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The archive

The Archive: Clay Tile Roof Photographs

Clay tile roof photographs, from Spanish Colonial Revival houses in Los Angeles County to repair details: ridges, flashing, valleys and restoration.

Reviewed

I. StylesII. RepairsIII. Work

Spanish Colonial Revival, Bakman House, clay tile, Toluca Lake, Los Angeles

A clay roof is easier to restore well when everyone involved can see the same thing. This archive gathers photographs of the tile itself, of the details that fail, and of roofs in the middle of the work.

Read it next to the roof cost guide, which explains how restoration is priced line by line, and the clay tile guide, which covers profiles and how long they last.

A note on these photographs. Each is a real, openly licensed photograph, shown as an illustration. None records work by this studio or by any particular roofer. The caption names what the photograph shows and, when the source says so, where it was taken. Credits and licenses.

I

Tile roof styles

Barrel, mission and S-tile, on houses from Toluca Lake to the Alhambra. Select a plate to see it in full.

Spanish Colonial Revival, Bakman House, clay tile, Toluca Lake, Los Angeles
Plate ISpanish Colonial Revival, Bakman House, clay tileToluca Lake, Los Angeles
Apartment building with Spanish tile roofs, Los Angeles, California
Plate IIApartment building with Spanish tile roofsLos Angeles, California
Spanish Colonial Revival bungalow with a clay tile gable, Glendale, California
Plate IIISpanish Colonial Revival bungalow with a clay tile gableGlendale, California
Former Eagle Rock library under red tile roofs, Eagle Rock, Los Angeles
Plate IVFormer Eagle Rock library under red tile roofsEagle Rock, Los Angeles
Courtyard of the Romulo Pico Adobe under clay tile, Mission Hills, Los Angeles
Plate VCourtyard of the Romulo Pico Adobe under clay tileMission Hills, Los Angeles
Barrel tile ridge above a copper gutter, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Miami
Plate VIBarrel tile ridge above a copper gutterVizcaya Museum and Gardens, Miami
Layered barrel tile eaves, Alhambra, Granada, Spain
Plate VIILayered barrel tile eavesAlhambra, Granada, Spain
Barrel tile in cap and pan courses, Portugal
Plate VIIIBarrel tile in cap and pan coursesPortugal
Weathered clay tile, close up, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Plate IXWeathered clay tile, close upDubrovnik, Croatia
Barrel tile roofs above a lake, Lake Lugano, Italy
Plate XBarrel tile roofs above a lakeLake Lugano, Italy
Old clay roof beside a medieval tower, Tossa de Mar, Spain
Plate XIOld clay roof beside a medieval towerTossa de Mar, Spain
Barrel tile eave over a yellow cornice, Ponte de Sor, Portugal
Plate XIIBarrel tile eave over a yellow cornicePonte de Sor, Portugal

II

Repair examples

A catalogue of what goes wrong on a clay roof, ordered the way a restoration is scoped.

01

Fracture and loss

Tile roof repair example: cracked clay tiles with lichen and loose mortar
01.1Example: cracked clay tiles with lichen and loose mortar
Tile roof repair example: tiles shaken loose by an earthquake, battens exposed, Christchurch, New Zealand
01.2Example: tiles shaken loose by an earthquake, battens exposedChristchurch, New Zealand
Tile roof repair example: holes where clay tiles have broken and fallen through, Palmaria, Italy
01.3Example: holes where clay tiles have broken and fallen throughPalmaria, Italy
Tile roof repair example: barrel tiles at the eave patched with cement
01.4Example: barrel tiles at the eave patched with cement

02

Ridge and hip

Tile roof repair example: ventilated ridge, a flexible closure strip under the cap tiles, France
02.1Example: ventilated ridge, a flexible closure strip under the cap tilesFrance

03

Metal and openings

Tile roof repair example: counterflashing going in where the roof meets a wall
03.1Example: counterflashing going in where the roof meets a wall
Tile roof repair example: copper step and counter flashing behind a chimney, over underlayment
03.2Example: copper step and counter flashing behind a chimney, over underlayment
Tile roof repair example: lead flashing around a chimney on a tile roof, Trimingham, England
03.3Example: lead flashing around a chimney on a tile roofTrimingham, England
Tile roof repair example: a skylight set into an old clay tile roof, Carcassonne, France
03.4Example: a skylight set into an old clay tile roofCarcassonne, France

04

Valleys and drains

Tile roof repair example: copper valley metal during installation, before tile goes back
04.1Example: copper valley metal during installation, before tile goes back

05

Weather and growth

Tile roof repair example: lichen covering old barrel tile, Marvao, Portugal
05.1Example: lichen covering old barrel tileMarvao, Portugal
Tile roof repair example: a mesh guard at a drain outlet on a clay tile roof, Ponte de Sor, Portugal
05.2Example: a mesh guard at a drain outlet on a clay tile roofPonte de Sor, Portugal

III

Work in progress

Battens, underlayment and tile in the middle of the job. The strip scrolls sideways.

Tile roof work in progress: New battens on an old roof, the tiles to go back on, France
Frame 01New battens on an old roof, the tiles to go back onFrance
Tile roof work in progress: Roofers at work on a listed building, Frankenthal, Germany
Frame 02Roofers at work on a listed buildingFrankenthal, Germany
Tile roof work in progress: A roofer fastening new underlayment after storm damage, Norman, Oklahoma
Frame 03A roofer fastening new underlayment after storm damageNorman, Oklahoma
Tile roof work in progress: An old roof stripped to battens during a re-roof, Coton, England
Frame 04An old roof stripped to battens during a re-roofCoton, England
Tile roof work in progress: Terracotta barrel tiles stacked
Frame 05Terracotta barrel tiles stacked
Tile roof work in progress: Glazed roof tiles stacked in bright colors, Bangkok, Thailand
Frame 06Glazed roof tiles stacked in bright colorsBangkok, Thailand
Tile roof work in progress: A house re-roof under scaffolding, Cambridge, England
Frame 07A house re-roof under scaffoldingCambridge, England

Photographs: credits and licenses