Installing tiles requires more skill than asphalt.
In California, because of clumsy rules around workers compensation insurance, low-skilled high-risk labor is much cheaper than high-skilled labor. As a homebuilder explained it to me: if you hire actual roofers you have to pay very high insurance rates (roofing is quite dangerous). But if you hire day laborers and tell them to install the roof, you don't. So they prefer roof designs that day laborers can install.
As an Australian who has moved to the USA, I don't know why it's done. I don't know a single person in Australia who has ever replaced their roof. My dad lives in the same house I was born in 40 years ago, same roof. I've been in Colorado for 4 years. We had a new roof put on 2 years ago, then another 6 weeks ago due to a bad hail storm.
I did find it super weird the first time I heard of Americans using asphalt shingles. Everything over here is either corrugated steel (often powdercoated) or tiles, apart from some fancy upmarket properties with zinc roofs.
As child poster notes, the weight is a factor, and US houses uses wood frames for construction, where warmer parts may use brick construction. Can carry heavier roofs.
spiderice|2 years ago
glompers|2 years ago
Clay tile (10.8 lbm/ft2, 52.7 kg/m2)
Concrete tile (9.3 lbm/ft2, 45.4 kg/m2)
Slate - 3/8" thick (12.8 lbm/ft2, 62.5 kg/m2)
Slate - 1/2" thick (18.8 lbm/ft2, 91.8 kg/m2)
Slate - 3/4" thick (26.0 lbm/ft2, 127 kg/m2)
Asphalt roll roofing (1.1 lbm/ft2, 5.4 kg/m2)
Asphalt shingle or asphalt-fiberglass composite shingle (2.7 lbm/ft2, 13.2 kg/m2)
Metal roofing - aluminum or steel - panel, sheet or shingle (1.2 lbm/ft2, 5.9 kg/m2)
[1] https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/roofing-materials-weight-...
tlb|2 years ago
In California, because of clumsy rules around workers compensation insurance, low-skilled high-risk labor is much cheaper than high-skilled labor. As a homebuilder explained it to me: if you hire actual roofers you have to pay very high insurance rates (roofing is quite dangerous). But if you hire day laborers and tell them to install the roof, you don't. So they prefer roof designs that day laborers can install.
MetallicCloud|2 years ago
stephen_g|2 years ago
kabouseng|2 years ago