Under One Roof
Our original plan was to keep the tiles and find some reclaimed ones to match for the extension. However, we hit a few snags to this plan. Firstly we needed to replace the old sarking which is the waterproof membrane that goes under the tiles. The old 1956 version was so brittle that it just crumbled on the slightest touch.
Our plan was to lift the old tiles, replace the sarking and then put the tiles back on. This of course would mean that we would lose some tiles in the process which would also need to be replaced in addition to the ones we needed for the extension. On top of this, a local tiler recommended against putting the old tiles back on due to salt damage. Apparently salt attacks the tiles over time and they become brittle and porous over time. he reckoned at 50-60 years old, ours would be coming to the end of their life. We would have to select out the damaged ones - which meant finding even more tiles.
As it turns out, finding matching tiles isn't a straight forward process. All those nice red terracotta tiles you see on roofs are all slightly different depending on manufacturer and even on year of manufacture. We managed to find a large tile reclamation place in Western Sydney that had the right type of tiles, but not enough to do the job.
By this time we had some tiles off the roof that we could show the tiler. he again said that, unless we wanted to re-roof again in 5-10 years, he wouldn't be putting the old tiles back on. A pretty stong argument since he knew he was doing himself out of a job (well maybe 2 jobs if you count the extra one in 5-10 years!) That compared to a 25 year guarantee on a galvanised roof was a big factor. SO, while we loved the old tiled roof, we have decided to go with gal on durability grounds. It looks a bit garish at the moment but will dull down in a few months to that traditional grey colour you see around. Hopefully it won't detract from the character of the house.
The gal roof took a couple of weeks to finish. The staged the tile removal so that they got each section covered back up again with new roof so that there was no chance of rain getting into the ceiling. The gutters and trimmings are just about done now. All that is left is to put the down pipes on and connect it all to the storm water.
Our plan was to lift the old tiles, replace the sarking and then put the tiles back on. This of course would mean that we would lose some tiles in the process which would also need to be replaced in addition to the ones we needed for the extension. On top of this, a local tiler recommended against putting the old tiles back on due to salt damage. Apparently salt attacks the tiles over time and they become brittle and porous over time. he reckoned at 50-60 years old, ours would be coming to the end of their life. We would have to select out the damaged ones - which meant finding even more tiles.
As it turns out, finding matching tiles isn't a straight forward process. All those nice red terracotta tiles you see on roofs are all slightly different depending on manufacturer and even on year of manufacture. We managed to find a large tile reclamation place in Western Sydney that had the right type of tiles, but not enough to do the job.
By this time we had some tiles off the roof that we could show the tiler. he again said that, unless we wanted to re-roof again in 5-10 years, he wouldn't be putting the old tiles back on. A pretty stong argument since he knew he was doing himself out of a job (well maybe 2 jobs if you count the extra one in 5-10 years!) That compared to a 25 year guarantee on a galvanised roof was a big factor. SO, while we loved the old tiled roof, we have decided to go with gal on durability grounds. It looks a bit garish at the moment but will dull down in a few months to that traditional grey colour you see around. Hopefully it won't detract from the character of the house.
