What shapes a restoration in Bunbury
Book around the wet
June (134.5 mm), July (145.5 mm) and August (118.2 mm) bring most of Bunbury's rain. Cleaning, rebedding and coating all want dry weeks, so spring through autumn is the time to book, with any ridge work done before winter.
Hot, dry summers
Bunbury's record is 40.8 °C, set in January, and long dry summers are hard on roof coatings. If upstairs rooms get hot, a lighter colour reflects more of the sun's heat; our page on heat-reflective coatings explains the options.
Metal roofs near the water
On homes near Koombana Bay, the inlet or Back Beach, salt speeds up rust at screws, laps and cut edges. For overpainting coated steel, BlueScope says water-based acrylic generally suits, with a more corrosion-resistant system such as a zinc-rich primer in salty marine spots. If sheets are rusting through, though, that money may be better put toward new steel rated for your distance from the water.
Old and heritage homes
Bunbury was established as a municipality in 1871, and King Cottage, built around 1880, is one of its surviving early homes. The City of Bunbury has 358 heritage-listed places, 46 of them on the State Register. If yours is one, check with the council before changing the roof colour or materials.
Storm damage comes first
The May and June 2024 storms damaged more than 440 properties. If your roof was hit, deal with the insurance claim and the storm repairs first. A restoration is maintenance, and mixing the two can muddy a claim.
Is your roof a good candidate?
Faded or chalky coating, moss and lichen, crumbling ridge mortar, a scattering of cracked tiles, or surface rust that hasn't eaten through are all fixable, and that's what a restoration is for. Our national page on roof restoration explains the full job.
It's a poor candidate when tiles are breaking up across the roof, metal is rusted through in many places, or the roof might be asbestos cement. And be wary of anyone who says a sound tiled roof must be coated: Building and Energy and Consumer Protection say that isn't generally true unless you want to change the look. Our restore or replace tool gives you a quick lean.
Don't pressure clean a possible asbestos roof
A home built or renovated before 1990 probably has some asbestos, ASSEA says, and some older WA roofs are asbestos cement. Pressure cleaning one is illegal and can release fibres. Have it tested before anyone cleans, walks on or coats it. Our guide on painting an asbestos roof explains why.
Questions for a Bunbury restoration quote
- When would you start, and what's the plan if rain arrives mid-job?
- Which coating, by brand and product name, and how many coats?
- How much ridge is being rebedded and repointed, and how many tiles replaced?
- On a metal roof near the water, how will you treat rust at screws and laps?
- Who removes and refits the solar panels, and is that in the price?
- Are you registered as a painter contractor?
What we'd do
We'd book a restoration for spring, so it's finished long before the June rain, and get two or three quotes compared line by line. On a metal roof close to the water, we'd ask each roofer straight out whether the sheets are worth coating or due for replacement. And if the 2024 storms touched the roof, we'd settle that claim first.
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.