Colorbond or roof tiles?

Skull · Oct 28, 2014 1:22 am

Which is which and why? what are the pros and cons?

Saint Mike · Oct 28, 2014 6:57 am

We went tiles - in a sea of colour bond. Glad we did now - they look good and stand out. IMO we'll be known as the colour bond era - like the red roof era - and houses will be dated because of it.

But - go for what you like - not fad or fashion.

Forg · Oct 28, 2014 6:58 am

Skull

Which is which and why?

If you're asking what tiles are vs what Colorbond is ... Colorbond is a brand-name of ... I think it's BlueScope Steel, it at least used to be one of BHP's companies (dunno if it's been sold off). Anyway it's a brand name for powder-coated ("fancy painted") corrugated iron. Available in quite a few colours.
You know what tiles are ... however, there are a few different shapes & sizes of tile available, you can get quite different looks with different tiles.

Quote:

what are the pros and cons?

I'm sure this has been covered, but:
(1) aesthetics - some people prefer one, some people prefer the other
(2) corrugated iron copes with hail better (tiles will shatter with large hailstones - takes much more to put a hole in corrugated iron)
(3) tiles aren't as noisy in the rain
(4) [apparently] corrugated iron is easier to clean after a few years

I can't think of much more ... used to be the case that you can't get light-coloured tiles, hence corrugated iron was better in most of Australia due to reflecting more heat, but we've got near-white tiles on our place.

Number 1 is the biggest one, really, for most people.

Stewie D · Oct 28, 2014 7:19 am

To add to Forgs post
Some of the bigger project home builders charge a premium to do a house with Colorbond roofs because they get a much bigger discount from the roof tile suppliers even though a Colorbond roof is cheaper to build.
Quite a bit of discussion on this topic already
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=69301&

Stewie

bpratt · Oct 28, 2014 10:01 am

To add to what's already been said, there are two camps of what is the better roof, the Tile group and the Tin roof group.

Each will quickly point out what they think is so wrong with the other, and how perfect their choice in roofing is.

Last home with a tiled roof was some 30+ years ago, all homes since then have had a 'tin roof'.

The biggest complaint of each group is that tiles can break with hail far easier than a steel roof, and that a steel roof you can hear the rain on it. Both a relevant complaints.

I know the roof in this 30+ year old rental that I'm currently in you can quite clearly hear the rain falling on the roof, but there is only foil between the roof sheets and the inside of the roof, and there's no insulation batts in the ceiling. Our old house next door had insulation batts in addition, and that got rid of a lot of the sound on the roof. These days with foil and insulation under the sheets, and in my new home being built, no gyprocked sheeting in yet, the sound could be heard, but it wasn't quite as loud as my old house... and we're still going to get the ceiling gyprocked and insulation batts added yet !

Tiled roofs from my much earlier experience, tiles do break in heavy hail/branches falling on them, and that only gets worse as the tiles age. Not that many people climb on their roof, but tiles are more fragile than steel, particulary as they age. Tiles also appear to oxidise quicker than colourbond does, which means the roof looks far older than it really is.

Both tiles and colourbond can be repainted, with the same or different colours.

Being the odd one out in your neighbourhood with tiles amongst colourbond or vice versa should not enter in to your decision making process at all, even if you want to be different.

You have the roof of your choice.

Tiled roofs need a more structural roof than 'tin' roof, so by rights a 'tin' roof should be cheaper than a tiled roof, but the financial benefits to the volume builder can mean a colourbond roof is more expensive to you.

I believe the strong demand for tiled roofs is based upon the idea that a tiled roof is a status symbol of some sort, where plain old zincalume (non-coloured) implies a lesser home for poor people, when it is nothing of the sort.

Beazley77 · Oct 28, 2014 11:06 am

I like colourbond and tiles. Each has their place in terms of your house design, the character of your neighbourhood, personal preference and of course your budget. I grew up in a house with tiled roof and dad was always having to fix the odd broken tile, or capping ridge tile, and dealing with birds who decided to create a nest in the smallest of gaps!

I don’t want to have to do that, and I like the sound of rain on a tin roof. I’ve gone colourbond and also had Anticon put under the tin to help a bit more with insulation as a ceiling space can get blimin hot in Perth in summer! I don’t think having a roof of one sort standing out from the others gives any better impression of a house personally. I think a mix in a neighbourhood is nice but to be honest, I don’t think anyone except ourselves (when about to build) even really looks that hard at roofs when they are travelling through the suburbs…Good luck with your choice. At least its only a choice of two products! Have you thought about wooden shingles?

Saint Mike · Oct 29, 2014 7:20 am

Quote:

I believe the strong demand for tiled roofs is based upon the idea that a tiled roof is a status symbol of some sort, where plain old zincalume (non-coloured) implies a lesser home for poor people, when it is nothing of the sort.

Didn't know this BP.

I'll walk abut with my head that little bit higher this morning ...

Bandha · Oct 29, 2014 10:22 am

Tiles will breathe more as well, reducing the need to vent fans etc to the roof, but you lose that advantage if you're adding sarking. Personally. I think sarking is worthwhile even if not required for you bushfire rating (after not including it in my build).

bpratt · Oct 29, 2014 10:33 am

A point in favour of colourbond roofs is that solar PV and HW systems are far easier and cheaper to install than on a tiled roof.

Bandha, interesting point that you have there, but I think with energy saving requirements of new homes sarking is effectively mandatory, so you lose the ventilation factor you mentioned.

cat_dunc · Nov 11, 2014 9:02 pm

What about long term maintenance on a tiled roof? Do they need recapping or cementing these days like they used to?
My preference is colorbond, I love the rain sound though after anticon and ceiling insulation it will be hardly audible.

TomCat · Nov 11, 2014 9:54 pm

That's funny St Mike! I always thought 'tin' looked cheap. (Probably because I remember pre-Colourbond days when the sheets were shorter and rusted in the joins.) But with our builder it would have cost us $3k more! Needless to say we chose tiles. We have tiles on our current roof. Lived here 20 years and they've been good. Though now it's time to clean it as its got some moss and lichen. Nothing that a water blaster won't shift.

jillybug · Nov 11, 2014 10:20 pm

Love tiles it looks classy. I grew up in an era when tin was cheap. I guess it comes down to what tickles your fancy.

Lorri · Nov 11, 2014 10:23 pm

I may as well join in this as we will have to decide on this too,
Which is best for a house in Southern Tasmania?