Roof Tiles

[damien]

Well I got up finally on the roof to clean the gutters before the big storm tonight. I discoivered that alot of the roof tiles have a green moss on them (very dry though). Is this bad for them? besides making them ugly?

Also i took a few tiles off and noticed alot of leaves in teh roof I am wondering if maybe someone changed the roof when it was really windy???

I will need to vacuum the roof befor i put insulation in I think.

Anyway, how hard does every thing it would be to swap the tiles out over time, mainly cos we just bought this first house and I dont have alot of spare cash. I was thinking every month (depending on cost) I could swap over a certain amount of tiles.

How much does the average ceramic roof tile cost?

Thanks and look forward to some feedback.

[addo]

Damien, the "green moss" is called lichen. It's basically harmless and in fact many people consider it adds character or "patina" to an older house. Don't confuse it with the cancer that occurs in coast areas where salt crystals grow inside older tiles and slowly destroy them. Yours are fine for a good while yet.

Leaves get driven under the tiles by wind. That's what wind does. Given where you're located it doesn't hurt to vacuum out the eaves every couple of years, and also check the pointing for damage.

Unless you have a real need to change the roof, don't - and don't fall for a sales pitch on recolouring (WOFTAM). Firstly, fixing requirements have increased such that you need to fix more ridge and hip tiles than some years back (similarly, certain amounts of the tiles proper need fixing to the battens) and secondly it usually generates issues of re-sarking and battening.

If you want to spend some money well, look after the gutters and downpipes, and get some whirlybird type vents installed. Aside from pest inspections and the bits mentioned earlier, that's about all you need to worry about for your roof.

Cheers, Adam.

[rod1949]

If the tiles are clay then don't ever worry about them. And as Addo says - don't be conned by sales people.

[damien]

Thanks for the replys. They are just the normal roof tiles that are on most suburban houses. I will have to change a few as somone has replaced a few that are bright blue...yuck!!!!!

[addo]

Classic! The "random blue tile" thing was a new house fashion at one stage; maybe late '60s. Got enough for a killer kennel or cubby?

With your replacements, pull off one of the "normal" ones for a match. The maker's name (usually Monier or Wunderlich) will be embossed underneath. There are small differences in the way they all sit together, so make sure to get a compatible type.

Regards, Adam.