The faults we see again and again
Melbourne’s older suburbs are full of beautiful period homes, and beautifully aged roofs. Decades of weather leave a recognisable set of faults behind.
Perished pointing on the ridge
On an older tiled roof, the rigid mortar pointing has usually cracked and crumbled. It’s the single most common leak source we find, and it’s why repointing comes up so often on heritage homes.
Brittle, weathered terracotta
Old terracotta tiles become brittle and crack underfoot or in a temperature swing. Matching them takes some care, but individual tiles can be replaced without re-roofing.
Rusted valleys and flashing
The metal valleys and flashings on a period roof are often original, and decades of water have rusted them thin. Replacing them is a frequent part of leak repairs on older homes.
Tired sarking, or none at all
Many older Melbourne roofs were built with little or no sarking (the secondary membrane under the tiles). That leaves less margin for error, so small faults leak sooner. A restoration or re-roof is the chance to put that right.
The honest answer
On an older home we’ll always tell you whether targeted repairs will do, or whether the roof has reached the point where a restoration or replacement is the better spend.
Talk to a local roofer
If any of this sounds like your roof, book a free inspection and we’ll trace the cause and put a fixed repair price in writing. See also our roof leak repairs, roof repointing, tile roof repairs and roof restoration.
