Moss, Cracks, and Dead Weight: Why This Clackamas Home Traded Tile for Shingles

Tile roofs look great and last for decades, until Oregon’s damp climate catches up with them. When this Clackamas home reached the end of its concrete tile roof's lifespan, cracked barrels and heavy moss buildup in the valleys had pushed the roof past the point of practical repair. 



Rather than replacing tile with more tile, the homeowners opted for a complete material conversion to a Malarkey Highlander asphalt shingle system, executed by Kit and the RedBird Roofing crew in just 48 hours.

Project at a Glance

Why Switch From Tile to Shingles?

Tile is durable, but when a tile roof ages out, it ages out in ways that make repairs frustrating and expensive. On this roof, you could see the classic signs: individual tiles cracked and broken, and heavy moss and lichen colonizing the shaded slopes and the gaps between tiles.

Even with regular tile roof maintenance, a few practical realities eventually push homeowners to switch rather than repair tile like-for-like:

• Broken tiles are hard to match. Once a tile line is discontinued, finding replacements that match the color and profile can be difficult, so damage tends to spread rather than get fixed.
• Tile is heavy. Concrete and clay tile weigh far more than asphalt shingles, which puts a real, ongoing load on the roof structure. Moving to a shingle system sheds a substantial amount of weight.
• The gaps and texture hold debris and moss. The profile that gives tile its look also gives moss and needle debris more places to settle and hold moisture, which is exactly what this roof showed.
• Shingle repairs are simpler and cheaper. When an asphalt roof eventually needs fixing, the materials are standard and readily available.



For this homeowner, a full switch to a modern shingle system made more sense than chasing cracked tiles across an aging roof.

What Happens After Tear-Off?

Pulling an old tile roof is only the beginning. With the tile removed, Kit and the RedBird crew inspected the bare decking. (A complete tear-off is the only chance to catch decades of hidden wood rot.)

From there, we built the new roof as a complete system: drip edge and flashings, ice-and-water shield in the valleys, and synthetic underlayment across the full deck. We set dedicated starter shingles around the perimeter, installed the Malarkey Highlander architectural shingles, and finished with hip and ridge caps matched to the shingle color, plus hidden ridge venting where the roof allowed. New gutters completed the exterior so the finished roof drained cleanly.



Our Malarkey Emerald Pro certification unlocked enhanced manufacturer coverage for this homeowner, backed by RedBird’s 25-year labor warranty, transferable if they sell.

Two Days, Tile to Shingle

Tile replacement has a reputation for dragging on. The tear-off alone is heavy, slow work. This one didn't. Kit's crew handled the full job, tile tear-off, deck inspection, and complete Malarkey Highlander installation, in two days.

From Cracked Tile to a Clean New Roof

Before the work, the roof looked old from the street: weathered concrete tile, cracked and broken in spots, with moss and lichen spread across the shaded sections. After the roof replacement, the home has a clean brown Malarkey Highlander roof with crisp ridge lines, sealed valleys, and new gutters. It's lighter on the structure, simpler to maintain, and built with a modern shingle system instead of a tile line that's no longer worth chasing.

Thinking About Replacing a Tile Roof?

If your home in Clackamas or the surrounding area has an aging tile roof, cracked or broken tiles, moss taking hold, or repairs that are getting harder to make, it's worth finding out whether a switch to a modern shingle system is the smarter long-term move. 



We'll take a look and give you a straight assessment. RedBird is family-owned, licensed in Oregon and Washington, and backs every roof with a 25-year labor warranty.

Call us at (360) 605-3127 or request your free estimate to get started.