A brand new roof built with Urban Shingle roof tiles from Monier Roofing is making Melbourne homeowner Robert Birtles feel as if he almost has a new house.
Barrie of Melbourne’s Raving Roofing, who installed the new roof, knows tiles inside out and is a staunch advocate for Monier’s roofing products.
“I have been working as a roof tiler for 21 years and have used Monier products throughout this entire time,” Barrie says.
“Nothing compares to Monier’s products and I made it my mission to become a Monier roofing specialist in order to provide my clients with the superior quality they deserve. I unequivocally believe Monier is the best of the best available.”
Barrie and his team completed the reroofing project for Birtles at his residence in Croydon, using Monier’s new Urban Shingle Terracotta tiles.
An early 80s brick cottage, Birtles’ house was desperately in need of a new roof. The original concrete tiles (a non-Monier product) had been badly laid and were in a terrible condition, with the broken and cracked tiles causing water damage throughout the house.
“I’d had the roof tiles fixed four or five times in that 30 or so years, and it just got to the point where the insurance company told me – after about the fifth claim from water damage – ‘I really think you need to do something about this’, with a very strong insinuation that maybe insurance wouldn’t be passed next time,” he says.
“And I couldn’t fight that, because I knew the roof was absolute rubbish, and that there’d been some major cracks and bruising. So, in the end, I had to bite the bullet.”
Barrie recommended Monier’s new Urban Shingle Terracotta tiles because of the pitch of the roof.
“Talking to the client regarding his new roof, it became clear that only the best would do and of course that meant Monier’s Terracotta range,” says Barrie.
“The client had a flat profile tile on his existing roof and was after a sleek tile to achieve the look he was after. He considered Monier’s Nullarbor tile, but because the roof pitch was under 25 degrees that tile was not a good fit.
“However, I was aware that Monier had been working on a new design that would overcome the roof pitch restraint and had the desired flat profile. I chatted with Monier about their new Terracotta tile and I was convinced that Urban Shingle was a perfect solution. The client was more than happy to wait while Monier finished their stringent quality testing and released the new product.”
Barrie is really impressed with Urban Shingle’s design, describing it as ‘flawless’.
“I could not be more pleased, from its stylish flat and seamless design to its quality finishes featuring all the characteristics of Monier’s superior Terracotta range.”
Homeowner Birtles credits Raving Roofing with the final outcome.
“Barrie was brilliant,” he says. “I didn’t go out and pick Monier; I happened to pick him, and he loved Monier. I went out to Monier’s showrooms, and he brought samples.”
Birtles explained that it was important to get the right tile, given how integral the roof was to the look of the façade.
“This house is all roof. You stand up on the high ground up the back, and you see all roof. So the roof is actually a feature and, while a conventional tile – or a conventional design, rather – would have been fine, Barrie came up with this one, and, in the end, that’s what we ran with, and it’s come up very well.”
