Angie, one of the best ways to learn about roofing is to read the manufacturer's websites and their installation requirements. You'll be ahead of many "roofers" who never bother. BTW, a clay tile roof is VERY VERY heavy and requires that the home be built to carry that load from the beginning. If your home wasn't, then I'd suggest exploring the lighter weight steel shingles that mimic it. It's just as expensive, and doesn't mimic it quite successfully, but you won't have to rebuild your entire house to be able to use them.

Thanks, Green. I have been looking at an installation manual from the Tile Roofing Institute , so you make me feel like that was a good place to start. I did not think to look at manufacturer's websites, so I will take a look there, too.

Thanks for bringing up the weight concern and the alternatives. Embarrassingly, while I considered the load on my rafters, I did not consider the rest of the structure. I have been assuming that I would be okay for the following empirical reason. Right now, I have a cedar shake roof and two layers of asphalt shingles. (Not my doing, it was like that when I bought the house!) Given the ages, I was estimating these to be about 300 lbs/square for the cedar, and say a total of 450 lbs/sq for the two asphalt layers, for a grand total of about 750. Medium weight clay tiles come in at about 800 lbs/sq. (Of course, there will be other stuff to go along with the tiles, too, so it is an open question.)

My house is a 1929 brick veneer. I gather it has balloon framing on the gable walls and not so on the other walls. Who would be the go-to guy (or gal) to answer this question? A structural engineer?