Time to Relay Your Tile Roof? Costly Mistakes to Avoid!

Avoid the Most Critical Mistakes When Relaying Your Tile Roof

A tile relay is perhaps the single most important maintenance service needed to maximize the lifespan of a tile roof. During this service, all roof tiles are removed so the roofer can inspect and replace any damaged interior layers of the roof. This typically includes underlayment replacement for the tile roof, as well as potential repairs if the roof has been neglected for a while.

At Dolan Roofing & Construction, we’ve talked to many homeowners looking to minimize the cost of this service. While this service will always carry a baseline upfront cost, there are a few things you can do to avoid costly pitfalls and make your tile roof relay a success. Let’s take a look!

What Does It Cost to Lift and Relay a Tile Roof?

The total cost to lift and relay a tile roof varies, depending on a number of factors. This includes whether roof decking needs to be fixed or replaced, the type of underlayment used, the material cost due to tile breakage, and which roofer you choose for the project. 

You can read our previous post on the cost of a tile roof lift and relay at this link for more complete information.

Forgoing Tile Roof Underlayment Replacement

While not replacing your underlayment is one way to reduce upfront costs, you’re likely to pay for it in the long run. The underlayment is the main point of failure for a tile roof, so regular replacement is critical to making your tile roof last as long as possible. 

While there are certain situations where tile roof underlayment won’t require replacement, this is typically rare. The bottom line here is that if your roofer recommends replacing the underlayment, you should heed their advice to avoid serious roofing problems in the future.

Opting for the Cheapest Underlayment

Another common mistake is to complete the tile roof underlayment replacement, but to opt for the cheapest underlayment available. While this will save money upfront on the cost of this service—and can be a reasonable decision depending on your budget—choosing a high-quality underlayment is the best way to ensure the longevity and health of a tile roof. 

We recommend Boral TileSeal for nearly all tile roof lift and relay projects, as this provides the best barrier against moisture intrusion—the number-one enemy of tile roofs.

Not Planning for Breakage and Waste

While beautiful, functional, and durable against storm damage, tile roofing is highly susceptible to damage from any kind of activity on your roof. This includes the walking necessary for a tile roof relay. Breakage can also occur when removing tiles from your roof.

When it comes to relaying a tile roof and completing an underlayment replacement, breakage of roofing tiles is inevitable. Even the most experienced roofing companies will break some amount of tiles on your roof, and it’s a good rule of thumb to budget for around 20% waste just to be safe. If you don’t account for breakage during your budget calculations, you could be faced with an unexpected bill for your tile roof.

Hiring an Inexperienced Roofing Company

Still, while breakage is inevitable, roofing contractors with more tile roofing experience have the skills needed to keep waste to a minimum, thus reducing the material cost of your project. While less established roofers may cost less upfront, they’re liable to break many more tiles during the process of relaying your roof, incurring higher costs in the long run. 

At Dolan Roofing San Antonio, we work carefully and efficiently to minimize tile breakage throughout the process of tile roof relays. As highly experienced roofers, we also have the skills to properly relay your roof tiles in the correct pattern. Our team is adept at disguising new tiles by installing them in less visible areas of your roof, maintaining the beautiful aesthetic of the aged tiles.

Tile roofs should have a full lift and relay every 10 years or so. If you’re overdue for a tile roof relay and underlayment replacement, Dolan Roofing can complete the project skillfully so that you can enjoy your tile roof for decades to come! Contact us today to schedule an inspection.