"Underlayment replacement ain't cheap either, trust me. Keep an eye out!"
Haha, yeah... learned that lesson myself a couple years back. Thought tile roofs were the holy grail of "set it and forget it," but nope—life had other plans. Moved into a house with these gorgeous Spanish tiles, figured I was golden for decades. Then one stormy night, I'm hearing this weird dripping sound in the attic. Turns out the underlayment was toast, probably hadn't been touched since the Reagan administration.
Called in a roofer buddy of mine who took one look and just shook his head (never a good sign). Long story short, ended up shelling out way more than I bargained for to get everything sorted. The kicker? Tiles themselves were perfectly fine—looked brand new—but underneath was a soggy mess.
Now I'm wondering if location makes much difference here. You mentioned inland issues too... I've always heard coastal areas are tougher on roofs because of salt air and humidity, but maybe that's just an old wives' tale? Curious if anyone's noticed tile roofs holding up better or worse depending on climate or region.
"Turns out the underlayment was toast, probably hadn't been touched since the Reagan administration."
Haha, sounds painfully familiar... Tile roofs are great, but they're definitely not bulletproof. Coastal humidity does speed things up, but inland heat can bake that underlayment too. Either way, regular checks save headaches later.
"Either way, regular checks save headaches later."
Totally agree with this. Just bought my first place last year, and the inspector warned us about the underlayment too. Tile roofs seem sturdy, but nothing's truly maintenance-free... learned that the hard way already, haha. Hang in there!
"Tile roofs seem sturdy, but nothing's truly maintenance-free..."
Yeah, that's spot-on. I've seen plenty of tile roofs after storms that looked perfectly fine from the ground, but underneath... total mess. Had a client last year who ignored regular checks because "tiles last forever," and ended up with water damage costing thousands. Tiles themselves are tough, sure, but the underlayment and flashing? Not so much. Better safe than sorry, trust me.
Yeah, I learned this the hard way myself. When we bought our house, the inspector said our tile roof was in "great shape," so I figured we were good for years. But after a heavy storm last spring, we noticed a small leak in the garage ceiling. Turned out some of the underlayment had deteriorated and water was seeping through—tiles themselves were totally fine, though.
Honestly, I didn't even know what underlayment was until that happened. The roofer explained that tiles protect against direct impact and sunlight, but the waterproofing underneath is just as important. Flashing around chimneys and vents can also wear out or get damaged over time, letting water sneak in.
Now I make it a point to do a quick visual check after storms—nothing fancy, just looking for shifted or cracked tiles—and every couple of years I'll probably have someone come out to do a more thorough inspection. It's not expensive compared to dealing with water damage later on.
So yeah, tiles are tough and last a long time, but they're definitely not maintenance-free. Better to catch minor issues early than wait until you've got buckets catching drips in your attic... trust me on that one.
