Fort Worth's tile roofs
Fort Worth began in 1853 on the grounds of an abandoned U.S. Army post where the Clear Fork and West Fork of the Trinity River meet. Census estimates show it growing from about 918,900 residents in 2020 to about 1.03 million in 2025, and it has every kind of roof there is: 1910s and 1920s homes on the west side, postwar ranches, gated golf communities, new subdivisions on the north and west edges, and miles of warehouses and shops.
Clay tile has been on Fort Worth's west side for almost a century. Monticello, planned in 1928, required brick, stone or stucco homes, and Historic Fort Worth documents Spanish Colonial Revival houses there with stucco walls and red Mission tile roofs alongside Tudor and Mediterranean-Classical Revival homes. In River Crest, stucco Mediterranean homes from the 1920s and 1930s sit next to Tudor and Prairie-style houses. Newer Mediterranean and Spanish-style custom homes across the city often use concrete tile.
An old clay roof and a 20-year-old concrete roof fail in different ways, so the first job is figuring out which problem you actually have.
Repair, lift-and-relay or replace
- Spot repair: a few cracked or slipped tiles, a pipe flashing or a valley on an otherwise sound roof.
- Lift-and-relay: the tile is fine but the underlayment beneath it is failing. We stack the tile, install new underlayment and flashing, and reset the same tile. Good clay tile often outlasts more than one underlayment. See tile repair and reset.
- Replacement: tile is broken widely or discontinued, or you want a new color or profile. Compare clay and concrete tile.
Where we find the problems
| Area | What usually goes wrong |
|---|---|
| Valleys | Debris from big west-side trees dams behind the tile; valley metal worn thin or undersized |
| Walls, parapets and chimneys | Flashing that relied on mortar or sealant instead of metal, now cracked; stucco walls with no counter-flashing |
| Hips and ridges | Loose mortar or failed ridge fasteners letting caps slide |
| Field tile | Cracks from foot traffic and hail, and slipped tile from rusted fasteners |
| Underlayment | Old felt that has dried out under sound tile, the classic lift-and-relay case |
We fix the cause. If tiles keep slipping because their fasteners rusted, replacing the tile alone just puts the problem off a year.
Matching old clay tile
Matching a 1920s or 1930s Mission tile isn't like ordering a shingle bundle. Profiles, sizes and colors vary by maker and era. We match from current production where we can, look for salvaged tile when we can't, and when a whole slope is needed we can move original tile from a hidden slope to the street side and put the closest match where it won't be seen.
How we inspect a roof you can't walk like a shingle roof
Slate and tile break under the wrong footstep, so a careless inspection can cause the damage it's looking for. We plan a walk path, step only where the pieces are supported, use roof ladders and pads where needed, and fly a drone over the areas that aren't safe to walk. Every inspection comes with a free digital photo report, so you see what we see. The report separates old breaks, fresh breaks and installation problems, because they lead to very different answers.
Fort Worth permits and historic review
The City of Fort Worth's residential permitting page says replacing decking, lathing boards, sheathing boards, rafters or ridge boards requires a building permit, filed online by a registered contractor. A lift-and-relay or replacement often turns up deck boards that need replacing, so we confirm the scope with the city and pull the permit when it's required. Tile is heavy; if a job adds weight, such as going from a lighter roof to tile, we tell you up front that the framing has to be checked. The city's roofing FAQ also requires drip edge and crickets on re-roofs.
For designated historic properties and houses in local historic districts, the city's historic preservation program requires a Certificate of Appropriateness before permits for roofing changes, and district guidelines can require original tile to be kept. Fairmount's, for example, say original tile and slate roofs must be maintained. We check the address and help with the application.
Hail and tile in Fort Worth
NOAA's Storm Events Database lists 45 reports of hail 1.75 inches (golf-ball size) or larger within about 10 miles of the center of Fort Worth from 2016 through the September 2026 update. The largest were 3-inch hail near Mara on March 16, 2023, about three and a half miles from the center, and 3-inch hail near the Carswell air base on October 10, 2019. The most recent big day was April 25, 2026, with 2.75-inch hail near Hodge in north Fort Worth, 2.5-inch hail near Westland and 2.25-inch hail near Benbrook. Countywide, NOAA lists 115 reports of golf-ball-size or larger hail in Tarrant County over the same period, the largest 5-inch hail near Mansfield on June 12, 2023. Hail counts change across a city this big. Using the same 10-mile radius, NOAA's list has 36 reports around River Crest, 38 around Tanglewood and 33 around Mira Vista. Concrete tile can crack or lose its surface in hail that size, and clay can break. Our photo report separates new damage from old breaks and installation problems. If you file an insurance claim, we document the damage and meet your adjuster on the roof. Texas law requires you to pay your deductible, and a contractor may not waive, absorb or rebate it. We never will. In Texas you generally have 1 year from the date of loss to file; check your policy.
Who repairs tile roofs in Fort Worth?
Snow Roofing & Exteriors does. Here are the facts you can check before you call anyone:
- 75 years as a family roofing business, and 30 years in the business for owner Blake Snow, who is still on the roofs.
- Over $80 million in completed roofing projects, from small repairs to multi-million-dollar jobs.
- 5.0 stars on Google at all three offices: Bridgeport, Decatur and Rhome.
- Our own roll formers for standing seam and R-panel, in 24 or 26 gauge, with metal lead times that are typically 1 to 2 weeks.
- Our own crew, about 32 road miles (roughly 41 minutes) from Fort Worth at our Rhome office.
- Snow Roofing & Exteriors is BBB A+ rated.
Tile or something lighter?
If a tile roof has reached the end of its life and you want a different look, we'll lay out the options honestly, including slate, standing seam, stone-coated steel in a tile profile, and lighter composites like Enviroshake.
We're certified with GAF, CertainTeed, Owens Corning, Atlas, Johns Manville, Carlisle, Tropical Roofing Products, Mule-Hide and Enviroshake, and many other roof manufacturers. We give a workmanship warranty from 10 years up to lifetime, depending on the job, in writing. More: our Fort Worth roofing page, tile roofing in Westover Hills and metal roofing in Fort Worth.
Product names, ratings and features are as published by the manufacturer and can change. We confirm the current rating and warranty of the exact product before we order it.
Residential warranty: a workmanship warranty from 10 years up to lifetime, depending on the job, with manufacturer warranties up to lifetime. Manufacturer coverage depends on the product and brand, and on the project qualifying for that manufacturer's program. We put the exact warranty for your roof in writing.
Certified, with 30 years installing every major roofing brand, a family roofing business going back 75 years, and over $80 million in completed roofing projects. 5.0 stars on Google at all three of our offices.
Request a free inspection or call (817) 733-9228. Small repairs are welcome too.
