I hear you on the composite tiles—mine looked awesome for about two winters, then the edges started curling and I was out there with a heat gun every spring. I thought about concrete too, but my roof’s not built for that kind of weight. Ended up sticking with asphalt for now... not glamorous, but at least I’m not patching tiles every year.
mine looked awesome for about two winters, then the edges started curling and I was out there with a heat gun every spring.
That’s exactly what happened to my neighbor’s place—looked sharp at first, but the freeze-thaw cycles just did a number on those composite tiles. I get the appeal of concrete, but yeah, it’s heavy. I actually went with a green roof a few years back (sedum and some native grasses). It’s not for everyone, but honestly, it’s handled the winters better than I expected. No curling, just the occasional weeding in spring. Not the cheapest up front, but I’m not out there patching or heating anything anymore. Asphalt’s definitely the low-fuss option, though—hard to argue with that when you’re dealing with snow six months out of the year.
Had a customer up in Duluth try clay tiles a few years back. Looked great for the first winter, but the second year, we saw a lot of cracking and some tiles even popped loose after a deep freeze. The trickiest part is always the freeze-thaw—it just sneaks in under the tile, no matter how careful you are with underlayment and flashing. If someone really wants tile up here, I usually suggest concrete or even metal that mimics tile. They handle the expansion and contraction a bit better, though like you said, they're heavy and need solid framing. Green roofs are cool—less common but I've seen them work well if you're up for the maintenance.
I get where you’re coming from with the freeze-thaw—it’s brutal up north. Still, I’ve seen tile roofs hold up okay if you go with the right materials and prep. My neighbor actually put in a clay tile roof about five years ago (we’re just outside Marquette), and it’s still looking solid. He spent a lot of time on the prep though—extra thick ice/water shield, heated cables along the eaves, and he made sure the roof pitch was steep enough so snow didn’t pile up.
I think a lot of the problems come from flatter roofs or skipping steps with the underlayment. Not saying it’s easy or cheap, but if you’re dead set on that look, it’s doable. Maintenance is definitely higher, and you’ve got to be ready to replace a tile here or there after a rough winter. Personally, I went with metal that looks like tile—less headache, but I do miss that classic look sometimes.
Just my two cents… sometimes it’s more about how much work you want to put in than the material itself.
I went with concrete tile on my first house, thinking it’d be bulletproof, but the freeze-thaw cycles up here did a number on a few tiles after just two winters.
That’s been my experience too. The look is great, but I underestimated the upkeep. If I had to do it again, I’d probably lean toward metal for less hassle.“Maintenance is definitely higher, and you’ve got to be ready to replace a tile here or there after a rough winter.”
