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When I was in Romania, I commonly saw houses and buildings with clay tile roofing. In the US, I almost never see clay tile roofing- it's almost entirely cheap and ugly asphalt roofing. The US is a much richer country than Romania- why do they have clay tile as a common roofing material and we don't? IMO, asphalt roofing should be used on doghouses/birdhouses, or in third world shanty towns- houses going for several hundreds of thousands of dollars should not have them.
Because "poor Romanians" stay in their houses way longer than Americans. For most Americans this is not a necessary investment unless they live in a HOA community that requires particular standards.
The average homeownership duration in the US is about eight years.
Also, the roof structure must be able to handle the weight of a tile roof. The tiles are about 3x heavier than asphalt shingles. Romanian houses aren't built from 2"x4" and plywood.
Because "poor Romanians" stay in their houses way longer than Americans. For most Americans this is not a necessary investment unless they live in a HOA community that requires particular standards.
The average homeownership duration in the US is about eight years.
Also, the roof structure must be able to handle the weight of a tile roof. The tiles are about 3x heavier than asphalt shingles. Romanian houses aren't built from 2"x4" and plywood.
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.
I lived in an old house in Germany. It had a tile roof.
It also had one bathroom (for six people), a tiny kitchen, and other features that made it structurally obsolete to this "ugly American." It also was on the fourth floor and if I wanted to go to the grocery store, it was a good thing I had that tiny kitchen because otherwise I'd be carrying up tons of groceries. So instead, I just carried smaller amounts of groceries up four flights of stairs to my tiny kitchen several times a week instead of once a week.
But it had a tile roof!
I actually loved living there but let's not pretend it was all great because like every place, it had its pros and cons.
Personally I don't like the looks of clay tile. Looks like sewer pipe on the roof. Then from the cost perspective, why spend more on the roof than I'm going to get out of living there? Doesn't matter if clay tile lasts 50 years or a hundred or 500. I would have to pay the cost up front, but not get the benefit later.
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.
Plattenbau
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