Mediterranean Revival is the architectural language that defines Coconut Grove’s pre-war housing stock. Built between roughly 1915 and 1940, these homes share a vocabulary: stucco walls (often pastel-tinted), arched openings, asymmetric massing, and most visibly — barrel-tile roofs in earth and clay tones. Matching the roof on these homes is half the project.
The original tile profiles.
The most common original profile in Grove Mediterranean Revival is heavy-section Spanish barrel: a 2-piece “S” tile with separate top (cover) and bottom (pan) pieces. Tile dimensions varied by manufacturer, but typical was around 17″ long with a 9–10″ exposure. Mission tile (single-piece “S” profile) appears on a smaller subset of homes.
Original color palette was earthy: red-brown, terracotta, mottled red-orange. Some homes had three- or four-color blends to mimic age. Modern color lines have shifted slightly — today’s “natural red” is a shade brighter than original, and today’s “sienna” is a shade duller.
Current manufacturers and matching SKUs.
- Eagle Roofing. Their Bel Air, Capistrano, and Malibu profiles cover most Grove-era barrel tile. Color match is closest in their “Cabo Series” earth-tone blends.
- Hanson Roof Tile. Their Mission Tile in clay finish is closest to original Spanish barrel. Color matching strongest in their hand-blended antique tones.
- Boral. Their barrel tile profiles work well as drop-in replacements; their concrete bodies are heavier than original but the visual is convincing.
When the original line is discontinued.
For homes 80+ years old, the chance the exact original tile is still in production is slim. Two paths:
- Salvaged-tile blend. Local suppliers maintain inventory of salvaged tiles from teardown projects. We source as many salvaged tiles as the supply allows and blend them with closest-match new tiles. This works well when the existing roof has 60% or more salvageable tile.
- Closest-match contemporary tile. When salvage isn’t sufficient, we run a sample-board approval. We mock up a 4×6 foot section of the new tile in a visible roof area, photograph it under different lighting conditions, and submit to the architectural review board for approval before full installation.
Color approval.
If your home is inside a designated historic district, color changes need preservation board approval. Even when not strictly required, the board approval process is worth running — it forecloses any future objection if the home is ever resold or re-evaluated. Approval typically takes 4–6 weeks and requires a physical sample on file.
What gets noticed (and what doesn’t).
From the street, three things define whether a tile match reads as authentic: (1) tile profile, (2) color tonality, and (3) ridge and hip detail. Profile and color get most of the attention; ridge and hip detail is what trained eyes notice. We always specify ridge tile and hip starter pieces matched to the field tile, even when it adds 15% to material cost.