Concrete tile roof in florida has a life expectancy of 20 to 25 years, however, I have seen roofs lasting 40 and 50 years
There are a lot a variables that can affect the life expectancy of your concrete tile roof. The newer roofs done here in Florida can generally last you 25-30 years, even longer if you use a secondary water barrier like GAF Storm Guard and premium tile underlayment felts.
Now, we can get into what can cause your roof to fail faster than it should, if you have a lot of trees around your home we always tell our clients to make sure the branches do not start growing over the top of the roof. We also advise them to talk to their lawn care contractor and pay them a little extra to blow any leaves or branches that may fall onto the roof, or do it themselves if they can. Leaves, seeds and other tree debris can start accumulating underneath the tiles and start deteriorating the underylaying felts, then can also accumulate on valleys, crickets and other keys points on your roof and not allow proper water flow.
If you can avoid it, do not pressure wash your roof on a consistent basis. In the early stages of the roof there is normally not a problem, but after year 10-15 we strongly advise our clients not to pressure wash. If you live in an association and are being forced to was your roof, or simply cannot stand the stains on your roof, hire a roofing contractor, preferably the one you used to install your new roof. Ask them not to use a high powered machine and to use roofing detergents (Hydro-Stop, Gaco Wash) prior to washing the roof so that the dirt loosens up easier. If you or they cannot find either of those products, pool chlorine or formula 88 work also.
If you follow these two main steps along with having your roof inspected by a roofing contractor every few years you can help maximize the life of your roof. I hope this helps.
The correct answer is 50 years for the tile, and 25 - 30 years for the 30 - 40 lb felt underlayment and wood strips.
The third reply is to correct. The tile can last a long time up to 50 years anyway. The problem arises in two areas, if people walk on your roof for any reason, tile is susceptible to breaking if not walked on properly. The other is the underlayment and flashings. That is where the roof will typically fail in 20 to 30 years time. So the latter is what you can expect out of a typical concrete tile roof.
However there is some Stone Coated Steel Roofing Tile that looks almost exactly like tile. We have installed thousand of squares of this product and it will last 50 plus years. Like tile, you have to take care in walking on your roof or you can dent the roof or compromise the side laps. Stone Coated Steel is also mechanically fastened and is far more durable in high winds than that of its counter part concrete.
Concrete Tile roofs have a life expectancy in South Florida High Wind Velocity Zone is 35 years.