What Ipswich roofs have been through
A city of old houses
Ipswich's historic house types run from Early Colonial and Victorian, from 1850 onwards, to the Queensland Bungalow, built until 1935. Across south-east Queensland, Queenslander roofs were typically sheeted in corrugated steel because it stood up to torrential rain and could be reused after cyclone damage.
Heritage on almost every corner
There are more than 6000 heritage-listed sites in Ipswich. For a place on the Queensland Heritage Register, most changes need approval before work starts, and that can include repairs. For local heritage places, Ipswich City Council is the one to ask.
The 2020 hail track
On 31 October 2020, giant hail ran from Amberley to the northern suburbs of Logan, with stones up to 9.5 cm at Amberley. The SES took more than 2,900 requests for help across the Ipswich and Logan council areas.
The Bremer floods
The Bremer River reached 19.5 metres at Ipswich on 12 January 2011, flooding the CBD and thousands of houses, with Goodna and Gailes worst hit. The 1974 flood put about 1,800 Ipswich homes and businesses under water.
Mostly detached houses
At the 2021 Census, 88.7% of occupied homes across the City of Ipswich were separate houses.
Which jobs come up most in Ipswich?
Repairing or re-sheeting old iron. On an older timber home, rusted sheets, loose screws and tired flashings are the usual leak points. A roofer can often replace the worst sheets and flashings rather than the whole roof. See roof repairs in Brisbane and our guide to rusty roofs.
Checking for hail damage. Cracked tiles, holed skylights and split flashings let water straight in. On steel, BlueScope says dents don't usually shorten a COLORBOND roof's life, though big dents on a low pitch can hold water and bent overlaps can leak.
Re-roofing in Brisbane walks through the material choices.
Asbestos questions on post-war homes. After World War II, Queensland houses moved to fibreboards such as asbestos sheeting, and Queensland's asbestos advice is that a home built before 1990 is likely to contain some. Have it checked before anyone cuts, drills or cleans.
After a flood or a hailstorm
Stay out of rooms where the ceiling is sagging, and turn the power off at the switchboard if water is near lights or fittings. Call the SES on 132 500 for storm damage emergencies. Floods and storms can break up asbestos materials, so don't hose or water-blast old fibro eaves or roof sheets during the clean-up.
What to ask an Ipswich roofer
- Is my house heritage listed, and does this work need approval first?
- Which QBCC licence covers this job? Roof tiling and roof and wall cladding are separate licence classes.
If we owned an old Ipswich house
We'd have the roof looked at before storm season, not after it. On a timber home with an iron roof, sorting the worst sheets, screws and flashings early usually costs less than chasing leaks into old ceilings later. And if the house is heritage listed, we'd ring Ipswich City Council before signing anything.
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.