Last Updated on May 8, 2023 by Admin
If you have the budget for premium roofing materials, you may be considering terracotta, slate, or concrete roofing tiles. Mediterranean homes often have clay tiles of course, as do Spanish homes. But mission-style housing and Tudor, French Country, and Chateau designs may also benefit from concrete, clay or slate. These roofing materials can stand up to most types of weather, and they are known to last for centuries. Furthermore, they look stunning – your home’s value will improve.
But can your home support such heavy roofing materials? And do you plan to add a roof deck, or perhaps house your HVAC units on the roof? Proceed with caution, and always call a licensed structural engineer before you start adding heavy shingles or tiles to the roof. This blog will discuss the weight of clay and slate, considerations for increasing the load bearing capacity of your home’s frame, and how to measure how much weight you can support.
Table of Contents
Heavy Roofing Materials Require Study Framing
Terra Cotta, Slate, and Concrete Roofing: Beautiful, But Heavy
Slate roofing can weigh 800-1,500 pounds per square, while Terra Cotta, the beautiful Spanish-influenced clay roofing material, weighs approximately 900-1,100 pounds per square (10 ft x 10 ft area) foot. Concrete tiles are heavy as well, starting around 9 lbs per square foot.
Interestingly enough, brands like Brava are familiar with this issue. They, among others, have developed synthetic clay-imitation tiles that don’t necessitate structural reinforcements, and they also cost less than half of what traditional clay tiles cost. DaVinci is another brand creating synthetic tiles – they have a popular imitation slate option.
Reinforcing Your Roof For Heavy Materials
Your home may need reinforcements if you want to invest in this kind of roofing. Support beams and columns may be enough, but depending on the weight of your roofing material, you may need to increase the thickness of existing support. Bracing can also be installed fairly quickly. Lastly, your local roofing contractors may need to reinforce your roof’s decking to accommodate heavy tiles.
How To Make Sure Your Home Will Support Heavy Roofing Materials
The most important thing is to call a local structural engineer to test your home for the ability to hold heavy concrete, slate, or clay tiles.
Firstly, they will look at your home’s construction plans and structural design. You may need to call your architect for these. The engineer will then pour over the framing, foundation, and any other custom support in the home (like beams and columns). Climate, local weather patterns, and seismic activity also matter.
An engineer will also visit the job site and check the distance between pillars, columns, and other support. They may recommend adding more load-bearing structures. The engineer will also inspect the integrity of the existing wood and frame – if there is rot, you could have problems.
Lastly, the engineer will “crunch the numbers.” They will use software to calculate a recommend ceiling weight based on their inspection, and they may have good, bad, or worse news:
- You may be able to accommodate heavy roofing materials right away
- Bad: You may need to add additional reinforcements to add clay to your roof
- Your home may have been built in such a way that you can’t reasonably add enough bracing to accommodate heavy tiles.
Build a Custom Home With Your Roofing Strategy in Place
Clay or slate tiles should not be a last-minute decision. If you think you may need a structure in place for a heavier roof, let your custom home builder in Denver know ahead of time. They will be able to add a strong foundation, brace your walls and ceiling, and implement a stronger-than-usual roof decking system that can support slate, clay, or concrete. You can always pivot to a lighter material, like asphalt or cedar shakes, but “upgrading” to heavier material may need more work.
If you have any questions about materials, ask your roofers. An insured roofing contractor will never add more weight to your home than it can support, and the health and safety of their workers (and reputation) depends on an honest assessment. They may need to peel off the current roof to see the underdecking, but that is a small job when weighed against the ramifications of a roof that is too heavy.
