I noticed that some of the tiles on the backside of this roof are not aligned. The flat concrete tiles interlock in the bottom right corner and I can see the right corner sticking out on a lot of them. I also noticed a waviness pattern on this roof on the back left. From a wind mitigation standpoint I was taught that misaligned tiles can become easily dislodged if walked on or if subject to high wind speeds. I looked up tile roof installation techniques and they said that if the chalk lines are not straight it can lead to incorrect installation and waviness. As a new inspector am i looking to far into it? Anybody with experience or extra knowledge on the installation of flat concrete roofs?
Tiles not being properly aligned is an indication of unprofessional installation. The tiles should be installed in a workmanlike fashion with a minimum headlap of 3". The small chip in your second photo is an indication of the tiles not being properly installed. One chip is not overly concerning but, I’ve seen moderately sized roofs with hundreds of chipped tiles.
Most manufacturer’s recommend that any tiles with chips bigger than 3" be replaced.
SWFL is unique to the state and the nation in that large portions of our area is in the 150 MPH, 160 MPH or 170 MPH windspeed zone. This brings increased requirements for the tile attachment(s) and roof sheathing/sheathing fastenings. Long story short, those (low profile/flat) tiles in higher wind zones may require 2 screws to be installed for a mechanically attached tile. Chapter 9 of the Florida Building Code lays out the requirements for roof coverings, per 905.3 which indicates the tiles are to be installed per the FRSA-TRI manual.
There is a class in Orlando coming up soon, Nov 12th from the folks that wrote the manual. I’ve taken the class and would recommend it to inspectors.
There is a widespread plandemic of improper roof installations in this area.
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Awesome thanks for clarifying this. This house was hit by a hurricane and the roof was reinstalled. I found about 4 small chips in total and alot of the rest of roof was more properly aligned. Just the back side of the roof seemed to have more issues in terms to alignment. Will have fun reading the Florida Building Code next…
Which hurricane, when was the roof permitted? There have been a ton of changes in the Code/FRSA-TRI requirements recently.
The roof was rebuilt in 2021.
This is the key to determining the installation requirements.
Will need to verify with the homeowner and will get back to you.
That information is public record, depending on what county your in you can look it up in less than a minute.
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Permit application date - 6/21/2021, FBC or MDC Product Approval #ROF2021-03971. Year of original installation or replacement - 2021. The home was originally built in 2005.