Clay roofs are not exactly a common site in Ashburn, VA, but every now and then you see one hidden away somewhere, usually on a historic building. Clay is probably the longest lasting substance you can use on a roof, as it’s capable of lasting over 100 years. Here’s a very brief history of clay roofs:
Traditional clay tile roofs were the standard of a long lasting durable, attractive roof. The heavy tiles outlasted many of the houses they were installed on. Clay roof tiles were used in Babylon and Egypt and then introduced to Rome…
Apparently the preservation of historic clay roofs is a thing. This is something I’d never even thought about before, but I came across this very interesting, detailed webpage on the subject:
The Preservation and Repair of Historic Clay Tile Roofs
Clay tiles are one of the most distinctive and decorative historic roofing materials because of their great variety of shapes, colors, profiles, patterns, and textures. Traditionally, clay tiles were formed by hand, and later by machine extrusion of natural clay, textured or glazed with color…
If you happen to be one of those few Northern Virginia residents who has a clay roof, you’re probably in luck, because clay tile roofs are very easy to take care of. All you really need to do is an occasional cleaning:
Clay tile roofing offers the longest life-expectancy of any traditional roofing material, according to the National Parks Service, and can easily last for a century or more if properly installed. Made from natural clay, these roof tiles are also chosen for their fire resistance and “old world” style…
The difficulty with having a clay roof in this area, however, is that they do not always last under cold temperatures. A clay roof would look really cool, but definitely contact a credited Asburn roofing contractor before you decide to install or purchase a house with a clay roof.
