Florida Certified Roofing Contractor CCC 1334537
Tile Roofing in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Tile Roofing for homes in Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding area — from our Sunrise headquarters. Free quote.
Fort Lauderdale is a city of roughly 184,000 people built largely between the 1950s and 1970s, and the U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year (2022) puts the median year built at 1972 — so a typical house here is a single-story concrete block and stucco home on slab that has already lived through several roof cycles. Concrete barrel tile, flat tile and clay tile are all widespread across South Florida, and on a home of that age the tile itself often still looks presentable while the underlayment beneath it is quietly reaching the end of its life. Census figures also show most homes in the city are owner-occupied, which means these are decisions made by the people who live under the roof.
Flat Rate Roofing Inc works on tile throughout Fort Lauderdale from our office at 9610 NW 24th St in Sunrise, serving Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. We handle full tile re-roofs with tear-off, deck repair and new underlayment, concrete barrel and flat tile and clay tile, hip and ridge work, valley metal replacement, broken and slipped tile replacement, and pressure cleaning and sealing. Every job starts with a free estimate and a written flat rate quote that says what is included, and the company is insured.
Fort Lauderdale is called the 'Venice of America' for its hundreds of miles of canals and Intracoastal frontage, and that waterfront exposure matters on a tile roof. Constant salt air off the Atlantic and the canals accelerates corrosion on metal, so valley metal and fasteners hidden under tile can deteriorate well before the tile shows any sign of trouble. Add near-daily thunderstorms in the May-through-October rainy season and the June 1 to November 30 hurricane season, and the usual failure pattern is water entering at a tired valley, a cracked or slipped tile, or a mortar joint that has let go at a hip or ridge. Because much of the single-family stock predates modern building codes, an older tile roof is also a common candidate for an upgrade before storm season.
Problems to watch for in Fort Lauderdale
Underlayment aged out under sound-looking tile
On homes dating from the 1960s and 1970s, the tile can still look fine while the underlayment below it has given up. In a wet season of near-daily rain, that shows up as ceiling stains long before anything is visible from the street.
Cracked and slipped tile after storms
High winds and wind-driven rain during hurricane season can displace or crack individual tiles. A single gap exposes the underlayment directly to the next downpour.
Mortar failure at hips and ridges
Hip and ridge mortar is one of the first things to break down on an older South Florida tile roof. Once it crumbles, ridge tiles loosen and become vulnerable to the next round of wind.
Corroded valley metal hidden under tile
Salt air along the canals and Intracoastal corrodes flashings and fasteners faster than inland. Valley metal sits under the tile where nobody sees it, so corrosion is usually found only when the tile comes off.
Algae, mold and mildew growth
High humidity year-round encourages algae, mold and mildew on roofs and in attics. On tile this shows as dark staining that pressure cleaning and sealing can address when the roof is otherwise sound.
Deck and fascia rot found at tear-off
Water that gets past failed underlayment soaks the plywood deck and fascia. Rotten plywood and fascia replacement is included in our scope, so it is handled rather than priced as a surprise.
The structural weight of tile
Tile is heavy, and weight matters when a roof is being re-covered or a tile system is being considered on an addition or Florida room. That is a question to settle before material is ordered, not after.
What we do
- Full tile re-roof with tear-offWe strip the existing system, repair the deck, including rotten plywood and fascia, and install new underlayment before tile goes back down.
- Concrete barrel, flat and clay tileWe install concrete barrel tile, concrete flat tile and clay tile, all of which are common across Broward's post-1950s housing stock.
- Hip, ridge and valley workWe rebuild hip and ridge work and replace valley metal, the two areas where South Florida tile roofs most often let water through.
- Broken and slipped tile replacementAfter the wind and wind-driven rain of storm season, individual tiles can crack or shift. We replace them and check the underlayment underneath.
- Pressure cleaning and sealingHumidity feeds algae and mildew on tile. Cleaning and sealing restores appearance on a roof that does not yet need replacing.
Licenses, permits and codes in Fort Lauderdale
In Florida, concrete and clay tile roofing is roofing work and generally requires a state-certified or state-registered roofing contractor licensed through the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation and its Construction Industry Licensing Board, or a general or building contractor working within scope. Flat Rate Roofing Inc holds Florida Certified Roofing Contractor license CCC1334537, a state certification valid in every Florida county and verifiable on the DBPR website. Permits are required for tile re-roofs and most repairs, issued by the Fort Lauderdale building department, and you should expect multiple inspections including the underlayment or dry-in and the final. Florida Building Code tile provisions apply, with High-Velocity Hurricane Zone requirements in Broward and Miami-Dade: the tile, the underlayment and the attachment method — mortar set, adhesive set or mechanical fastening — must be covered by a Miami-Dade NOA or Florida Product Approval. Uplift testing of installed tile is used in some jurisdictions; the local building official sets that requirement, so verify specifics with the city building department. We pull permits under our own license, schedule and pass inspections, close the permit out, and clean up.
When to call
Storm season from June through November tends to drive tile repairs from wind-displaced and cracked tiles, while full tile re-roofs are best scheduled in the drier winter and early spring. In Fort Lauderdale that also lines up with the November-to-April snowbird season, when seasonal residents return and open up homes that have been closed for months — a good moment to look at a roof before the next wet season. To get started, call (954) 775-8990 or request an estimate with the form on this page. The phone is answered around the clock, and the office keeps weekday hours, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.
We serve Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods including Victoria Park, Rio Vista, Coral Ridge, Las Olas Isles, Colee Hammock, Sailboat Bend, Flagler Village, Imperial Point, Poinsettia Heights, Tarpon River, Croissant Park and Galt Ocean Mile, along with nearby Wilton Manors, Oakland Park, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Pompano Beach, Plantation, Dania Beach, Davie and Hollywood.
Tile Roof in Fort Lauderdale: questions we hear
- My tile looks fine. Why would I need a new roof?
- On a Fort Lauderdale home built around 1972, the tile is often in better shape than the underlayment sealing the deck beneath it. Tile is the shedding layer, but the underlayment is what keeps wind-driven rain out, and it ages on its own schedule.
- Does a tile roof in Fort Lauderdale need a permit?
- Yes. Permits are required for tile re-roofs and most repairs, issued by the local municipal building department, with inspections including the dry-in and the final. We pull the permit under our own license and close it out.
- Why do waterfront homes here have more roof hardware problems?
- Fort Lauderdale has hundreds of miles of canals and Intracoastal frontage, and constant salt air corrodes fasteners and flashings faster than inland. Valley metal under tile is a typical place that corrosion shows up.
- Do HVHZ rules apply to my tile roof?
- Broward and Miami-Dade are the two counties designated as the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone under the Florida Building Code, so HVHZ requirements apply in Fort Lauderdale. Tile, underlayment and the attachment method must carry a Miami-Dade NOA or Florida Product Approval.
- I'm in a condo or HOA community. What changes?
- A very large share of South Florida homes sit in condominium or HOA communities where the association controls or must approve roof work. Check your association's approval process before scheduling, and we can work to what they require.
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