Tile on Preston Hollow estates
Preston Hollow is a North Dallas neighborhood, not a separate city. It was farmland until the 1920s and 1930s, when developers Ira P. DeLoache and Al Joyce began carving estate lots out of old farm parcels west of Preston Road. Residents incorporated it as its own town in 1939 and voted to join Dallas in 1945. "Old Preston Hollow" — roughly Northwest Highway to Walnut Hill Lane between Preston Road and Midway Road — is still known for large lots and houses set far back from the street.
Spanish, Mediterranean and Italian Renaissance-style houses on those big lots were often designed around barrel or flat clay tile, and many newer rebuilds chose tile to fit the street. So tile work here usually falls into one of three jobs: keeping an older clay roof alive, matching tile on an addition or a rebuilt wing, or replacing a concrete-tile roof whose underlayment has given out.
Where tile roofs here actually leak
The tile is the visible part, but on most tile roofs it's the second layer that keeps the water out. When we find a leak, it's usually one of these:
| Spot | What goes wrong | Usual fix |
|---|---|---|
| Underlayment | Older felt dries out and cracks under the tile, especially on south and west slopes | Lift-and-relay: stack the tile, new underlayment and flashing, reset the same tile |
| Valleys | Leaves from mature trees dam the valley metal; cut tiles slip | Wider valley metal, re-cut and re-secure the valley tiles |
| Ridges and hips | Mortar-set ridge caps crack and let water in at the top of the roof | Re-bed, or switch to a mechanically fastened dry ridge where the look allows |
| Walls and chimneys | Step and counter-flashing pulled loose from stucco or stone | New flashing cut into the masonry, often in copper on estate homes |
| Transitions | Tile meeting a flat roof, a standing seam porch or a skylight | Custom transition flashing built for that joint |
Clay, concrete and matching
Clay tile holds its color for generations and can usually be reused in a lift-and-relay. Concrete tile costs less but can fade and lose its surface with age. On older clay roofs, profiles and blends may no longer be made. We look at current lines from makers such as Ludowici, Westlake Royal and Eagle, check salvage stock, and when nothing matches we borrow tile from a hidden slope for the visible repair. On an addition, we match the profile, color blend and exposure so the new roof reads as part of the old one.
Hail and tile near Preston Hollow
NOAA's Storm Events Database lists 15 reports of hail 1.75 inches (golf-ball size) or larger within about 10 miles of Preston Hollow from 2016 through the September 2026 update. The largest was 3-inch hail near Carrollton on June 6, 2018, with 2.25-inch hail near Richardson on September 24, 2023 and 1.75-inch hail near Richardson on April 27, 2026. The Storm Prediction Center also logged 1-inch hail 4 miles north-northwest of University Park on May 22, 2026, about a mile and a half from the middle of Preston Hollow. Large hail can crack clay and break the face of concrete tile, but tile also breaks from age and from people walking it wrong. Our report shows which is which, because that changes both the repair and any 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.
City of Dallas permits
Because Preston Hollow is inside the City of Dallas, the city's rules apply. Dallas says replacing large areas of a roof or an entire roof requires a re-roof permit; its published exemption for single-family re-roofs is limited to work valued at $500 or less, and structural repairs to rafters or joists need a building permit. Historic and conservation districts have extra requirements for exterior work. Tile is heavy, so if the job adds weight or changes framing, we tell you up front that more than a simple re-roof permit may be involved.
We're certified with GAF, CertainTeed, Owens Corning, Atlas, Johns Manville, Carlisle, Tropical Roofing Products, Mule-Hide and Enviroshake. Nearby: slate roofing in Preston Hollow, standing seam in Preston Hollow, tile roofing in University Park and our Dallas roofing page.
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.
