- Green roofs are underrated for winter, honestly.
- The insulation is a game changer—my attic actually stays warm now, which is wild.
- Yeah, reinforcing the structure isn’t cheap, but I barely shovel snow off anymore.
- Maintenance is way less than I expected... just some weeding and checking drains.
- Tile looks nice, but it cracked on me after a couple freeze-thaw cycles. Green’s not perfect, but it surprised me in a good way.
Tile looks great, but up here in Minnesota, it just doesn’t hold up for me. I tried clay tile on a shed a few years back—looked awesome until the first real cold snap. After a couple winters, I had more cracks than I could count. The freeze-thaw cycle is brutal. Switched to a green roof on the house and honestly, it’s been way less hassle. Not cheap to set up, but I barely touch it now except for the odd weed. If you’re up north, tile’s a gamble unless you’re ready for repairs.
Had a client in Duluth with a Spanish tile roof—looked gorgeous, but after two winters, we were patching up cracked tiles left and right. That freeze-thaw cycle just finds every little weakness. I’ve seen concrete tile hold up a bit better than clay, but even then, repairs add up fast. Metal’s not as pretty, but it shrugs off ice and snow way better in my experience. Green roofs are cool, though... not something you see every day around here.
I get the appeal of tile, but honestly, after seeing my neighbor’s roof crack apart last winter, I just couldn’t risk it. Ended up with architectural shingles—maybe not as flashy, but they’ve handled the snow and ice way better so far. Sometimes boring wins.
Sometimes boring wins.
That’s been my experience too. I looked at tile when I was redoing my roof a few years back—looked great, but the weight and the risk of cracking in freeze-thaw cycles just didn’t sit right with me. I’m in upstate NY, so we get those wild temperature swings and heavy snow loads. My neighbor went with concrete tile, and it looked sharp for about two winters. Then a big ice dam formed, and a bunch of tiles cracked right down the middle. He ended up patching with mismatched pieces, and now it just looks... off.
Architectural shingles aren’t flashy, but they’ve held up way better than I expected. I’ve had to replace a couple after a windstorm, but nothing major. Plus, they’re easier to walk on if you need to clear off branches or check the gutters. Tile always made me nervous for that—one wrong step and you’re out a few hundred bucks.
I get why people like tile, especially for the look and the longevity in milder climates. But up here, between the snow, ice, and the constant freeze/thaw, it just seems like asking for trouble unless you’re willing to do a lot of maintenance. Maybe there are newer types of tile that handle cold better, but I haven’t seen them around here yet.
Not the most exciting choice, but sometimes practical wins out over pretty.
