What the southside is built on
Postwar public housing
The Queensland Housing Commission was set up in December 1945 to ease Brisbane's housing shortage. At Sunnybank alone it had 300 concrete 'Dutch Houses' built between 1951 and 1955, most with hipped roofs.
Tiles that didn't last the distance
Brisbane City Council's heritage citation says those Dutch Houses first had Swiss-profile roof tiles, new to Brisbane at the time. On the surviving group, the roofing now includes non-original sheet metal.
Farms to suburbs
Sunnybank's population reached 7,473 by 1974 as a farming settlement turned into another southside suburb. Wikipedia's list of southern suburbs runs from Annerley and Yeronga out to Calamvale, Runcorn and Acacia Ridge.
Storm and flood history
The 2014 storm damaged at least 22,000 homes, and the 1985 hailstorm ranks among Australia's top ten insured losses of its era. In 2011, Rocklea was among the worst-flooded suburbs.
Mostly houses
In the ABS 'Brisbane - South' area, 69.5% of the 132,271 occupied homes in 2021 were separate houses, and 35.6% were rented.
Re-roofing a postwar southside house
Plenty of owners swap old tiles or sheeting for Colorbond. Our page on tile to Colorbond explains the trade-offs.
The 2014 survey is the reason to look underneath as well. It found failures where old timbers and connections had rotted or rusted, and where new sheeting went onto connections nobody had upgraded. Ask the roofer to check the timbers and tie-downs, and to price any upgrade as its own line.
If the house was built or renovated before 1990, it probably has some asbestos, which can be in roof sheeting, ridge capping, gutters and eaves. Have it tested before quotes go out.
Ask anyone quoting a southside re-roof
- Will you check the battens, rafters and tie-down connections, and what will you do if they're rotten or rusted?
- Has the old roof been tested for asbestos, and who's removing it?
- Does the price include taking away and disposing of the old roof?
- Is Queensland Home Warranty cover included?
Our take on the southside
On a 1950s or 60s house, we'd treat a re-roof as a chance to fix what holds the roof down, not just what keeps the rain out. We'd want tie-downs and battens in the scope and on the invoice. Let us know your suburb and what you need, and we'll hand it to one licence-checked roofer covering that part of the southside if we have one, or let you know if we don't.
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.