermost envelop of your house.

Attic space insulation and ventilation illustrated
New Shingle Roof

$7,500
Average price
New Metal Roof

$14,500
Average price
New Flat Roof

$8,225
Average price

See costs in your area Enter Your Zip Code

There are five primary types of insulation for roofs, with their own advantages and disadvantages. The key value is always the capacity of insulation to resist heat flow. — This is also known as thermal resistance and is often measured in terms of R-value. The higher that value, the better the insulating power.

Blown-in or Loose-Fill Insulation

This is one of the two most common types of insulation. Often installed into wall cavities as a way to retrofit walls lacking insulation, it can also be blown into unfinished attic spaces. Typically, fiberglass or cellulose are the most common material choices.

R-value for loose-fill insulation can range between R2 and R4, with higher R-value for fiberglass loose-fill.

Pros: relatively low expense, fairly easy to install (blown-in or poured in).

Cons: as the material settles over time, the R-value is (slightly) lessened, needs vapor barrier as the material is prone to moisture absorption.

Cost: Generally, homeowners seek R value between R30 and R50, and to achieve that for an area of 1,000 sq. ft., the total cost would be between $1,000 to $1,800, depending on the project specifics, ease of access, and property location.

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Synthetic Composite Slate & Shake Roofing Costs: Davinci Roofscapes

Slate and clay tiles for roofing have a long history and a beauty that is unique. But they do come at a notoriously high cost. So, asphalt shingles are often used as an alternative, becoming the number one roofing material in North America. However, wouldn’t it be nice if there were another option that had the beauty and durability of slate or even cedar shake, with lesser cost? With synthetic shingles, there is.

Costs and Value

For synthetic composite shingles, shakes, tiles and slates, a fair price range is $8.00 to $15.00 per sq. ft. installed, depending on the roof difficulty, accessibility, and your home’s location. The price will likely be higher in densely populated coastal areas with high costs of doing business including professional labor and contractor’s insurance costs.

With that in mind, the total projected cost of composite roofing installed would be about one third to one half the price of installing natural slate, and roughly twice the cost of installing asphalt shingles.

And it is nearly the same price as installing a cedar shake roof. The difference though is that synthetic roofing materials are lighter and easier to install than other materials, plus they are actually as durable as stone! 😉

New Shingle Roof

$7,500
Average price
New Metal Roof

$14,500
Average price
New Flat Roof

$8,225
Average price

See costs in your area Enter Your Zip Code

Did you know? Total Costs Installed are largely determined by the choice of materials, location, shape and slope of the roof, and quality, reputation and experience of the installer.

Durability and longevity provide enormous advantage when it comes to the return on investment (ROI). Did you know? Asphalt shingles and cedar shakes are going to go through a minimum of three life cycles on the same sized roof that a synthetic shingle occupies.

Generally, synthetic shingles will carry a 50 plus year warranty. Yet, this is not the only advantage (see below). We estimate a 70 to 80 percent ROI with synthetic roofing products, which likely holds true, if not better for fake or simulated slate.

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