Tile Roofing in Napa, Sonoma & Marin Counties
Tile suits a great many North Bay homes — Mediterranean and Spanish-influenced houses in Napa and Sonoma, wine-country estates, and the stucco-and-tile subdivisions built across the region from the 1980s onward. Rea Roofing Inc. installs, re-lays and repairs concrete and clay tile roofs throughout the four counties.
Lift-and-relay, and why it saves money
The most important thing to understand about a tile roof is that the tile is not what keeps water out. The underlayment does. Tile is the wearing surface and the fire-resistant shell above it, and it routinely outlives the membrane underneath it by decades — which is why the most common tile job is not a replacement at all.
When the tile itself is sound but the underlayment beneath has reached the end of its life, the right job is a lift-and-relay: the tile is carefully removed and stacked, the deck is inspected and repaired, a new underlayment system goes down, all the metal is replaced, and the original tile is re-laid with replacements only for what broke. You keep the roof's appearance and pay a fraction of a full tile replacement.
New tile installations live or die on the same details. Battens or direct-deck attachment chosen for the tile and the pitch, correct fastening for wind uplift, and formed metal at valleys, hips, ridges, rakes and every wall termination. Bird stops and closures at the eaves keep out what would otherwise nest in a tile roof.
Tile also demands respect while walking it. Cracked tiles caused by other trades — solar installers, antenna technicians, painters — are one of the most common sources of tile-roof leaks, and they are usually invisible from the ground.
Our Tile Roofing Process
- 01
Inspection and tile assessment
We determine whether the tile can be re-laid, how much of it is broken, and what condition the underlayment and deck are in.
- 02
Scope: relay or replace
You get both paths costed honestly where both are viable, rather than an automatic quote for the more expensive one.
- 03
Careful removal and stacking
On a relay, tile comes off in sections and is stacked on the roof to keep handling and breakage to a minimum.
- 04
Deck, underlayment and metal
Sheathing repaired, new underlayment installed, and all valley, ridge, hip and wall metal replaced — not reused.
- 05
Re-lay and detail
Tile re-laid and fastened, broken pieces replaced, closures and bird stops set, and every penetration re-flashed.
Why tile works here
Class A fire performance
Concrete and clay tile assemblies achieve Class A fire ratings, which is a serious consideration anywhere in the North Bay hills.
Very long service life
The tile itself commonly outlasts several generations of underlayment, so the maintenance cycle is about the membrane, not the roof surface.
Right for the architecture
On a Spanish or Mediterranean home in Napa or Sonoma, tile is not a style choice so much as the correct roof for the building.
Relay keeps your existing tile
Where the tile is sound, a lift-and-relay renews the waterproofing without changing how the house looks or paying for all-new material.
Rea Roofing project photos
Our own photographs of real jobs. Captions describe only what is visible in the frame.
Standing seam metal roof on a hillside estate — continuous panels run ridge to eave with a matching ridge cap and hemmed edges.
Tear-off day on a residential re-roof — decking exposed and inspected, shingle bundles loaded to the ridge.
Tile Roofing questions
My tile roof is leaking — do I need a whole new roof?
Usually not. On tile, leaks normally mean the underlayment has aged out or a flashing has failed, while the tile is still perfectly serviceable. A lift-and-relay renews the waterproofing and re-uses your tile.
Can you replace a few broken tiles?
Yes. Broken tiles from foot traffic or falling limbs are a routine repair, and worth doing promptly — a cracked tile exposes the underlayment to direct sun and rain.
Is my roof structure strong enough for tile?
Concrete tile is heavy, and switching a home from composition shingle to tile can require a structural review. If your house was built for tile, re-tiling is straightforward. If it was not, we will tell you before you spend money on a design that needs engineering.
Free estimate — Tile Roofing
Tell us what the roof is doing and where it is. We will come and look at it, and the inspection costs you nothing.
More from Rea Roofing
Tile Roofing — free estimate, no obligation
Call or text (707) 332-0081, or send the details through the form. We cover Sonoma, Marin, Napa & Mendocino counties.