Tile Roof Leaking? Discontinued Tiles? Read This Before You Replace.
Your Tile Roof Is Leaking and Nobody Will Tell You the Truth
If you own a home with a concrete or clay tile roof in Houston, Spring, The Woodlands, Conroe, or Cypress — and other companies are telling you it needs a full $150K–$200K+ replacement — read this before you sign anything.
We wrote this page for a specific homeowner. You have a tile roof. It’s been leaking — maybe for months, maybe for years. You’ve had two or three companies come out. Every one of them said the same thing: the tiles are discontinued, you can’t get matching replacements, time to tear it all off and start over.
And somewhere in your head, you’ve been thinking: there has to be a way to save this roof.
You might be right. And the reason nobody is telling you that is because a $200,000 replacement makes them more money than the correct repair.
What’s Actually Happening to Your Tile Roof
Here’s what most homeowners don’t understand about tile roofs, and what most roofing companies won’t explain: the tiles are almost never what fails.
Concrete and clay tile can last 50 years or more. The tile itself is incredibly durable. What fails is the system underneath it — the underlayment, the flashings, the substrate, the mortar at the hips and ridges, and the connections where the roof meets the walls.
On older tile roofs, the underlayment has a limited lifespan — typically 20 to 30 years. Once it deteriorates, water gets past the tiles and into the deck, the attic, and eventually the ceiling. You see the stains. You feel the drip. You call a roofer. And the roofer looks at a perfectly functional tile system sitting on top of a failed underlayment and tells you the whole thing needs to go.
That’s like telling someone to demolish their house because the plumbing failed.
The most expensive roofing mistake a tile homeowner can make: Paying $150K–$200K+ to replace an entire roof system when the tiles are fine and the real failure is underneath them.
A Real Example from a Houston-Area Homeowner
“Every company told me I needed a full replacement. One company actually listened.”
A homeowner in one of Houston’s luxury neighborhoods had a concrete S-tile roof that had been leaking for years. Multiple pipe boot failures. Water stains on interior ceilings. Previous patch attempts that didn’t hold.
Two roofing companies came out. Both said the same thing: the tiles are discontinued, you need a full replacement, $200,000+. Neither one investigated what was actually failing underneath.\n\nSo the homeowner did his own research. He went to the Brava Roof Tile website, pulled up the Preferred Contractor list for the Houston area, and found three certified contractors. We were one of them. He called us.
The homeowner had a feeling the whole time that the roof could be saved. He just needed someone to confirm it.
We spent 30 minutes on site — not selling, just listening and inspecting. We got on the roof and found exactly what we expected: the tiles were fine. The underlayment had failed. The hip and ridge framing had rotted from years of moisture intrusion. The flashings where the roof met the stucco walls had never been properly terminated. Five pipe boots were completely failed. The substrate needed repair in multiple areas.
None of that required removing the tile system permanently. All of it required a contractor who understood how tile roofs are actually built and what the correct repair scope looks like.
The scope of work we performed:
✔ Careful removal and staging of every existing S-tile
✔ Full stucco cut around the entire perimeter where walls meet roof
✔ Complete re-flashing of all wall-to-roof terminations with proper reglet and kick-out flashings
✔ Substrate repair and waterproofing
✔ Rotted hip and ridge wood framing replaced with metal hat channels
✔ Failed pipe boots replaced
✔ Premium underlayment installed over inspected and repaired decking
✔ New stucco applied — full texture match to existing
✔ All existing tiles reinstalled in original layout
✔ New valley metal, drip edge, and ventilation components
✔ Gutter detach, reset, and proper reseal
The homeowner got his roof back — the same tiles, the same look, the same character — with a completely rebuilt system underneath. He shook our hand on site, same day, because we were the first company that confirmed what he’d been thinking all along and showed him we knew how to execute it.
Before we even finished the roof, he left us a review. As the project progressed and he saw the quality of work going into every detail, he upgraded it.
But here’s the part that tells you everything about what happens when you do the right thing for a homeowner:
His wife had a separate project — a 13×18 addition on the home — with another contractor already lined up. He liked our work so much that he asked us to bid it. We were higher than the other contractor. He awarded it to us anyway. The addition is getting matching tile on the roof — tied into the existing system we restored.
He didn’t choose us because we were the cheapest. Not on the roof. Not on the addition. He chose us because we were the first company that listened to him, confirmed what he already knew, and proved we could execute at the level his home required. That’s what happens when you give homeowners the honest assessment and let them make their own decision.
Why Most Roofers Won’t Offer This
Tile roof restoration is hard work. It requires knowledge of how tile systems are assembled, how underlayment interfaces with flashings and wall terminations, how to carefully remove and stage tile without breaking it, and how to properly reinstall it when the work underneath is done. Most roofing companies in Houston are shingle companies. They know how to tear off and replace. They don’t know how to restore.
A full replacement is simpler to scope, simpler to sell, and far more profitable. That’s why it’s the only option most companies present. It’s not that your roof can’t be saved — it’s that the company you’re talking to doesn’t know how to save it or doesn’t want to.
When Replacement Actually Is the Right Call
We’re not here to tell every homeowner their tile roof can be saved. Sometimes it can’t. If the tiles themselves are severely deteriorated, if there’s widespread structural damage to the decking, or if the homeowner wants to change the look of the home entirely — a full replacement may be the right decision.
When it is, we offer Brava synthetic tile systems as a certified Brava Preferred Contractor. Brava tiles replicate the look of Spanish barrel, slate, and cedar shake with modern composite materials that are lighter, Class 4 impact rated, and carry a 50-year limited warranty. For homes where the existing tile is truly at the end of its life, Brava is the premium replacement — not another asphalt shingle roof on a home that was designed for tile.
But we don’t lead with replacement. We lead with an inspection. We tell you what’s actually happening. And we give you the options — all of them, not just the most expensive one.
Our approach is simple: We give you the full honest assessment of your roof so you can make an educated decision based on what you want to do. You decide what is right for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not necessarily. Discontinued means the manufacturer no longer produces that specific profile. In many cases, the existing tiles can be carefully removed, the system underneath repaired or replaced, and the original tiles reinstalled. If individual replacement tiles are needed, we can often source matching discontinued profiles. A full replacement is only necessary when the tiles themselves have failed — not just because they’re no longer in production.
It starts with an inspection. We evaluate the condition of the tiles, the underlayment, the flashings, the substrate, and the structural components. If the tiles are intact and the failure is in the system underneath, restoration is likely an option. If the tiles are cracked, spalling, or structurally compromised across a large area, replacement becomes the better path.
Every project is different, but restoration typically costs significantly less than a full tile replacement — often saving homeowners tens of thousands of dollars. The exact cost depends on the scope of underlayment, flashing, substrate, and stucco work required. We provide a detailed scope and estimate after inspection.
Brava is a premium composite roof tile that replicates the appearance of natural Spanish barrel, slate, and cedar shake. It’s lighter than concrete or clay, carries a Class 4 impact rating for hail resistance, and comes with a 50-year limited warranty. Roof Concepts Construction is one of the only certified Brava Preferred Contractors in the Houston area. When full replacement is the right decision, Brava is the premium option for homes designed for tile.
Yes. We serve tile roof homeowners in Spring, The Woodlands, Conroe, Kingwood, Cypress, Katy, Sugar Land, and the greater Houston metro. We work in luxury communities including Carlton Woods, Bentwater, Kings Lake Estates, River Plantation, and throughout Montgomery, Harris, and Fort Bend counties.
Not Sure If Your Tile Roof Can Be Saved?
Get an honest assessment before you commit to a $200K replacement. We’ll inspect your roof, show you what’s actually failing, and give you every option — not just the most expensive one.
Schedule a Tile Roof Inspection
Or call us directly: (281) 973-4893