What Adelaide's housing means for a restoration
Pre-1970s tile roofs
Until the 1970s, Adelaide roofs were mostly painted corrugated iron or cement or clay tiles, before Colorbond took over. Those tiled roofs are the classic restoration job: clean, replace broken tiles, rebed the ridges, recoat.
Housing Trust homes
The South Australian Housing Trust, set up in 1936, built mostly brick houses, including late-1940s semi-detached cottages at Seaton and 1950s austerity housing. On a semi-detached pair, the roof is shared, so agree the scope and the ridge line with next door before anyone starts.
Elizabeth and the northern estates
Elizabeth, about 24 km north of the city, was established in 1955 under a Trust housing program. Streets built in the same few years tend to age together, so it's worth asking a neighbour what their roofer found.
Sun on the coating
Most summers bring several days of 40 °C or more, and in March 2008 the city had 15 days in a row at 35 °C or above. Faded, chalky tiles are what that sun leaves behind, and they're often what prompts the call.
Moss in the hills
The hills run a few degrees cooler than the plains and get more rain. Shaded, south-facing roofs up there grow moss and lichen faster, and that growth holds water against the tiles and ridges.
Cement tiles and clay tiles need different things
On cement (concrete) tiles, Monier says the colour coating is decorative and plays no part in keeping water out, and a repaint needs redoing every five years or so to keep the look. So on these roofs, the ridge work and broken tiles are what protect the house. The paint is mostly about appearance.
On terracotta, the colour is fired into the clay and doesn't fade, and Monier doesn't recommend painting it. A terracotta restoration is usually a clean, tile replacement and repointing, without the coating. Moss grows more readily on terracotta, but Monier says it sits on the surface and doesn't harm the tile.
Either way, ask how the roof will be cleaned. Monier strongly advises against pressure washers on tiles because of the risk of damage, so a careful method matters on old, brittle tiles. See tile roof restoration and terracotta roof restoration.
Contracts, deposits and door-knockers
There's no legal requirement for a written contract at that size, but the statutory warranties still apply, and you should be wary of paying a large deposit before work starts. Ask for a written scope anyway.
If someone knocks on your door selling a roof restoration, the Australian Consumer Law gives you a 10 business day cooling-off period. Whoever contracts for the work still needs a CBS building licence, and its number should be on the quote.
What to ask an Adelaide restorer
- Are my tiles cement or terracotta, and what does that change in your scope?
- How many tiles do you expect to replace, and can you match them?
- Is the whole ridge being rebedded, or only repointed, and with what pointing compound?
- How will you clean the tiles without damaging them?
- If you're coating, which product, how many coats, and what does its warranty cover?
- If my house is semi-detached, how will you handle the join with next door?
If it were our roof
On a sound pre-1970s cement tile roof, we'd restore, and we'd rather see the budget go on a full rebed and repoint than on a premium paint, because the ridge is what keeps the water out. On terracotta, skip the coating and spend on the ridges and any broken tiles. If two roofers tell you the tiles are crumbling, believe them and price a replacement too.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.
Next step
If you'd like a quote, tell us your suburb and roughly what the roof looks like. We pass each job to one licence-checked roofer in that part of Adelaide where we have one, and we'll tell you straight away if we can't help. Our national roof restoration guide and the Adelaide hub cover the rest.