Cheval sits in unincorporated northwest Hillsborough County, tucked between Dale Mabry Highway and the Suncoast Parkway near Lutz, and it's one of the more architecturally consistent communities we work in across Tampa Bay. Most of the homes here were built from the late 1980s through the late 1990s and early 2000s in a Mediterranean and Spanish-influenced style, which means barrel tile shows up constantly and the community's design standards care about it. If you're a homeowner in Cheval trying to figure out what roof to put on your property, the right answer depends on your home's age, your HOA's architectural guidelines, your budget, and how long you plan to stay. This guide walks through all of it honestly, including the trade-offs the sales pitches usually leave out.
For most Cheval homes, a concrete tile roof that matches the existing barrel or flat tile profile is the top pick, mainly because it's what the neighborhood's architectural review process expects and what keeps a home looking like it belongs on the street. Where a full tile replacement isn't in the budget, a high-wind-rated dimensional asphalt shingle in a color close to the original is the practical runner-up, and it's what we install most often on Cheval homes that need a straightforward, code-compliant new roof without a tile-matching fight with the association. Standing seam metal is a smaller but growing third option for homeowners who want a 40-plus-year roof and are willing to get it approved. Clay tile is beautiful and historically accurate to some of the higher-end sections of Cheval, but it's the most expensive route and the least forgiving if it's ever damaged.
None of these is a universal right answer — the best roof for your Cheval property is the one that satisfies your HOA, survives Hillsborough County's wind-load requirements, and fits what you're actually willing to spend. We'll break down why below.
We didn't rank these materials on marketing claims. Here's the criteria that actually matter for a property in this specific community:
Concrete tile — whether a low-profile flat tile or a traditional barrel/S-tile — is the most common roofing material on original Cheval homes, and it's usually the safest choice for architectural approval because it's already what the community expects.
Architectural (dimensional) shingles rated for high wind are the most cost-effective new roof for a Cheval home, and where a section of the neighborhood or a specific home wasn't built with tile, they're often approved without issue.
Clay tile is the premium, most historically accurate option for the Spanish and Mediterranean-style homes concentrated in some of Cheval's higher-end sections.
Metal is less common in Cheval today, but we're installing more of it as homeowners look for a long-term roof and are willing to work through HOA approval for a non-traditional material.
A few choices come up often enough in this area that they're worth calling out directly, even though they're not always wrong for every homeowner.
Cheval is inland relative to South Tampa or the barrier islands, so the salt-air corrosion that coastal Tampa Bay properties deal with is less of a factor here — that's genuinely good news for metal flashing, fasteners, and gutter systems compared to a waterfront home. What does matter more in Cheval is the age of the original roofs and the community's two golf courses, both of which shape day-to-day roofing decisions in this neighborhood.
Homes built during Cheval's original development wave in the 1990s are, in most cases, now old enough that their original roof is at or past the point where a full replacement makes more sense than continued patch repairs, particularly for tile roofs where the underlayment has quietly aged out even if the tile itself still looks fine from the ground. If you're not sure how old your roof actually is versus how old your house is, that's worth an inspection before you assume either way.
Properties bordering either of Cheval's golf courses sometimes deal with additional debris — errant balls, palm fronds, and tree litter from the course landscaping — which is a factor when choosing between a more impact-resistant tile or a Class 4 impact-rated shingle. It's a small but real consideration for homes directly on the fairway.
Most of the roofs installed when Cheval was originally built are now old enough — commonly two to three decades — that they're at or beyond a typical service window, especially for shingle. Even tile roofs from that era usually need underlayment replacement by now, since the tile can outlast the water barrier underneath it by a wide margin. If your home hasn't had a roof replacement since original construction, an inspection is a reasonable next step regardless of how the roof looks from the driveway.
Cheval's homeowners association reviews exterior changes, including roofing, through an architectural approval process, and roofing materials and colors are expected to be consistent with the community's established look. In practice, this means it's much smoother to get an approval when you're matching an existing tile profile or picking a shingle color close to what's already common on your street. We recommend getting your material and color selections in front of the association before a contract is finalized, since changes after approval can add delay.
Yes — we service homes throughout the Cheval community, including properties along both of the neighborhood's golf courses, as well as homes on the interior streets away from the fairways. Course-adjacent homes sometimes have slightly different debris and impact considerations, which we factor into material recommendations during the inspection.
No. Cheval is within our regular Tampa Bay service area alongside South Tampa, Hyde Park, Seminole Heights, Carrollwood, Brandon, and Riverview, so there's no separate travel charge for an inspection, estimate, repair, or full replacement at a Cheval property.
While this guide is written specifically for Cheval, the same fundamentals — Hillsborough County wind code, HOA fit where applicable, and Florida's heat and storm exposure — apply across the county, and we handle both repair and full replacement work throughout it, from Carrollwood and Town 'n' Country to Brandon and Riverview. Roof repair costs in Hillsborough County vary quite a bit depending on the damage, the material, and whether the underlying decking or underlayment needs work as well as the visible surface, so a firm number really does require an on-site inspection rather than a phone estimate. As a general range, small, straightforward shingle repairs tend to sit at the lower end of the cost spectrum, while tile repairs, storm damage with underlying leaks, or work requiring code-mandated upgrades to the surrounding roof section cost more. We'll always give you a written, itemized quote before any work begins so you know exactly what you're paying for and why.
If you're weighing tile against shingle, wondering whether your roof will clear Cheval's architectural review, or just need an honest inspection to find out how much life is actually left in what's up there now, Alpine Exteriors is a phone call or a form away. We serve Cheval as part of our regular Hillsborough County coverage, alongside South Tampa, Hyde Park, Seminole Heights, Carrollwood, Brandon, and Riverview, and we'll give you fair pricing and a clear explanation of your options before you commit to anything. Reach out to schedule an inspection and get a written estimate for your Cheval home.