Los Angeles County, California

Tile Roofs and Lift and Relay in Los Angeles

Tile roof leaking while every tile looks sound? It is usually the felt underneath, and the same tile can go back down over new underlayment. We lift a few tiles to check, and the inspection and the written quote cost nothing.

Tell us about your roof Call (310) 857-2520

Free, and there is no obligation to go ahead.

Free roof inspection
We come out, get on the roof, and tell you what we find.
The price in writing
A written quote before anyone starts, with nothing to sign on the spot.
Licensed roofers
Our roofer who comes out holds a current California license.
Across Los Angeles County
From the Valley and the foothills to the Westside and the South Bay.

Most tile houses in Los Angeles need a lift and relay, where the same tiles come off, get stacked and go back down over new underlayment. The tile itself is rarely what has failed. What decides the price is how much of it survives coming off the roof.

Lift and relay, typical range$12,000 to $30,000

New tile throughout runs $25,000 to $60,000 and up. Small tile repairs run $400 to $900. Full breakdown on the costs page.

A lift and relay partway through. The tiles come off, get stacked and go back down. What gets replaced is the underlayment beneath them, which is the layer that wears out first and the reason the job exists.

What a relay day looks like

The tiles come off, get stacked, and go back on. What is being replaced is the underlayment they were sitting on.

Tile comes off by hand, course by course. Where one won't lift clean, the nails get cut with a slate ripper. Tiles get sorted coming off, field in one pile, hip, ridge and cut pieces in another. Cut pieces can't be replaced off a pallet.

Breakage is part of it. Prying up sound tile stresses the nail holes and leaves hairline cracks. A tile that looks sound in the stack can still split under the nail going back down.

Battens, fastening and the parts that don't show

Underlayment.The industry minimum is one layer of No. 30 felt to ASTM D226 Type II, and two layers on slopes from 2 1/2:12 to 4:12.
Battens.Battens go in at nominal 1x2, no more than 24 inches on center, with a half-inch gap at the batten ends every 4 feet. Battens run solid across a slope dam water on the new felt, so the gaps are what to check on a quote. Decay-resistant stock isn't called for in a dry climate like Los Angeles.
Fastening.On lug-hung tile at 5:12 and under, no fastener is required in the field. The perimeters still get fastened, three courses and no less than 36 inches in from hips, ridges, eaves and gables.

Clay, concrete and what the roof weighs

Clay and concrete are different weights and different prices, and the structure underneath was built for one of them.

Concrete has been the more common choice for decades, and costs less than clay. Standard-weight concrete tile weighs 9 1/2 to 12 pounds per square foot and lightweight concrete 5 1/2 to 7.

Clay is older stock and longer-lived, put at about 100 years by the Park Service. Two-piece mission clay has a top and a pan for every course, so it comes off slower and goes back on slower than one-piece S.

A relay doesn't change the load, so framing rarely comes up. Going from composition shingle to tile adds a lot of weight, so an engineer has to look at the framing before anyone prices the job.

Lift and relay, typical range$12,000 to $30,000The inspection is free, and the price for your roof comes in writing.

Get a price for your roof

When your profile is no longer made

Plenty of North American tile is no longer made. Monier, Lifetile, Boral, Eagle Double Eagle, US Tile Mission S, Redland Clay Tile Barrel, plus makers gone entirely like Hanson and Westile. Those names turn up on older Southern California roofs.

Discontinued tile isn't dimensionally compatible with current production, so mixing profiles is no fix. The standard move is to harvest tile off a slope nobody sees, put it on the slope that faces the street, and fill the hidden one with new tile. Salvage yards in Southern California carry obsolete profiles, so finding a match means calling around. New tile that matches the day it goes on still weathers to a different hue.

The permit is its own category

LADBS express permit item 23 reads "Remove existing roof tiles, apply new underlayment and reset roof tiles," and says cool roof compliance isn't required. No plan check. LADBS holds its ordinary re-roof items to 6 pounds per square foot, which tile is well over, so the relay gets its own line.

How to read a tile quote

Underlayment spec.How many layers, to what standard. Felt sold as "30 pound" can weigh well under what ASTM D226 Type II calls for. Ask what standard it meets, not what it's called.
Flashings.Chimney, sidewall and valley metal is the same age as the felt coming off. A relay that puts the old flashings back is half a job.
Breakage.Where replacement tile comes from and who pays for it.
Ridge.Mortar, closure trim or adhesive, and whether nailers are rebuilt.

Common questions

How long will the new underlayment last? Heat runs the clock. UV takes the volatiles out of the asphalt from above, and attic heat does the same from below. Felt in Woodland Hills does not last as long as the same felt in Santa Monica.

Do I get a new tile warranty? No. Eagle is clear that a lift and relay doesn't come with one.

One tile is cracked. Does that matter? Yes. A broken tile lets water and UV through to the underlayment, so replace it soon. Small repairs run $400 to $900.

Can I clean the gutters myself? Off a ladder, yes. Only trained people should walk a tile roof, and the reason is under your boot. A concrete tile spans batten to batten and breaks in the middle. Hips and valleys are the worst place to step, because the cut pieces there are ones no supplier can send you.

If the stains inside don't line up with anything you can see on the roof, look at the felt. Tell us what's going on and we'll come out and lift a few tiles. If it turns out to be one slipped tile and a bit of flashing, that's a roof repair, not a relay.

The offer

$500 off a new roof, 10% off any repair

Send your request online from this page and the offer is attached, with nothing to remember.

We get on the roof, and into the attic if that is where the answer is
You get photographs of whatever we find
The price in writing, with nothing to sign on the spot

Claim it on a free inspection

Felt gone to dustThe tile still looks perfect from the street while the layer doing the work has finished.
Slipped or cracked tileWorth fixing on its own, and the felt underneath decides whether that is the whole job.
Failed ridge mortarThe bedding cracks, the caps lift, and the ridge opens straight onto the underlayment.