Ugly House Photos

Design Through the Decades - part 66

Roofing In Phoenix, Arizona

The 1970s - Roofs:

Most Phoenix homes in the 1970s had gable style roofs with white asphalt shingles.  The carport roof seen here makes this 1978 home have a cross gable design.

Flat foam roofs started to show up more frequently in the 1970s.  Here’s a 1971 Phoenix home.

Red tile officially made its debut in Phoenix homes in the 1970s, at least for decorative purposes.  The home here is still a flat roof with foam.

Wood shake roofs were not that common in Phoenix from the 1950s to the 1970s.  Here’s a 1970 Phoenix home with wood shake.

There was a time when white rocks were placed on top of a white foam roof.  The thought was that the rocks pulled the heat away from the roof.  The white foam reflected the hot summer sun.  Here’s a home from 1971.

The 1980s - Roofs:

The 1980s in Phoenix became the decade of the red tile roof.  It may not account for over half of Phoenix homes or even 25%, but it left a lasting impression on roof design.  Here’s a modified roof with flat & gable styles with red tile at a 1984 Phoenix home.

Pink tile was also used toward the end of the 1980s.  The pink or red clay tile was arched.  This created air space between the tile and the underlayment felt paper.  Clay tile roofs are supposed to last a lifetime, which they may, but the intense Arizona sun can make the underlayment brittle over time, requiring a re-roofing.  Roofers have to carefully remove all of the tile, store it for re-use, replace the underlayment, and re-lay the clay tile.

Flat foam roofs were still popular in the 1980s in Phoenix.  Foam roofs require more preventative maintenance than shingled or tiled roofs.

Whereas gable style roofs were common from the 1950s to the 1970s, reverse gable style roofs were used in the 1980s.  This is a 1986 Phoenix home with asphalt shingles.  Note that you cannot see the roof when viewing from the front.

This is a 1980s Phoenix home with a double cross gable roof design with shingles.

Vaulted ceilings were very trendy in 1980s Phoenix homes.  The roof pitch was much more pronounced in these homes.