Barrel Tile Roofing Types in Hesperia
Barrel tile is the high-profile end of the tile range: under the ASTM clay standard it's a Type I tile, with a rise more than a fifth of its width. The types below are about how it's shaped and how it's held down.
Two-Piece Pan-and-Cover Barrel
A barrel roof is laid in vertical runs. Concave pans go down first to carry the water, and convex covers go over the joints between them, each course overlapping the one below. Because it's twice the pieces of an S-tile roof, it's twice the handling. This Old House notes the semicircle shape makes installation tricky and adds labor. Expect about 150 to 180 pieces per square.
Mission Tile
"Mission" and "barrel" get used for the same thing. HomeGuide calls true barrel tile mission tile, and InterNACHI describes the mission tile as the two-piece pan-and-cover system. NIST's figures put a clay mission roof at about 1,050 lb per square with 75 tops and 75 pans. Concrete makers also sell a one-piece S-tile shaped to look like barrel. From the ground it can pass for mission, but on the roof it's a different system and is covered under Spanish tile roofing.
Mortar-Set vs Nailed Cover Tiles
Barrel tile can be nailed to battens, hung on wire, or held with mortar or foam adhesive, especially at the ridge and hips. The JLC field guide says mortar-set tile is generally not permitted in high-wind zones and recommends mechanical fasteners with foam adhesive at hips, ridges and edges. Hesperia is in the National Weather Service's Apple and Lucerne Valleys forecast zone, which gets wind advisories, so ask how each cover will be fastened, not just set. On a clay roof built to last a century, the nails should be stainless, copper, aluminum or hot-dipped galvanized.
Tapered vs Straight Barrel
Mission tile comes in two shapes. Tapered tile narrows from one end to the other, so each piece laps snugly over the one below. Straight barrel keeps the same width end to end. Clay spec sheets show the difference in counts and weights:
- Tapered mission: about 1,008 lb and 180 pieces per square
- Straight barrel: about 984 to 1,165 lb and 163 to 164 pieces per square, depending on length
One straight-barrel maker notes its tile can be laid in straight rows or staggered. For a repair, match the taper and length as well as the color, or the new pieces won't lap like the old ones. If your tile is out of production, see discontinued roof tile matching.
Mudded Eaves and Hand-Laid Looks
At the eave, the open half-rounds of the first course need closing. Inspectors expect a bird stop under medium- and high-profile tile, either a pre-formed piece or mortar packed into the openings, the "mudded" eave. High-profile mission tile also needs weather-blocking at hips, ridges and headwalls to keep wind-driven rain out. Some owners want an irregular, hand-laid look with uneven courses and extra mortar. Inspectors note that look is sometimes deliberate. Just make sure it's asked for on the quote rather than left to chance. In a fire hazard zone, mudded hips and ridges and eave bird stops are code items; the fire-resistant tile roofing page has the details.
Why Hesperia homeowners call Hesperia Tile Roofing
- Asking for a quote is free and you're under no obligation
- Each request goes to a single tile roofer, not sold to a list
- Ask that tear-off, felt, deck allowance and permit sit on one written price
- You never pay for the referral
Barrel Tile Cost and Weight in Hesperia
Much of barrel tile's premium is labor: twice the pieces, each set by hand. Compared with one-piece S-tile:
| Two-piece barrel | One-piece S-tile | |
|---|---|---|
| Installed cost | $7.50 to $23.50 per sq ft | $7 to $21 per sq ft |
| Pieces per square | 150 to 180 | About 90 |
| Clay weight per square | About 980 to 1,170 lb | About 790 to 840 lb |
That weight is why barrel tile only goes on framing built or checked for it. A house switching to barrel from a lighter roof needs the structural check described on the shingle-to-tile conversion page. On an existing barrel roof, the more common job is a relay: covers and pans come off, the underlayment is replaced, and the sound clay goes back on.