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I grew up with slate roofed houses outside Baltimore. They last 75-100 years but finding someone to work on them if you have a problem is hard (and expensive). Out in the country metal roofs were common (sleeping under those if they are not installed with good insulation can be noisy) Asphalt shingles are cost effective in many climates. they absorb damage well (Someone mentioned hail and high winds with tile) and also transport well. Tile (and slate) roofs are heavy and require more structure in the building below it. Asphalt Shingles are a newer and more cost effective roofing system than tile roofs. they work in a wider variety of environments. As a building material they transport better than clay tiles. If clay tiles made more sense for American builders they would use them. In limited markets they do but over allasphalt shingles are a very effective roofing material.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I suppose. I don't consider a well done asphalt shingle roof to be ugly at all. I'm in an area with both earthquakes and high snow loads. The last thing I want over my head is a bunch of clay tiles.
Good points- Romanians do tend to see their houses as a place to live rather than an investment. And yes, there are no chipboard and stick houses in Romania- they're usually built from concrete blocks.
Reminds me of Mexico. They also have concrete walled homes and tiled roofs. Part of this could be lower labor costs to produce these items.
Exactly. Building materials are different in areas of the US. Someone coming from Romania to where I live may assume all homes are brick in the US. If they visited NE, they might think they’re all frame. I suspect that Romania is the same. Some areas (likely old housing stock) have tile roofs and some (newer builds) do not.
IMHO, a building material that has been used in a particular region for a very long time tends to be easier and less expensive to use because the raw materials, infrastructure, transport, design (tile is heavy...the house needs to be built with that in mind) and expertise are already established there. Something that hasn't been used in the area before will tend to be a more expensive option. Not to mention that its what people think of using, the default. People tend to stick with the familiar especially if it has a good track record.
A townhome/condo development, built in the mid-1970s near my house, used clay tiles to go with the "Spanish" style of the place. In the late 1990s, the tiles needed replaced due to various problems.
What was installed were metal tiles shaped and finished to look like clay tiles.
Each owner was hit with an $8000 special assessment by the HOA :-0
My inlaws live in a neighborhood where all the houses have tile. When hurricane Irma raged through Florida, their area had lots of houses with the tile roofs damaged badly. (thankfully not theirs)
Months and months later, many homes still had tarps on their roofs. Tile could not be found. People with the proper expertise to install tile roofs could not be found. Imagine having a hole in your roof for months in Florida. That would pretty much destroy your home (think water intrusion and mold growth).
Shingle roofs? Easy to find. Easy to fix. Lots more people can install it.
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