Tile roofs last 75+ years. The underlayment underneath doesn't. Most tile roofs in NM look perfect from the street while the felt underneath is failing, water is entering, and the owner has no idea until a ceiling stain shows up. I lift-and-look sample underlayment per slope, count broken and slipped tiles, audit ridge mortar and battens, and give you a real remaining-life number instead of the 'tile lasts forever' myth.
Per-slope underlayment lift-and-look sampling (the actual waterproof layer)
Broken, cracked, and slipped tile count per slope with manufacturer/profile ID
Ridge and hip mortar condition scoring with repoint scope
Batten rot probe and fastener corrosion audit
Valley and eave transition weathering (highest tile-roof failure zone)
Tile-safe walking pattern + drone assist for steep or fragile slopes
Tile-safe walk on accessible slopes + drone imagery for steep/fragile areas. Underlayment lift-and-look sampling at 2–4 locations per slope (felt vs synthetic ID, brittleness/tear test). Per-slope tile condition audit: broken count, cracked count, slipped count, missing count. Tile profile identification (S-tile, flat-shake, mission, barrel) and manufacturer ID for replacement sourcing. Ridge and hip mortar-set condition audit with linear-foot repoint scope. Batten and counter-batten rot probe (where accessible from attic side). Valley and eave-drip transition condition — highest-failure zones on tile roofs. Written scope with per-slope remaining life, repair-vs-underlayment-replacement recommendation, and cost bands.
NM homeowners with 20–30+ year-old tile roofs who haven't checked underlayment yet. Homeowners with active or recent ceiling stains under a tile roof. Homeowners planning solar on tile who need the underlayment audit first. Buyers under contract on a tile-roof home (tile-specific due diligence). HOAs and property managers with tile-roof buildings needing capital planning.
Verbal Walk — $149 Standard Tile Roof Report — $549 Detailed w/ Drone Imagery + Underlayment Lift-and-Look + Repoint Scope — $749 Multi-Building or HOA — Custom Most tile inspections are $549–$749. Compared to an underlayment-replacement re-roof at $24,000–$45,000 caught 10 years too late, this is the right timing.
The tile is fine. The underlayment underneath probably isn't. Tile is a rain-screen, not a waterproof layer — the felt or synthetic under it is what actually keeps water out, and it lasts 20–30 years on a NM sun-baked south slope. When it fails, water gets in but the tile still looks perfect from the street. I score underlayment life with lift-and-look samples per slope so you know how much runway you have.
Yes, if you can source matching tiles — and this is where most NM tile homes get burned. Discontinued profiles (Boral, Monier, Eagle) from the 80s–90s are hard to match, and Frankenstein repairs look bad and often leak. I audit break/slip count per slope, ID the profile and manufacturer, tell you if matching tile is still available, and score whether spot repair or a wider re-do makes sense.
NM freeze-thaw destroys ridge mortar in 15–25 years. When it cracks or falls out, hip and ridge tiles slip, wind lifts them, and the whole ridge assembly starts blowing off in wind events. I score every foot of ridge/hip mortar and give you a repointing scope with the right mortar mix (Type S with waterproofing admix, not Type N).
You can't walk it the same way — tile cracks under foot-traffic if you don't know where to step (over battens, over the head of each tile). I use a tile-safe walking pattern plus drone imagery for slopes I can't safely access. And the failure modes are totally different (underlayment, mortar, batten rot, tile fastener corrosion) so the checklist is completely separate from asphalt shingle.
Bid + scope compared line-by-line.
Hail/wind + NOAA event correlation.
Map wet insulation before you recoat.
IRC / IBC / NMCID cited per finding.
I've watched too many neighbors sign contracts they didn't understand for roofs they didn't need. That stops with a written report they own.