Old clay tile on old houses
Highland Park is a 2.2-square-mile residential town about four miles north of downtown Dallas, surrounded by Dallas and University Park, with about 8,764 residents (Census estimate). Its land was bought in 1889 by the Philadelphia Place Land Association for development along Turtle Creek, and many homes date from the early and middle 1900s. Spanish and Mediterranean-style houses here were often designed around their clay tile, so it's part of the architecture. On a roof that old, the tile itself is usually the strongest part. What wears out is everything around it: the felt underneath, the nails and wires holding each piece, the mortar at hips and ridges, and the metal in the valleys and against walls and chimneys.
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. 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.
On most older Highland Park clay roofs we expect the answer to be a repair or a lift-and-relay, not a new roof. We'll show you the photos that back up whichever we recommend.
Matching tile that may be 80 years old
Clay tile varies by maker, profile, size and the way its color has weathered. We pull a broken piece — not a good one — and work from it: profile, exposure, color in daylight. Then we check current lines from makers such as Ludowici, look for salvaged stock, and when nothing matches, borrow sound tile from a slope you can't see from the street and use the new tile there. Our article on Ludowici clay tile repair and matching in the Park Cities walks through it.
Valleys, walls and chimneys
Most tile leaks start in the metal, not the tile. Older Park Cities roofs often have copper valleys and wall flashing with cracked solder joints or holes worn through where water runs hardest. We rebuild those in copper when that's what the house has, so the new metal ages the same way.
Hail near the Park Cities
NOAA's Storm Events Database lists 10 reports of golf-ball size or larger hail within about 10 miles of Highland Park from 2016 through the September 2026 update, the largest 2.5 inches near New Hope on June 2, 2017. This year the Storm Prediction Center logged 1-inch hail 4 miles north-northwest of University Park on May 22, 2026. Hail breaks clay tile, but so do cable and satellite installers, HVAC techs and old fasteners. Our photo report separates fresh breaks from old ones, which matters if you're thinking about a claim. 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.
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.
Town of Highland Park permits
Highland Park issues building permits for roof work, and many streets have expectations about material and color. We provide manufacturer specs, color charts and samples so you can clear the work with the town and any review before we start.
We're certified with GAF, CertainTeed, Owens Corning, Atlas, Johns Manville, Carlisle, Tropical Roofing Products, Mule-Hide and Enviroshake. Snow Roofing & Exteriors is BBB A+ rated. More on Highland Park: our Highland Park roofing page, slate roofing in Highland Park, standing seam in Highland Park and next door, tile roofing in University Park.
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.
