Roofs we work on · Tile Roofs
Heavy, Handsome, and Demanding at These Wind Speeds
Tile appears throughout the Keys and it asks more of a building here than it does further north. Fastening is the whole conversation, and the underlayment beneath decides when the roof needs doing.
Give us the mile marker, tell us what is on the roof now, and say whether the property is rented out. Those three shape the job.
Metal
Down here it is the normal answer, not the upsell
Load path
At these wind speeds the covering is not the real question
Out too
The old roof has to travel the whole chain to leave
Licensed
A licensed Florida general contractor
Fastening specified for a gentler county
Tile stays on the roof because of how it is attached, and the attachment requirement climbs with the design pressure. A specification that is entirely correct in central Florida is not automatically correct in Monroe County, and this is exactly the sort of detail a contractor carries with them from wherever they usually work. The tile looks identical either way. What differs is what is holding it down and how much of it is holding it down.
What has to be settled on a Keys tile roof
- The fastening schedule required at this location, not a general one.
- Whether the structure is comfortable carrying the weight.
- Underlayment condition, which is what usually ends the roof.
- Realistic salvage rate if tiles are being lifted and relaid.
- Whether the profile is still made, if some cannot be reused.
Weight is a real consideration here
Tile is heavy, and on an elevated or older structure that weight is a genuine question rather than a formality. It is one of the reasons metal is so widespread in this county — it does a comparable job at a fraction of the dead load.
None of that rules tile out. It does mean tile deserves a conversation about the structure carrying it, particularly on a building that was not originally designed around it.
How we handle it
- 01Confirm the fastening requirement for this address before pricing.
- 02Assess the underlayment rather than the appearance of the tile.
- 03Estimate salvage honestly and say that it is an estimate.
- 04Rebuild flashings instead of reseating tile over the old ones.
The salvage rate decides the economics of nearly every tile job. If most of the tile lifts cleanly and goes back down over new underlayment, that is a materially cheaper route than full replacement. If the tile is brittle or the profile is discontinued, that route closes, and it is much better to know that before the roof is opened.
Said plainly
Where we stop
We cannot promise a salvage percentage before tiles come up, and anyone who does has not lifted many. We will give an honest estimate from what we can see and be explicit that it is one.
FAQ
Common questions
- My tiles look perfect but water is coming in. How?
- Tile is a rain screen and is meant to let some water past. The underlayment beneath does the waterproofing and ages far faster than the tile does. Perfect-looking tile over failed underlayment is the standard pattern.
- Is tile a bad idea in the Keys?
- Not at all, and it asks more of the building than it does elsewhere — heavier, and requiring a fastening schedule set by the highest design pressures in Florida. It is a fair choice made deliberately.
- Can my tiles be reused?
- Often a good proportion, and nobody knows the true rate until they start coming up. Older and more brittle tile breaks more, and we will tell you what we expect and that it is an expectation.
Florida Keys specifics
Metal Is the Default
In most of Florida a roofer works up from shingle to metal and metal is the premium option. In the Keys that ordering is reversed, and shingle is the specification that ought to arrive with an explanation.
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The Load Path
Monroe County carries the highest design wind speeds in Florida. What decides how a roof performs is not principally the material on top — it is whether the whole assembly stays connected to the building.
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Tear-Off Has to Leave
Roofing is the heaviest trade in construction. A re-roof brings tons of material in and sends tons of tear-off out, and on an island chain the outbound leg is a genuine cost rather than a short trip.
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Roofs Over Rentals
A large share of Keys property is rented out. On an earning building a roofing job is scheduled around a booking calendar, and a leak is a refund and a review rather than an inconvenience.
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How We Work Here
We are Fort Lauderdale based and work Monroe County in scheduled blocks with crews lodged locally. On a chain where a lot of unfamiliar companies work, being plain about that matters.
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More roofs we work on
Metal Roofs
Metal leads this list because in Monroe County it is the ordinary choice rather than the expensive one. What separates a twenty-five year metal roof from a twelve year one is almost never the panel.
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Flat & Low Slope
A great deal of Keys building stock is concrete with a flat or very low slope roof. Those roofs fail at drainage and at edges rather than across the field, and coating is the answer offered far more often than it is the right one.
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Shingle Roofs
Shingle exists throughout the Keys and it works when it is chosen and installed deliberately. In the county with Florida's highest design wind speeds, it is the specification that ought to be explained rather than assumed.
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Next step
Find out what is actually wrong with it.
An inspection, photographs of what we found, and a written scope. If the honest answer is that it can wait another season, that is the answer you will get.