Tile Roof Repair in Campbell, CA

Why do tile roofs leak when the tiles look fine?

A tile roof is really two roofs. The tiles shed most of the rain and shade everything beneath from the sun. The underlayment, usually felt on older South Bay homes, is the actual waterproof layer. Wind-driven rain always gets some water under the tile, and the underlayment is what carries it down and out at the eave.

Felt under tile sees little direct sun, but it still dries out, tears around fasteners and crumbles where it laps over battens. Once that happens the house leaks even though nothing looks wrong from the street. Leaves and needles trapped under tiles at valleys and headwalls make it worse by holding water against the felt for days after each storm.

Tile roof repair in Campbell, CA: clay vs. concrete

The two materials look alike from the curb and behave differently on the roof:

Not sure which you have? Clay usually rings when tapped and shows the same color all the way through a broken edge. Concrete sounds duller, and a chip shows gray inside.

Whichever you have, a tile repair visit can cover:

• Replacing cracked, chipped or missing field tiles.
• Resetting slipped rows and refastening loose hip, ridge and rake tiles.
• Patching or renewing felt at the leak area, or across a whole slope.
• Re-flashing valleys, headwalls, chimneys and vent pipes under the tile.
• Clearing leaves and needles packed under tiles and replacing missing bird stop.

Cracked roof tile replacement and sourcing a match

1. Remove the broken piece carefully, lifting the tiles above it just enough to free it without cracking its neighbors.
2. Check the felt below. A crack that has let in sun and water for years often leaves torn or brittle underlayment that needs a patch before the tile goes back.
3. Fit the replacement with the fastening method the roof already uses, whether nails, wire ties, clips or an approved tile adhesive.
4. Check the surrounding rows for slipped tiles and broken nails, which usually travel in groups.

Matches come from the manufacturer when the line is still made, from salvage stock, or from your own garage; many homeowners have a stack of spares left by the original installer. When nothing matches, we move sound tiles from a hidden slope to the visible spot and put the closest new tile out of view.

What does a tile roof lift and relay involve?

When the felt is failing across a slope or the whole roof but the tiles are sound, a lift-and-relay keeps the tile and replaces everything beneath it:

1. Photograph and mark the rows so the tiles go back in their original pattern.
2. Lift the tiles and stack them on the roof or on the ground, sorting out any cracked pieces.
3. Strip the old felt and any rotted battens down to the deck.
4. Replace soft or damaged sheathing.
5. Install new underlayment, battens where the system calls for them, and new flashing at valleys, walls and penetrations.
6. Relay the tile, replacing broken pieces and setting bird stop at the eaves.

Underlayment replacement over a whole roof can count as reroofing. We check whether your scope needs a reroof permit with the City of Campbell or, for unincorporated addresses, the County's Planning and Development office. In the city, dry rot and damaged sheathing must be replaced before the reroof inspection, and a switch to heavier roofing than the house carried before may need an engineer's review. The model-IRC-based residential code in California puts tile's minimum pitch at 2½:12 and wants doubled underlayment below 4:12, which matters on low-pitch ranch additions. Check the CSLB license of anyone quoting tile work worth $1,000 or more.

Tile roof underlayment replacement: one slope or all of them?

Felt rarely fails evenly. South- and west-facing slopes and the areas around valleys usually go first, while a shaded north slope may still be pliable. When the photos show that pattern, a partial relay of the failing slopes can be a sound tile roof leak repair that buys years, and the rest can be scheduled later.

Valleys and headwalls are worth renewing whenever tile is lifted nearby. Their metal and the felt beside them carry the most water, and doing them now avoids lifting the same tiles twice. Tile roofs depend heavily on that metalwork; roof flashing repair covers chimneys, walls and valleys in more detail.

Tile roof repair cost factors in Campbell

We do not price tile work by the tile, because reaching one broken piece can mean lifting a dozen around it. What moves a written tile estimate:

• Clay or concrete: clay is more fragile to work around, and older clay profiles may need salvage pieces.
• Felt condition: a spot patch costs far less than relaying a slope, and the photos show which you need.
• Battens and deck: rotted battens or soft sheathing found under lifted tile add line items.
• Ridges and hips: cracked mortar-set caps take time to remove and reset with the current fastening method.
• Height and staging: two-story tile roofs need more setup, and lifted tile has to be stacked safely.

Walking a tile roof without breaking more of it

Many cracked tiles we replace were broken by someone walking on them: a cable installer, a painter, a solar crew or a homeowner chasing a leak. Clay barrel tile is the most fragile. Experienced roofers step only where tiles overlap and are supported, keep weight on the lower part of each tile, use foam pads on delicate profiles, and stay out of valleys.

If you need someone on your tile roof for another trade, ask how they plan to walk it, and keep spare tiles on hand for the breakage that sometimes follows.

Why tile owners in Campbell call us

We are a family-run team that walks tile the slow way and photographs what we find, so you see the felt under your tiles rather than taking our word for it. Estimates are free and written, usable spares are left with you, and we will swap two cracked tiles as readily as relay a roof.

Spanish tile roof repair after storms and quakes

South Bay tile roofs face two forces. Winter wind lifts ridge, hip and rake tiles first, especially where mortar has cracked and the caps rely on old nails. Earthquakes shake tiles loose and crack mortar-set ridges; the 1989 Loma Prieta quake left many local tile roofs with slipped rows that were never fully reset.

After a big storm or a noticeable quake, look from the ground for tiles out of line, gaps at the ridge and broken pieces in the gutters or flower beds. If your home has cedar on a second structure rather than tile, our wood shake roof repair page covers that material.