Talk to me about your roof tiles

[GrandPrismatic]

1950s detached house with cream render. Looking to replace roof which still has original grey tiles and is looking a bit scabby. Our street is a mixture of red/orange traditional tiles (which I think look nice new but get grubby quickly) or contemporary grey tiles (which I think look plasticky but seem to be “on trend” at the moment). What can I put up there that will not look grubby quickly and doesn’t look like a new build roof transplanted onto an older building? Most importantly that is very weatherproof and will last for years! Any inspiration?

As many roof tiles go brown, if you start that way they don't really change! They'll be up there for sixty years or more so I would avoid any 'on trends'

We are renovating a 30's/40's detached home with a white render (although currently a grey, dirty colour!). We've gone for hand made tiles where the roofer mixes the colours up as they go. We didn't want a new build look, but trying to have it in keeping with the style of house. I have no idea how long they will last but the previous ones were over 80yrs old!

@Hairyfriend they look great! I love that they don’t look identikit…lots of character. Are they pricey?

Thanks. I can't compare the price to other roof tiles, as I've never re-done a roof before! I cant even recall the price per tile, sorry. Certainly more being hand-made, but anything modern wouldn't have looked right with the house. We chose 5 different colours and the roofers mixed them as they went along.

More than just the tiles, finding the right roofer was even more important. Ours prefers to fit older houses like ours and took great price in the pointing work. Passers by comment on it too.

Another thing is guttering. Our previous one were heavy, cast iron. Our new ones are 'cast iron effect ogee type'. From the ground, you'd never know they were plastic. I don't know if the square look is right for a 50's house, but worth looking into if you also need new guttering.