A New Clay Tile Roof on a Palm Beach Home
Owning a home is a huge responsibility - there's always something to work on to maintain the safety and upkeep of the structure.
Not long ago, my friend, entertainment banker and entrepreneur Lisbeth Barron, told me about a big job she completed on her Palm Beach, Florida home. She had just replaced the timeworn cement roof on her 2002 Spanish/Italian/Mediterranean-style waterfront house with custom designed terra-cotta clay tiles - a process that took nearly a year to do. The tiles were made by Ludowici, a multi-generation family-owned tile business in New Lexington, Ohio. Lisbeth also enlisted the help of Sloane Construction Company of Palm Beach County, Inc. and Carpenter’s Roofing & Sheet Metal.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- The old, cement tile roof on Lisbeth’s home had faded and was in need of replacing. She also wanted a more interesting roof that featured more gloss, texture, and movement in its design.
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- Here is a drone view of the old roof. Concrete roofs can last about 50-years, but because of the intense sun and heat in this area, Lisbeth thought it best to replace the roof sooner rather than later.
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- The first step was to choose the color. Ludowici’s team placed a collection of tiles on the roof and Lisbeth looked at them from across the street. She liked both the terra-cotta red tiles and the green – both would give a dramatic change to the home.
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- Here is a closer look at the collection of sample tiles. Ludowici clay tiles come in an array of colors. Since 1888, architects, designers, homeowners, commercial, and government clients have used Ludowici. Some of the company’s other projects include The Plaza Hotel in New York City, the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado, Hotel Hershey in Pennsylvania, Disney in Shanghai, and even the White House. In the end, Lisbeth chose a color combination of the two left tiles in the bottom row – a gold red cedar color.
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- The custom color is a “two-spray” application. The tile is entirely sprayed with a gloss burgundy color and then lightly spotted with a gloss gold. (Photo courtesy of Ludowici)
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- At the Ludowici factory, each tile is tested and hand made in an assembly line process. (Photo courtesy of Ludowici)
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- Here is the tile before any color was added. Lisbeth likes the curves and the overall shape of this Scandia tile – a selection synonymous with clay roof tile from northern Europe. In addition, the gentle wave pattern was a nod to the ocean directly behind her home. The design is unique and never before used in the Palm Beach area. (Photo courtesy of Ludowici)
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- Lisbeth also added a “button eave” feature to give some of the end tiles an added dimension. Here, the are all sprayed by hand and placed on a dryer car before they are sent to the kiln. (Photo courtesy of Ludowici)
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- Meanwhile, at the house, scaffolding was placed around the perimeter of the home. This process took a few weeks to complete.
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- The crew starts removing the old tiles and nails – one by one.
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- The tiles are then handed down one at a time to crew members working on the roof…
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- … until they are safely thrown away in this rising dumpster.
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- After all the old tiles are removed, a 30-pound felt is used to cover the roof. This felt protects the roof from wind driven rain under the shingles.
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- Then, a self-adhesive peel and stick Polyglass Tu Max is also installed for added protection. This polyglass layer is a rubberized asphalt waterproofing membrane designed specifically for use under roof tile applications.
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- Next, skilled craftsmen install the hand-hammered and hand-soldered copper metal flashing where needed.
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- Finally, it’s time to put up the tiles. Rows of tiles are placed on wood brackets on the roof. Here, one can see the size of each tile. Each one measures 13.25 inches by 8.75 inches by three inches thick. Each tile also weighs six-and-a-half pounds.
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- One by one, each clay tile is affixed to the roof through the various protective membranes. This roof has a 75-year warranty – the longest for any residential roof.
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- And here is the finished roof. The original roof was made up of 9000 concrete tiles. This roof has more than 13-thousand tiles. Another 500 were left over and stored for later use if necessary. (Photo courtesy of Ludowici)
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- Depending on the sun and the time of day, these tiles shimmer in varying shades of red. All the outdoor stone ornaments are from Lisbeth’s sister, Judy. She is the owner of Brass Scale Antiques in West Palm Beach. (Photo courtesy of Ludowici)
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- And here is a photo taken on the front of the home. The roof definitely adds color and life to the house. The mosaic on the exterior left wall was also designed by Lisbeth depicting many things her parents loved over the years. Looks great, Lisbeth – thanks for sharing the photos! (Photo courtesy of Ludowici)
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