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Historic Cuban Barrel Tile

A lot of you will be reading this thinking it's a bit boring (at least Rick thinks so), but I wanted to address this because a lot of our customers are constantly asking us about certain elements of historic homes......so here it is....proceed with CAUTION:

Historic Cuban Barrel Tile is one of the key elements found in Mediterranean Revival Architecture. Key because it is one of the most visible elements and because without it, a historic house can seem stripped from its roots. It is the one single element that has a history of its own. It is a handmade or hand processed barrel natural clay tile, either made in Cuba prior to the imposition of the U.S. Embargo, or manufactured in 18th Century Spain, salvaged from buildings in Cuba and imported to the United States during the 1920's and 30's. (hence the name "Historic Cuban Tile").

When buying historic real estate it is important ot identify the original elements of a structure in order to know how well preserved the property has been through the years.

READ THE FULL STORY AT MIAMISM.COM.....

Posted by Rick & Ines - Miami Beach Real Estate on 06/12/2007 09:47 AM

Comments (32)

historic homes, project blogger, architecture, miami real estate, mediterranean revival architecture

Originally posted at: Miami Real Estate Blog: Historic Cuban Barrel Tile

32 Comments on Historic Cuban Barrel Tile

JUN

2007

I love the look of the tiles... I don't like fixing them but they look great!

I love the look of that roof tile also.... wouldn't want to even image with my large multi-leveled hip roof what it would cost to do... but i'll enjoy it from afar.

I wish them had them in NY

David - if built correctly, they are super sturdy - to rebuild them is not such a big deal as long as the right company does the job.

Desiree - in Miami, roofs in general are very costly - historic roofs do add a bit to the cost, but they are worth it. I recently sold a historic home whole historic roof was replaced by an S-tile and the poor house had lost so much character, I hope when the time comes, the new owner replaces the roof with the right one.

Maureen- you guys have other great roofs in NY - how about those Copper ones? they are gorgeous! or the slate roofs. Thanks for commenting on our outside site btw.

They stop traffic in Dayton Ohio. It isn't practical here, but they are so beautiful. Give Rick a thump on the head. ;) People love love love tile roofs.

Ines, I wish those tiles could handle our winters, because I love the way they look. I guess I will have to settle for looking at them in pictures.

Teri - when Rick saw that I added the first sentence he said "oh man.....you didn't have to make me look like the bad guy!"

George - I'm glad you cleared that up - clay tile roofs cannot handle snow!! ......or you could see them when you finally get down to Miami to visit : )

Ines, are they called that everywhere (even in California)? We have different types of Spanish style homes (plus Monterey, which is a California original) with tiles like these. My husband and I would love to get some to put on our tract-Spanish home as we'd like it to look more Spanish-y and the current roof tiles are concrete and look tract-y....

Mary - that's a great question - 1020's Spanish Med architecture here in South Florida used this particular type of Spanish tile and they are historic, imported from Cuba and hand-stamped. Spanish Colonial architecture in South America has hand-made barrel tile but is not necessarily called "Historic Cuban Barrel tile" (talk about a mouth-full).

I would tell you that finding a hand-made barrel tile manufactured by a company like The Arguelles' Artezano tile should be good enough for a Spanish-influence home. Just pay attention to the details (the Artezano site will give you great ideas). The biggest difference between a regular barrel and the modern concrete s-tiles is the profile; one ends up a lot flatter and with not much depth. The hand made tile has a deeper curvature. (I hope that helps)

Your other blog - the link in "READ MORE" - talks about the tiles being tapered. I've heard that this is because the tilemakers made the tiles on their upper thighs. Do you know if this is true?

Sharon - thanks for repeating the comment here because you are absolutely right, and a very important piece of information. (I hope we can use this in Trivial Pursuit one day). Original Barrel Tile was made on the thigh of the tile maker - and that's exactly why the tile is shaped like it is. Today they do make molds in the shape of a thigh, and the clay is also hand molded.

OK. What did you do to your posts? We go elsewhere to read the remainder? Explain pleeeeease. (That was my really nice please)

These cuban tiles are gorgeous. I guess it could be called historic Cuban thigh. Very interesting historic notes. These were the days when Mary and Ernest Hemingway lived in Finca Villa in Cuba.A fascinating time. Knowing how sound

a structure is is the whole point.

Lisa - you just made me smile......the post is on my "pretty blog" outside of AR and all you have to do is click "read more" to find it. I don't want to copy the whole post here in Active Rain but do want to share these articles with my AR friends. Did I explain it ?

Lloyd - Those historic buildings usually have a stronger and more sound structure than modern homes - they are pretty amazing.

We have a few homes in Glen Ellyn with Cuban Barrel Tiles. They are gorgeous! Not practical for our Chicago winters, but I love them just the same. I think there is a product made from cement that gives the same look but hold up better in harsh climates. Sherry

Sherry - I have to tell you that in rough climates, the concrete alternatives are definitely the way to go. Technology has come a long way and we need to embrace it while trying to upkeep the historical integrity of a structure.....I do think these 2 can co-exist, but a lot of true preservationists would have my head for making that statement.

JUN

2007

Ines thanks! I have a couple of lovely books on Santa Barbara style Spanish homes (mostly revival) and will see if I can pin down some info on the roof.

I think the newer (fake) roof tiles are also just plain thinnier. The "S" shape LOOKS WRONG and so does the uniform color. Bugs me!! (Someday we will re-roof, vault some of the ceilings, add skylights and solar panels...I'd better sell a lot of houses first!)

watch out with the skylights Mary...that's a modern concept, unless an open area within an interior courtyard - you go sell those houses!

I was going to comment on Lisa's comment, but decided to make a Project Blogger post of it.

P.S. Roof topics are some of my favorite. I have a property in escrow with barrel tiles, but it is coming down to make room for more townhomes. The tiles have turned very brown since I sold the property to the owner two and a half years ago. How do you keep it bright? Or is it meant to turn darker?

Ines,

Tell Rick he was so wrong. The post was very informative and your expertise is certainly appreciated.

Ardell - I'll check out your post when you're done. The tiles are supposed to turn darker, although there are concrete barrels that can be pressure cleaned if you do want a "bright look" - the consensus with these historic homes is to make them look old and "rustic".

Jennifer - thanks.....I'll send him over to your comment. It's information I think is necessary because customers are constantly asking....and I've learned that much from Ardell, if a client asks, then blog about it.

We ahve homes here in texas with the Clay tiles. You see them either on older homes or on the really expensive homes.

Danny - don't confuse regular clay tile with historic tile - the tile I'm talking about has a 200 year history of traveling the world. I saw a house recently redoing their historic roof and the roofer started ripping off the historic tile and tearing it apart - the building department was able to stop the job on time to at least salvage a portion of what was left - it's good to know what you have, and to hire people who know what they are doing.

I love the look of those tiles...we have boring roofs here!!!

Monika - I am sure you have some great roofs there, take a look and you will see them.

Ines - not boring at all. Great post- I love real cuban tile roofs and I hate those wanna be screaming orange ones!

Beth - you probably are talking about the Venezuelan Altusa tiles and those are very appropriate for our climate - although a bit delicate but easy to replace. (I'm glad you didn't find it boring)

JUN

2007

makes sense. these roofs are so pretty

Katrina - pretty and important to our historic buildings.....thanks for visiting.

MAR

HELLO INES,

NICE TO SEE YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE ORIGINAL ANTIQUE CUBAN/SPANISH TILE! WE ARE SETTING UP A NEW WEBSITE WITH ALL THE ROMANTIC HISTORICAL INFORMATION FOR "ANCIENT HANDMADE ROOF TILE MADE OVER THE THIGH OF THE ARTISAN. WWW.ARTEZANOS.COM PROMOTES THE REMOVAL AND RE-APPLICATION OF HISTORICAL HANDMADE BARREL ROOF TILE AND HELPS HISTORICAL ROOF PRESERVATION BY PROVIDING OUR ARTEZANOS WORLD CLASS HANDMADE BARREL ROOF TILES FOR REPLACEMENTS IF THE ORIGINAL CANT BE FOUND. WE ARE NOW WORKING TO PROMOTE BARREL ROOF TILE AS A SUSTAINABLE GREEN MEASURE THAT WOULD HELP MANY HOMES GO BACK ON WITH A BARREL TILE ROOF WITHOUT THE EXPENSE.

WE HAVE A VERY INFORMATIVE VIDEO ON HOW TO CONSTRUCT A SUSTAINABLE GREEN ROOF WITH PRE-VEGETATED MATS OF ORNAMENTAL HORTICULTURE OVER SLOPED RESIDENTIAL TRADITIONAL ROOFING UTILIZING A LIGHT WEIGHT HYBRID ARCHITECTURAL ROOF TILE DESIGN. THE PATENTED SYSTEM IS FLORIDA AND DADE COUNTY APPROVED AND IS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND. http://www.artezanos.com/green_universal_hybrid_roof_tile_system.html

Hi Danny,

I would, on a regular basis, consider your comment major SPAM shince you are plugging your company but I will let it go this time since I plugged it first in the body of the article. Please go to Miamism.com and leave your info there. I'm happy to hear about your green roofs to. This would be a good time to let us know what's going on with your company, there are some rumors going around Miami.

Ines

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